People
It is the collective effort of our team of skilled and talented individuals that makes us successful.
At Uplands, Directors and colleagues work collaboratively and take pride in delivery high quality work for our clients. What unites us is a passion for great construction.
We want to enjoy coming to work and encourage our teams to build strong relationships, creating an inclusive working environment, where everyone is treated with respect and professionalism.
Mike Barker
Managing Director
BSc (Hons) Construction Management
MCIOB Chartered Construction Manager
MIoD
Mike heads up the management team day to day and responsible for strategic planning to ensure continued stability throughout the business.
Mike has a reputation for building strong working relationships with colleagues, clients and supply chain partners. He is enthusiastic, collaborative and enjoys building strong teams. His hands-on approach, attention to detail and emphasis on regular, clear communications, ensure that deadlines are met and projects delivered to an exceptionally high standard.
Mike has extensive experience undertaking roles that specialise in delivering projects within challenging, live environments. Whatever the sector, retail to semi-conductor facilities, he is committed to ensuring each client can continue with their daily operations throughout the construction phase.
Jack Rake
Operations Director
MCIOB Chartered Construction Manager
FloD Chartered Director
Jack joined the board in 2018 and oversees the Operational side of the business, managing the nationwide delivery of framework partnerships for a variety of clients and has played a key role in strategic business development.
A highly driven and committed individual, Jack has a wealth of experience in construction, particularly retail and logistics and has built up strong working relationships with colleagues, clients and suppliers.
Jack is well respected for his ability to lead teams and is passionate about attention to detail in the planning and preparation for projects.
Martin Hall
Commercial Director
BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
MRICS Chartered Surveyor
MIoD
Martin heads up our commercial team, ensuring consistency of delivery for all of Uplands clients. From refurbishments and extensions to conversions and remodelling, he is particularly experienced in the retail arena, working for high profile names including M&S, Morrisons, ASDA, and Tesco.
Martin brings a structured approach to client account management and is highly focused on reducing risk and delivering good value for our clients.
Alastair Shiner
Director (Non-Executive)
NEBOSH General Certificate
Alastair’s construction career spans three decades with experience in a variety of sectors and across many disciplines, cutting his teeth in the 1990s on Network Rail contracts, office refits as well as general shopfitting projects.
A committed and dedicated member of the Uplands team, Alastair keeps a keen eye on safety, is responsible for the company’s HR as well as the Measured Term Contract (MTC) held with ASDA.
Tom Moody
Account Director
Tom is resourceful, flexible and extremely knowledgeable with a forward thinking attitude.
He has considerable practical delivery experience and is also well versed and experienced in live working environments having spent many years in the retail construction sector. His background in traditional construction methods gives him broad skills and knowledge.
Tom has played a key role in successfully developing new client accounts, working on new formats and brands to create value engineered specifications for fast-paced Client expansion programmes.
James Green
Account Director
MCIOB Chartered Construction Manager
MIoD
James and is great example of Uplands’ home-grown talent. Joining when the business was set up in 2002, he is our longest serving colleague and has played a leading role in the growth of the company by building strong client relationships.
James has led an array of projects including live retail, shell fit-outs and conversions across multiple sites nationwide, with a number of his projects receiving nominations for national awards, including the “National Grid Didcot Temporary Building” in the Supply Chain Excellence awards, and most recently winning a “Food & Drink Chain Excellence” Award.
Ed Hazell
Account Director
BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management
Ed has worked extensively in this sector for over a decade, for a variety of blue-chip retail clients, specialising in retail fit-out and refurbishment. Coming from a commercial background, Ed is now Account Manager for Asda leading operational and commercial teams servicing a vast array of workstreams, ranging from large scale refurbishment contracts to smaller planned maintenance schemes.
A great communicator, Ed focuses on forging strong relationships both internally and externally with clients and partners.
Matt Singlehurst
Contracts Manager
Matt boasts over 20 years’ project management experience within the construction industry, applying these skills and expertise to his role as Contracts Manager.
Effective communication sits at the core of his approach through all stages of a contract, carefully assessing client needs in order to deliver excellent service and produce great results.
A team player, he is adept at monitoring compliance as well as project change control, and consistently carries out Uplands’ employee and project appraisals.
Mark Dickinson
Contracts Manager
Mark has been a valued member of the Uplands team since 2007, consistently delivering to a high level and receiving excellent client feedback on his quality focused approach and attention to detail.
