Operations Director
Elegancia Fit-out
Total years of experience :38 years, 0 Months
Responsible for setting up and managing a fit out company.
Responsible for the project management of several projects and over seeing a number of junior managers. Concentration on retail, F&B and Hotel projects.
I was employed to facilitate the fit out of over 70 different interior fit-outs within the Expo site. The role included assisting contractors with the on-boarding process by ensuring they complied with the stringent Expo protocols, Liaison between the different entities at Expo including logistics, FM and landlord teams. also to monitor and record progress and HSE issues that may arise on the site. Reporting directly to the Senior Project manager for construction.
Manager in charge of the companies operations for the Dubai office. Tasked with improving efficiency and increasing profitability in a highly competitive market. We were on target to achieve the best year to date when the Covid 19 pandemic resulted in our main client canceling all works. The result was the company's decision to close the office.
Fit out packages manager for the Address Hotel DOWN TOWN. following the fire On New Year 2015. i was lucky to be employed as the manager responsible for all fit-out packages. Managing 5 project managers and a great team to see the hotel open in July 2018.
Head of Operations for retail and hospitality fit out projects (UAE and India).
I currently control between one and four projects at any one time depending on the size and nature of the contract.
Pre - Award
• Attending post tender interviews
Post Award / Pre-start
• Organize and manage internal handover meeting from the commercial department to the operations department.
• Appoint labour and resources for the project
• Draw up the Health and safety plan and carry out initial risk assessments
• Work through the pre-lim book with the QS to understand and manage the resources allowed for in the tender.
• Work through the design with the design team to manage RFI’s and develop working drawings for D&B contracts.
• Meeting with the planner to understand the programme. Manage out risks.
• Work with the Public relations Officer to attain municipality and other local authority approvals for the project.
• Attend and minute Pre-start meeting with the client.
• Arrange and minute pre-start meetings with Sub-contractors
Construction Phase.
• Manage site set-up in conjunction with the site team
• Arrange weekly meeting with Design teams and sub-contractors to monitor and record design progress and risks.
• Carry out regular H&S audits
• Prepare a weekly report in conjunction with all departments for client issue prior to the weekly site meetings
• Attend and manage weekly client meetings. record slippage and initiate corrective measures.
• Ensure the communications plan is in operation
• Monitor the flow of information and ensure that missing information is actioned.
• Manage change to the project by insuring the correct flow of correspondence.
• Manage the Quality Plan.
• Issue notices of delay and build an extension of time claim.
Contract Close out
• Manage the close out process.
• Form and issue Snagging / Outstanding and Extras list Create a WIR schedule Initiate municipality sign off procedures Raise Taking Over Certificate
• Manage the O&M manual procedures
• Issue final account
Project review
Manager of retail fit-outs for Tesco, a major food retailer. Managed 2-3 metro store fit-outs at a time as a senior project manager. I personally managed 7 re-fits of occupied stores earning the highest ranking status of blue from Tesco on 6 of the projects (blue stood for above expectations).
I also Worked on tender development work for a negotiated extension contract with Tesco. This involved formulating an working programme with the store development manager to minimise loss during the project and building a scope of works to fit the alloted budget which covered all aspects of the client requirement. Two days a week were spent in Tescos head office where I represented my company as the lead on the project.
I started with Vale UK as a construction manager working on several large Tesco refreshes across the UK. Running such contracts as the Tesco re-fresh in Broughton Road, Edinburgh with a value of £2million and the Tesco store on Old Kent Road, London which had a value of £2.5million. At the time of leaving I held the position of account manager for the Matalan and Sportworld accounts responsible for the adaptation of existing single storey units into 2 floor trading stores. Many of these were carried out in live store conditions.
My role on these stores included complete project control including commercial responsibility reporting directly to the account director. I attended client meetings from pre tender to handover. Developing and controlling programmes. Appointing contractors by either utilizing contractors from the priced documentation or localized if cost savings could be established.
Various projects as a construction manager including the refurbishment of an Art Gallery in Accrington. A 2 story fit-out of a Solicitors head office in Hull and a stone work extension to a large house in Lytham Saint Anne’s
In 1998 i was lucky enough to get involved with a small company who bought old pubs and refreshed them before putting in managers to run them. My involvement started with some CAD work but quickly grew to a stage where I was carrying out design and build projects successfully completing 3 pubs and a nightclub before the death of one of the partners meant that the business was no longer viable. During this time I had 6 employees and sub-contracted the work I could not do myself.
Working my way up from a trade background I hold city and guilds certificates in Carpentry and Joinery. IOSHH safety management, Scaffold safety inspections, first aid, Location of undergrond apperatus, Asbestos indentification and removal. Working at heights. CSCS card to contracts manager status I also hold a stage 1 Autocad certificate I have been working as a manager in fit-out since 1989.