Simon King is the Chief Executive Officer of Ivor King (C.E.C.) Ltd.

Established in 1974 by his father, Ivor; the Company is one of the fastest growing in its sector. Over the last ten years under Simon’s stewardship, the business has more than tripled in size.

Simon is the consummate piling expert, having devoted his whole working life to the business he loves. Over the course of the last 30 years, Simon has worked through every key function of the organisation. This has undoubtedly helped him to develop an expansive knowledge of the piling industry.

His core area of expertise is knowledge of plant utilisation and deploying the best solution to meet his customers’ needs. Simon is passionate about investing in the latest piling technology, which has helped to build an enviable industry reputation. He’s also proud Ivor King can offer a unique range of wholly owned and operated plant.

Simon is a great advocate of employee development and training, to maintain high levels of staff engagement and productivity; something he believes has a direct correlation to achieving improved efficiency and increased profitability.

He is first and foremost a ‘people person’ and his hands-on management style reflects this, earning him genuine respect amongst his team and peers. But as CEO, Simon provides leadership and overall direction, setting our visions and focussing on innovative and strategic initiatives to take the business forward.

Andy is our Group Contracts Director and heads up the operational team, delivering multi-disciplined piling solutions across the UK.

Younger brother of Simon King, Andy has spent all of his professional life working for the family business and he’s been instrumental in growing the Company to one of the leading piling specialists in the UK today.

Andy spent his formative years on construction sites learning his craft, which led to a move into operational management. Coupling his natural commercial flare and technical knowledge, he is best placed to lead the team that systematically and efficiently manages the contract creation and execution process and maximises the operational performance of the business.

His knowledge of the sheet piling industry is second to none, in particular his expertise and ability to make the best use of different piling rigs is renowned and has earned him significant respect amongst his industry peers. Even today, his reputation for being one of the best piling foremen in the business still stands.

He has a pragmatic ‘can-do’ approach to complete the most challenging of piling construction projects, on time and on budget whilst maintaining high service quality and excellent levels of customer satisfaction.

Andy is passionate about striving towards constant improvement and developing new operational procedures in order to increase efficiency and output. A team player who loves nothing more than celebrating success and encouraging an environment of high performance.

If you need a solution to your piling project – he’s your man.

Outside work, he’s an avid rugby enthusiast, taking part in outdoor pursuits and spending quality time with his family…and is partial to a spicy curry!

Educated to Chartered Institute of Building with over 25 years’ experience gained in the specialist sub-contracting sector of the construction industry, fulfilling roles in Commercial, Contractual and Quantity Surveying related positions.

Mark’s career however started out in completing a City & Guilds Apprenticeship in Carpentry & Joinery, continuing his education at Wolverhampton University for a further 6 years, achieving Chartered status. Having held positions from tradesman through to Managing Director, Mark has an understanding of every level of the Construction process and is equally comfortable with ‘on-site’ activities, to meetings with the professional team and client representatives. Mark has a vast experience of multi-million pound projects and is similarly at ease with quick-turnaround smaller value orders.

As Group Managing Director, Mark is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the business, whilst also leading the Commercial & Estimating team at Ivor King. Mark provides strategic guidance and direction to the Board, to ensure the Company achieves its revenues and profitability objectives.

A keen keep-fit enthusiast; Mark enjoys all forms of sporting activities, has completed the London Marathon and got to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro (the hard route!)

Dave grew up in Chesterfield, Derbyshire – home of the Crooked Spire. He completed a BA (Hons) in Business Studies at The University of Sheffield and is an FCCA Certified Accountant.

Since University – Dave’s background is varied, with experience of general and finance management within the Merchanting, Construction, High Technology, Naval, and Manufacturing sectors, primarily within large global companies.

Focused on maximising returns for owners and shareholders, Dave is experienced at setting up and redesigning finance departments with the goal of achieving increased productivity, whilst developing positive long standing relationships with employees and management alike.

