J. Murphy & Sons Limited is a leading construction and engineering company. They plan and deliver large-scale projects across the UK and internationally, helping to shape a better environment for people to live in
J. Murphy & Sons Limited is a leading construction and engineering company. They plan and deliver large-scale projects across the UK and internationally, helping to shape a better environment for people to live in. For over 60 years, they’ve been bringing the best and most forward-thinking people together to deliver innovative, safe and sustainable solutions to the most complex construction problems.
In contrast to many tier 1 contractors in the UK, Murphy still own and operate their own plant through their internal plant business Murphy Plant, a subsidiary of J. Murphy & Sons. Murphy Plant stands as one of the United Kingdom's foremost providers of plant, transport, and specialist equipment. Managing and maintaining an extensive inventory valued at over £100m, Murphy Plant boasts more than 15,000 assets. The company's equipment portfolio encompasses small and large kit, including specialist assets tailored for ground engineering, pipeline testing, tunnelling, and rail projects, underscoring its versatility across multiple industries.
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Murphy Plant sought to appoint a second Operations Director within its leadership structure to strengthen operational leadership capacity in response to a growing pipeline of major projects and programmes driven by several significant major contract awards. These major programmes are expected to drive a substantial growth and demand for the plant business.
The successful individual would play an instrumental role in supporting the expansion whilst driving the strategic direction of Murphy Plant with a prominent role in leading on Lower Thames Crossing, Energy projects, and Specialised Plant.
The focus of the research for this assignment was to identify candidates with experience either within a contractor’s plant division or from specialist plant hire companies. Our search spanned plant across a broad range of infrastructure sectors, including rail, highways, water and energy.
To support this process, we developed an extensive list of target organisations within the agreed parameters. This enabled us to identify potential candidates through several channels, including our comprehensive internal database, industry news sources, professional institutions, conferences and events, relevant trade associations, and professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn.
We approached and engaged individuals through a range of methods, including personalised outreach emails, LinkedIn messages and direct calls. In addition, we leveraged our existing network of industry contacts to seek recommendations and referrals for suitable candidates.
To enable us to brief candidates fully we were invited to visit the Murphy Plant depot in Hemel Hempstead. This provided a valuable opportunity to gain a first-hand understanding of how the business operates, including the range of equipment managed by the division, the day-to-day operational processes, and the structure of the leadership team.
The visit enabled us to engage more credibly with prospective candidates, clearly articulating the nature of the business and what working within the Murphy Plant leadership team would involve.
From a longlist of 40, we presented a shortlist of 4 candidates. The successful candidate joined from one of the UK’s leading plant hire companies, where they held the position of Operations Director. They brought an impressive track record of operational delivery, combined with strong commercial and sales experience, were commutable to the main depot and had responsibility for a significant annual P&L, making them well suited to transition into this role.
A year into the role, we caught up with Steve Garside, who we placed in the role.
On how the first year has gone…
“I didn't expect it to be this good. I knew the size and scope of the business was going to be something exciting but honestly, I'm blown away. The people, first and foremost, are great. I get to work alongside some really talented people.
Brendan is a great leader, very good listener, very good communicator, and makes you feel a part of it straight away.”
Biggest highlights so far…
“Definitely the ability to navigate new relationships within the projects. Having engagement and building relationships with the contractors.
If I'm not on one of those projects building relationships with key stakeholders, I'm back in Murphy's in one of our business units supporting the team there. The leadership elements of, being visible, being part of the team, listening to the challenges they've got and helping them progress has definitely had an impact.”
