Briggs & Forrester has appointed Duncan Benedetti as group CEO from 1 January 2027, an internal succession that gives the employee-owned M&E contractor leadership continuity as it enters its 80th year of trading.

Briggs & Forrester, a Northampton-based building services contractor formed in 1947, reported £10.1m (€11.8m) pre-tax profit on £241.7m (€282.8m) turnover in the year to 31 October 2025, and operates a Living business alongside its engineering services work.

Benedetti has spent 20 years with the group and is managing director of its Living business and a group board member, while Matthew Orme, currently Living operations director, becomes managing director of the division.

Paul Burton, who joined in September 2000 as managing director and became group chief executive in February 2017, steps down as CEO but remains group chairman.

Burton said Benedetti has demonstrated strong leadership and delivered outstanding results over two decades, while Benedetti said the group has a strong foundation in its people and client relationships and sees significant opportunities for growth across the UK.

Internal promotion after 20 years, with the outgoing chief executive staying as chairman, is a succession model that limits disruption for clients and supply chains while the group continues to trade as a business owned by its employees.

Construction and surveying have become the fastest-growing segment for employee ownership trusts, with the number of employee-owned construction and property firms rising to more than 340 between 2014 and 2025, and construction accounted for 14% of all employee-owned UK businesses in 2025.

That growth carries risk: RSM’s employee ownership specialist has noted that construction has the highest number of insolvencies of any sector because of tight margins, fixed-price contracts, cash flow issues and labour shortages, which makes steady leadership more valuable for a contractor of this size.

For the sector, planned internal successions at employee-owned contractors signal stability to clients, lenders and supply chains, particularly in a market where insolvency risk makes continuity of leadership a competitive advantage.

Source: Construction News / Property Week