You are ex armed forces, an FCIOB, run your own CBC business and keep clocking up the academic qualifications. And you’re only 31. Tell us about this meteoric rise to success.
My path has been varied and not one taken by most. I gained an honours degree in business management, served with the Royal Marines and saw active service in Afghanistan.
I founded McCombie Construction in 2012 with my brother Arron, and have since gained an MSc in construction management and been awarded a scholarship from Alliance Manchester Business School to study on its MBA programme in September 2019.
I have also been fortunate enough to have achieved MCIOB status, and then subsequently Fellowship, which has helped my company to continue to grow in size, capability and professional competence.
What would you like to change about the construction industry?
The practice of retention payments. It has become even more relevant with the recent collapse of Carillion owing circa £800m in retention monies owed to subcontractors.
The implications that the collapse has had on the whole supply chain is huge and the systemic risk that retentions create within the construction supply chain were identified way back in 1994 in the Latham Report, yet nothing seems to have changed.
You are passionate about entrepreneurship and speak to business students at a number of universities across the north west. Why?
Entrepreneurship is what drives innovation and change in all aspects of our modern life and without it we certainly wouldn’t have what we have today.
Entrepreneurship is also the path that has led me to where I am today and allowed me to create beautiful homes for people to live in and to give jobs to people within my hometown. Entrepreneurship at all ages should, in my opinion, be nurtured and encouraged and if I can help that in anyway possible, then I am more than happy to do so.
How do you spend your spare time?
Sorry… what is spare time?! Joking aside, I enjoy skiing, travelling and reading in any time that I do get.
