My Experience

Career Summary

Key Achievements

35 years, working across a wide range of businesses and industry sectors, including:


United House Ltd – London-based residential construction and planned maintenance contractor. Appointed as Interim Managing Director in 2012 to carry out full business review. Invited to stay to implement my recommendations, delivering a turnaround to enable its successful sale in late 2014.


Pearce Group Ltd – Bristol-based leading regional general contractor & national retail specialist. 7 years as Chief Executive, joining in 2005 to deliver a turnaround and sale to ISG. Once part of ISG, became Director of several ISG Group companies and Chairman of ISG Europe.


Rok plc – National UK residential construction and maintenance contractor. 1 year as Regional Managing Director of the London & South East business. Uncovered significant issues that were resolved whilst stabilising the troubled business and successfully inducting successor leadership.


KBR – Global project delivery organisation, formerly known as Kellogg Brown & Root. 8 years, latterly as Vice President of Major Projects & Transportation for Europe & Africa. Very broad role leading infrastructure, defence & utilities businesses. Much of this was in PFI / PPP arrangements delivered in joint ventures. Throughout my time at KBR, I was presented with numerous "trouble-shooting" challenges. Prior to the VP role, was Operations Director delivering a number of varied and challenging business improvements and projects.


Higgs & Hill – National UK construction business, now part of BAM. 16 years from graduate trainee to Director running a London & South East major projects buidling design & build business. 


Various corporate turnaround, strategic review & business transformation successes, including a hundred-fold increase in shareholder value at Pearce Group

Image description
Image description

Named APM Project Manager of the Year Award for Heathrow Hilton Hotel Hotel in 1991 at Higgs & Hill

Creation of a new customer experience approach that nearly trebled sales at Pearce and won a 2010 National Training Award 

Image description
Image description

Development of ISG Pearce to be the leading large format retail contractor in the UK.

Key leadership roles in the successful UK RMG & Irish DirectRoute Road PFI/PPP JV’s at KBR

Image description
Image description

Four placings in this prestigious list at Pearce, up to No 34. “Staff think that Forrest runs the company on sound moral principles and have a great deal of faith in him (both 80%).”

Creation & implementation of new clear, simple & interactive intranet-based operating processes at Pearce & United House. 

Image description

© Copyright. Colin Forrest Limited 2015 All Rights Reserved.