Forsdyke will join Wates on 1 September and take charge of operational teams across all regions, with responsibility for performance across the UK construction business.

He will also lead the next phase of Wates Construction’s business optimisation programme.

Forsdyke spent 23 years at Willmott Dixon, most recently serving as chief operating officer of its interiors business.

Before that he was managing director of Willmott Dixon’s southern construction region and has more than 15 years’ experience leading tier one construction operations across multiple regions.

The appointment comes as Wates Construction looks to accelerate growth across both public and private sector markets while increasing its capacity to deliver larger and more complex schemes.

Steff Battle, executive managing director at Wates Construction, said Forsdyke brought “deep expertise in building high-performing, accountable teams and delivering operational excellence at scale”.