In his new role as regional managing director for Morgan Sindall, Jacobs will use his long experience of working for major clients like Stanhope and Land Securities to grow the contracting business.
Jacobs spent 24 years at Bovis Lend Lease where he was a director for 10 years and most recently headed up the team delivering the £1.4bn athletes village.
He was one of several high profile directors and managers to leave Bovis following the departure of chief executive Nick Pollard last year.
Peter Lenehan, the former Bovis northern operations director, recently resurfaced as chief executive of fitout firm Styles and Wood.
“I’m excited by the opportunity to lead Morgan Sindall in the capital,” said Jacobs, who is currently also senior vice president of The Chartered Institute of Building.
“London is one of the great cities of the world and despite all the challenges posed by a slow economy, it remains a desirable and secure location.
A rich vein of development opportunities exists for organisations that can provide exceptional service to their customers and this lies at the heart of our offering.”
Stephen Scard, managing director for Construction South at Morgan Sindall, said: “With Peter at the helm, we will be better placed to unlock key projects and deliver our growth objectives.”