The company, which has an extensive commercial property portfolio, has implemented a new structure as part of plans to continue the significant growth it has seen over the past decade.
The Wigley Group Ltd will be led by a new executive board headed by Chairman Robert Wigley — the son of company’s founder — with James Davies becoming Chief Executive Officer after three years as Managing Director, and James Ellerington promoted from Director of Operations to Chief Operating Officer.
The board has two non-executive directors; Anna Brocklehurst, Partner at Charnwood Accountants and Business Advisors LLP, and James Polo Richards, Partner at law firm JG Poole & Co LLP.
Louis Smith is promoted to Director of Estates after 10 years with The Wigley Group and three years as Head of Estates, and Claire Lynch, who joined the company in 2016, becomes Director of Central Group Operations after two years as Head of Group Governance and Development.
Chris Parsons takes on an enhanced role as Head of Property and Operations.
The changes also mean Wigley Contracts (Barby) Ltd becomes a dedicated development company to be complemented by the existing construction business, Wigley Building and Development Ltd.
Wigley Contracts (Barby) Ltd will be run by Development Director, Mike Vining, who has worked as a consultant with The Wigley Group for over 15 years.
The Wigley Group and its associated companies are based at Stockton House in the Stratford-on-Avon District of Warwickshire.
James Davies, Chief Executive Officer at The Wigley Group, said: “Our business is very different to the one that was first established as a construction plant hire and road building contractor in 1964.
“The property and land portfolio has grown significantly over the past 20 years, and we have an ambitious long-term, strategic investment plan to continue that growth through this new structure.
“Re-instating Wigley Contracts (Barby) Ltd alongside the already established Wigley Building & Development Ltd as companies in their own right will give us a firmer foothold in the thriving development and construction sectors as we look to add to a strong and varied portfolio of projects that have either been completed or in the pipeline, including Daimler Wharf in Coventry and the construction of a high-performance training centre for Premiership rugby club Wasps.
“As well as investing in property and land, we’re committed to investing in our people, so it’s a great delight that all of the newly created roles have been filled through internal promotions.
“This remains a family-owned company with the son of its founder as Chairman and with that ethos at the forefront of our minds that we have assembled a fantastic team in recent years that combines experienced heads with the next generation.
“This is an exciting time for The Wigley Group and its associated companies, and the structural changes that we are making now are intended to enable us to continue to drive the growth that we have seen over the past 60 years by laying firm foundations and setting a clear direction for what we want to achieve over the next 60 years.”
Executive Board – James Ellerington, Robert Wigley and James Davies with, front, Anna Brocklehurst and James Polo Richards.