Simon Kesterton takes up his new role this week following the resignation of incumbent Ian Ashton.

Kesterton spent six years at Kier helping steer the group through its biggest financial reset in a generation before stepping down in December.

He joined when Kier was on the ropes with a battered balance sheet and mounting debt and left with the group firmly back on its feet, cash discipline tightened and major IT and procurement shake-ups pushed through.

A trading update by SIG this morning revealed UK sales were down 5% in the first quarter of 2026 on last year as “demand in most markets remains well below historical levels.”

Results for the half year will be published in August and are expected to be below 2025 levels.