Dave is married with two children, and is an old fashioned ‘Petrolhead’ who loves a gas guzzler.  He collects and saves vehicles that otherwise would be on the scrapheap, and has apparently promised his wife he won’t buy any more (but was secretly crossing his fingers!)

As Associate Director of Operations, Tom is responsible for overseeing our busy Operations team and the delivery of works, from handover from the Estimating team through to completion, reviewing progress of multiple projects and resolving issues as they arise along the way.

Tom joined the Ivor King team in 2010 directly after leaving college, spending almost 10 years out on-site learning his trade. Starting as a Piling Operative and later progressing to Works Supervisor, Tom was keen to take in all aspects of our piling operations, learning to operate every item of plant and equipment we own, gaining invaluable insight into the various piling techniques and installation methods we offer.

In 2019, Tom moved into the office, with a successful tenure overseeing the Hire division, before moving into Contracts Management and eventually running the Operations department as a whole.

Being a third-generation member of the King family dynasty and now holding a position of responsibility, Tom feels his decade out on-site means he has the real-life experience and understanding of how jobs actually run, and what’s involved in delivering a project. He also commands the respect of his team, because he’s been there, knows the challenges likely to be encountered and ways to avoid them.

‘My job is all about keeping things on track and making sure everything runs to plan. But there’ll always be challenges, so it’s about solving problems and deciding how best to utilise our equipment to deliver the work. It can be a bit like a big puzzle, making all the pieces slot together and being creative if needs be. Things are always changing and of course we’re at the mercy of the weather, but where there’s a will there’s a way.’

Impressively, Tom is also proud to maintain all his machine tickets and still occasionally gets behind the controls, just to keep him in touch.

Away from work, Tom is very much a family man, spending quality time with his wife and children, and has a passion for football, supporting Coventry City FC.

As Associate Director of IT & Business Systems, Tim heads-up our busy IT function and is responsible for managing all company computer systems, evaluating and controlling electronic data operations, whilst ensuring security of data, network access and backup systems.

Joining the Ivor King team as IT Manager in 2017, Tim had worked for a number of ‘blue chip’ companies, where he gained over 20 years of valuable experience in the field of Information Technology.

Specialising in the areas of Desktop and Server technology, he has been instrumental in driving innovations and improving IT infrastructures as new technologies have emerged. Tim’s personal enthusiasm for technology extends into his professional life, and he prides himself on keeping up to date with the latest developments and making sure the company is at the vanguard of leveraging cutting-edge ICT related technologies.

Away from work, Tim is a proud husband and father to one daughter, and loves nothing more than spending quality time with his family. His passions include photography and cars, and always seems to have a home improvement project on the go, despite telling everyone that he hates DIY! Needless to say, Tim surrounds himself with gadgets and technology, and is a big fan of home automation systems.

Alex has been part of the Ivor King team since 2015, joining us initially as Junior Estimator and steadily progressing to the key role of Associate Director Design & Estimating.

Graduating at the University of Birmingham, Alex holds a BSc Honours in Geology and a Masters Degree (with Honours) in Applied and Petroleum Micropalaeontology.

Following his studies, Alex spent time as an Exploration Geologist in Queensland, Australia – working in green field exploration and active coal mines. On return to the UK, he worked for Southern Testing, specialising in Ground investigations for basement developments in central London.

Now heading up our busy Design & Estimating team, Alex oversees the tender process to ensure the business is maximising its potential and producing specific tender proposals based on the needs of our customers. Alex is responsible for ensuring we are successful in winning work which targets a broad range of multi-disciplined capabilities and plays to our strengths in particular fields of expertise, such as Giken Silent Piling and Giken Supercrush (hard ground) offerings.

Alex enjoys the dynamic of meeting clients, developing great working relationships and is driven by providing innovative solutions to meet the needs of our customers; ‘Each site has its own restrictions and ground conditions, so we tailor each solution based on all the information available and our wealth of experience. We pride ourselves on offering a broad range of solutions, which means we can always offer the right one.’

