Halliday is returning to the firm he first joined in 1996 where over the course of 11 years, he helped to grow Spencer into a Tier 1 contractor and was made a main board director.

Halliday joins the multi-disciplinary engineering specialist from Network Rail, where he has served as a route delivery director for the last six years. Before that, he was rail director at rival Story Contracting for nearly seven years.

In his new role, Halliday will drive Spencer Group’s rail division forward as it delivers transformative projects.

He said: “I’ve spent the last six years with Network Rail, developing supply chain strategy and delivering projects – and will draw on this experience to grow and align Spencer’s rail division.

“My focus will be on the upfront development side of the business, and on realising the full potential of its internal design capabilities. I’m committed to ensuring that we truly align with and understand our clients, avoiding change and unnecessary delays in delivery.

Halliday added: “I’ve spent most of my career as a contractor – but, after joining Network Rail, I gained invaluable client-side experience. Six years later, I’m confident that I understand the organisation’s requirements – and the needs of other rail clients. I began my rail career with Spencer Group and know that meeting these needs is in its DNA. Now, I’m really looking forward to shaping and building our rail offering with the help of my team.”