Former apprentice Chris Turner has been appointed as the new Managing Director of modular construction specialist Integra Buildings

Mr Turner, who joined East Yorkshire-based Integra as an apprentice, has progressed over 20 years from an entry level role to now take on day-to-day leadership of the fast-growing business.

Having been promoted from Commercial Director, he will take the company forward with a strong pipeline of projects and ambitious growth plans.

Former MD Gary Parker, who co-founded Integra 25 years ago, has become CEO in the restructure, with a new remit to focus on strategic opportunities.

Mr Parker has led the development of the company from a start-up business employing a handful of people to a significant employer in the Humber region, delivering high-profile, multi-disciplinary projects across the UK.

Based at Paull, east of Hull, Integra employs 160 people and provides a range of modular and anti-vandal solutions for sectors including construction, education, health, sport and commercial.

Mr Turner, who is 42, has been named as MD just weeks after Integra became one of fewer than 30 companies to be named on a new £10bn government framework to drive investment in modular and offsite construction.

Being appointed as a supplier on the Offsite Construction Solutions framework means Integra can tender for significant public sector projects across the education, justice and defence sectors, creating a strong pipeline of work for the company over coming years.

Mr Turner said: “Becoming Managing Director is not something I could ever have expected when I joined the business 20 years ago, but I’m excited to take on the challenge.

“It’s also great that I will still be working closely with Gary in his new role. We have a shared vision for the further growth of the business and the continued evolution of our products.

“Working closely with Gary in his new role, and with our experienced team of directors, I look forward to building on our very solid foundations as we move into a new chapter for the business.”

“The modular construction sector has seen phenomenal growth over recent years and we’ve grown at an even faster rate. We see no reason for that to change, because modular building has so many advantages over traditional construction and is inherently more sustainable.

“We’re very well placed to continue to out-perform the market with our excellent team, strong pipeline of projects and exceptional track record of project delivery.

“Working closely with Gary in his new role, and with our experienced team of directors, I look forward to building on our very solid foundations as we move into a new chapter for the business.”

Mr Turner studied Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Humberside University before joining Integra in 2003 as an Apprentice Technical Draughtsman. He became Estimating Manager and Commercial Manager before being appointed as Commercial Director in 2012. Since then, Integra’s turnover has trebled from £14m to £42m in 2022.

Mr Turner joined Mr Parker and Paul Tansey as a shareholder in the business last year, ahead of the planned leadership restructure.

In his new role as CEO, Mr Parker will remain fully committed to the business and focus on strategic developments, opportunities to extend the scope of the business, and potential acquisitions.

He will also lead a project to expand the Integra site at Paull, to create more production and storage space to support the company’s growing project portfolio.

Mr Parker said: “This feels like the right time to hand over the day-to-day running of the business to Chris and to reward him for the outstanding contribution he has made to our growth and development.

“Chris brings proven capability and commercial expertise to the role. He is loyal, hard-working, experienced and also highly respected, within the business and outside it with our clients and partners.

“We’re proud that a homegrown talent has become our new MD. It’s a brilliant demonstration of our commitment to developing our people throughout the business and giving them the opportunity to grow with us.”

Mr Parker added: “As well as promoting Chris to MD, we’re making other changes, with several further promotions to senior roles, to ensure the business is positioned to push forward into the next phase of growth.

“We believe this new leadership structure will enable us to realise our ambitions, including increasing our turnover to at least £60m within the next five years.”

With Mr Parker now CEO, Mr Turner is supported as MD by fellow members of the senior leadership team – Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) Director Paul Tansey; Operations Director Jim Butler; Technical Director Mike Marriott; and Finance Director Sarah Marshall.