Interests outside of work include a passion for playing squash and road cycling, not to mention a spot of DIY and various home improvement projects.

Anton initially joined Ivor King as Design Estimator, swiftly moving up to become Design Manager, where his brief has been to lead and develop a design team to meet the ever-increasing needs of the business.

As Design Manager, Anton is responsible for supplying clients with suitable geotechnical and structural design solutions for steel and concrete retaining walls and deep foundations.

Graduating at Moscow Automobile and Road University with a MEng in Civil Engineering, Anton is a Graduate Member of ICE and is also an Honorary Research Fellow at University of Birmingham. In 2019, Anton achieved a PhD in Civil Engineering from University of Leeds.

During the final year of his Masters degree, he gained work experience producing CAD drawings and calcs in the Tunnelling and Civil Engineering consultancies. From there, Anton joined a concession infrastructure company that was modelling and forecasting transport networks surrounding future toll roads between Moscow and St Petersburg. His role was to coordinate a number of projects and be a point of contact linking international advisors with the company management and local authorities.

Speaking fluent English, Anton has been in the UK since 2012 and has worked as a Design Engineer within the piling sector before joining the Ivor King team in 2016. In collaboration with the University of Birmingham, Anton continues to be involved in short and long-term research into a better educated approach to our design, whilst providing practical background to scientific work of students and researchers.

It’s clear Anton is driven by the constant search for a greater understanding of soil behaviour; ‘After all, one cannot negotiate with physics!’ he points out. Anton believes this understanding can be used to find evermore innovative and efficient design solutions to complex engineering challenges. ‘I like finding a feasible solution that satisfies a client’s requirements, and we always look to apply the principles of value engineering to provide sustainable and robust designs,’ he says.

Outside of work, Anton’s interests include travel, both UK and abroad, and building bicycles (then rarely riding them!) Quite the musician, Anton also has a talent for playing the drums and is a classically trained pianist, no less.

Graham entered the field of Civil Engineering through the CITB’s technician route, initially attending block release studies at Bircham Newton Training Centre in Norfolk, where he gained an ONC and an HNC in Civil Engineering.  Graham later went on to complete a Batchelor of Engineering Degree with honours in Civil Engineering from the University of Portsmouth.

Specialising in the foundations sector early in his career, Graham has worked for several of the UK’s leading piling contractors, progressing through the ranks from Junior Engineer to Project Manager and Board Director along the way.  He has also held the position of Chair of the Steel Piling Group, an industry body for companies and individuals involved in the manufacture, supply, design and installation of steel foundations in the United Kingdom.

Graham has now joined the Ivor King Team, taking up the role of Pre-Construction Manager. Leveraging vast industry experience, his function is to develop relationships with existing and new clients, promoting the wide array of services offered by Ivor King, particularly the benefits of Giken silent and vibration-free pile press operations.

Passionate about best practice, and achieving a value engineered solution for any piling project, Graham says, ’At Ivor King, I act as a focal point for clients during the pre-order stage of the tendering process, ensuring full client liaison and development, coupled with advancing our business objectives, by increasing service levels and client focus’.

During his spare time, Graham enjoys mountain biking and attending circuit training classes at his local gym.  He also maintains a keen interest in the art and skill of mobile DJing, keeping up to date with the latest equipment and music trends, and loves his 80s and 90s soul and dance floor classics!

Stuart joined our team in early 2023 as Health & Safety Manager, bringing with him over twenty-five years of experience in the Civils, Construction and Engineering sectors. Having held many senior Health & Safety positions in the industry, he has enjoyed close involvement in a long line of complex and diverse projects within the Civils arena.

Stuart holds a Masters of Science (MSc) degree in Project Management from Northumbria University, and is a Chartered Health & Safety Practitioner (CMIOSH), as well being a Certified Member of the Association for Project Safety (CMaPS).

