He takes up the job at the end of this month from Carillion where he was a director of the SkyBlu recruitment and fleet management businesses in the UK and Canada.
Over the last 25 years Holden, a trained civil engineer, was also a construction director at Balfour Beatty Construction and worked for Morrison Construction, Kajima, Gleeson.
Simons‘ chief executive Tom Robinson said: “I am very excited about Mark joining the Simons Leadership Team.
“His personal values fit well with those of Simons Group and the commitment to deliver excellent outcomes for our customers. I am absolutely convinced Mark will make a significant contribution to the future of the business.”