Stuart has a wealth of knowledge in complex piling and ground engineering works across several spheres, including Nuclear, Renewable and Marine. Committed to a zero-harm philosophy, Stuart’s remit is to continually improve the Company’s procedure, processes and culture on a daily basis.

Outside of work, Stuart enjoys cycling, trips to the gym, socialising with friends, and spending time with his son and wider family.

David has made a lifelong career spanning nearly four decades in the Health & Safety sector, with Quality Management becoming an ever more important element through the years. David believes his passion for driving standards up has made this possible and is what still motivates him today.

David began his working life as an apprentice for global engineering company, GKN; specialising in the Mechanical Engineering Automotive sector, covering a wide range of engineering activities. Soon after qualifying he became their Health & Safety Officer, later being promoted to HSE Manager.

David then joined GEC Alsthom as HSE Manager in the Power Transmission, Distribution, Protection and Control industry, before finally becoming their HSEQ Manager.

Over the following years David has held the following positions:

• Sertec (Automotive supplier industry) as HSE Manager
• Grainger and Worrall Automotive (supplier of engine castings) as HSE Manager
• Serco Rail Industry as HSEQ Manager
• Ultra Electronics (specialist government projects for various governments worldwide) as HSEQ Manager
• Merseyrail as HSEQ Manager at their Engineering depots
• Moog Aircraft Group as HSE Manager

As part of his various positions, David has travelled into Europe, Canada and America to support various projects and initiatives. His wide industrial sector experience has exposed him to a vast range of HSQE management scenarios that would be impossible to equal within just one sector.

David now brings his knowledge and experience to the Ivor King team, joining us in 2017 to assist with building the highest standards of Environment, Safety, Health and Quality in the various risk based environments encountered in the piling world.

The growth of the company and an ever expanding set of independant audits and accreditiations has led to David now concentrating solely on Quality as our dedicated QMS Manager. This includes meeting the stringent directives of Network Rail’s Managed Infrastructure, along with the Utility, Housing, Highways and Power sectors to name but a few.

As HR Business Partner, Michelle is responsible for the full lifecycle of our employees, encompassing many factors – everything from resource planning to managing the well-being of our valued team.

Prior joining the Ivor King team in April 2021, Michelle worked in several diverse sectors, including Food Manufacturing and Marketing, in addition to Construction & Civil Engineering. Having generalist experience in multiple environments and disciplines, Michelle has developed a wealth of invaluable experience and is professionally accredited by CIPD.

Michelle prides herself on being able to coach and support others whilst maintaining a professional outlook. Having experienced the benefit of fantastic mentors in her earlier career, Michelle feels passionate about being able to support others in the same way and will always strive to make sure our employees feel supported.

In addition to her HR responsibilities, Michelle also oversees our busy Training Centre function, ensuring the facility runs smoothly on a day-to-day basis and that the Centre is able to reach its full potential by developing its offering.

Outside of the working environment, Michelle enjoys spending quality time with her family and three young children. Michelle also enjoys keeping fit and the occasional spa trip.

As Training Admin Manager, Katie looks after the smooth day-to-day running of our increasingly popular Training Centre, planning which courses will take place when and making sure everything is in place for the successful delivery of our range of CPCS and NPORS courses.

Katie is also the first point of contact for Ivor King Training, so if you call to book a course or have any questions on any of our training programmes, chances are you’ll be speaking to Katie!

Granddaughter of Ivor, Katie is a third-generation member of the King family dynasty and joined us full-time in the Summer of 2022 after college and a spell in retail. It’s fair to say she’s excited about flying the company flag and the prospect of growing our Training Centre.

‘Our legacy is decades of real-life experience working in the piling industry, so who could possibly be better at delivering Construction Training than us? Plus, we’ve got the official accreditations to back it up. Customer service is everything, but I don’t just want our clients to be satisfied, I want them to leave feeling delighted with the experience they’ve had with Ivor King Training and then go and tell all their mates. It really does work!’

Outside of work, Katie loves spending quality time with family and friends, and interests include films and music.