Mark has extensive experience in planning and executing projects within a variety of live working environments. Training and working as a carpenter in the early years of his career, Mark applies his practical knowledge and understanding of design and construction to all projects.
Chris Rice
Contracts Manager
MCIOB Chartered Construction Manager, NEBOSH Health and Safety Management for Construction
Chris is a valued member of the Uplands team with over 10 years’ experience working in the construction industry, in both the retail sector and large loss insurance claims.
His diplomatic and resourceful nature and positive attitude to overcoming problems make him a strong leader. His passion for making sure every job is completed to the highest possible standard ensures he builds strong relationships with clients, supply chain and contractors.
Nathan Frost
Contracts Manager
L7 NVQ Diploma in Senior Construction Management
Nathan is a high-performing project manager with a wealth of experience managing multiple sites.
Since joining Uplands as a Site Manager, Nathan has progressed to the role of Contracts Manager. He is an enthusiastic and driven leader who prides himself on organisation and planning. Coming from a strong background specialising in project management, store fit-out, construction, store planning and development, Nathan has a proven and consistent history of retail and logistics investment delivery.
James Long
Operations Manager
BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering
James has over 30 years of construction experience with over 22 years working for various retail clients. He has developed his career from site management roles to leading teams, covering all aspects of the construction process on new build, live refurbishment, extension and fit out projects.
James’s key focus is on building relationships by understanding the needs of all stakeholders and working to mutually beneficial goals on the projects that he delivers and clients he works with. This mindset drives best practice, shared learnings and continual improvement adding value for all parties.
George Sarudis
Head of Pre-Construction and Bid Management
BSC (Hons) Architectural Design Technology
With over 15 years of industry experience, George brings a wealth of expertise to construction projects. A highly valued team member, he has delivered the pre-development and planning components across the whole portfolio of Uplands’ key accounts.
George is a talented design coordinator and accomplished in the most technically challenging, high-value projects. He develops strong, long-lasting relationships with clients through his proactive and personable approach. His attention to detail, communication and facilitation skills ensure delivery to high standards and his strategic mindset delivers reduced project costs and durations, adding value to our clients.
Darran Clarke
Head of Insurance
HND Mechanical and Production Engineering
Darran leads the Insurance Division, overseeing the delivery of projects: time, quality and budget, with a particular focus on safety.
He brings a wealth of previous experience working for Tier 1 Controls and Construction companies on all aspects of commercial, industrial, and housing contracts.
Matt Dallow
Commercial Manager
HND Construction Design and Management
Matt joined Uplands in 2015 as an Assistant QS Uplands, having previously worked for David Wilson Homes. Since joining he has progressed his career working across all Uplands accounts, gaining valuable experience ranging from large remodels and fitouts, to extensions and civils.
He currently heads up a key account which has grown significantly in the last 4 years. Matt is focused on building strong relationships with new and existing clients and also within Uplands. He thrives on maintaining high standards whilst delivering best value for clients.
Chris Snelling
Commercial Manager
BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
Chris began his career in the construction industry in 2001, quickly advancing to the position of Senior QS dealing with all financial matters on varying schemes, from refurbishments to high value new build projects.
He thrives on building effective and successful working relationships with clients and colleagues alike and is a superb motivator. Chris firmly believes that a positive attitude helps him deal with the fast-paced environment of retail where he makes sure that commercial processes run smoothly and professionally, keeping calm at all times. Great communication skills are integral to Chris’s success.
Chris Bellamy
Senior Quantity Surveyor
BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
Chris brings a wealth of knowledge and hands-on expertise to the Uplands team given his experience working within the construction industry spans over 25 years.
He has worked for small family-owned businesses as well as multi-national corporations, with responsibility for budgets of a few thousand pounds up to many millions.
Chris thrives on delivering schemes for the benefit of all, building excellent client relationships in the process. Always happy to help, he is highly regarded by all who work with or alongside him.
Craig Morris
Commercial Manager
BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
Craig joined the company in 2008 as a Senior QS working on retail schemes and to focus on a number of accounts.
Based at our Midlands office, he is a self-motivated individual who enjoys the most challenging of roles within the construction environment. He has a value driven focus to ensure our clients are well informed of the financial position throughout a project and works well with all project team members. Given his extensive main contractor background of new build, refurbishment and civil engineering projects, he is best placed to advise and mediate on a wide variety of schemes.
Kevin Young
Senior Estimator
BTEC Certificate (HND) in Building Studies
Kevin’s impressive 40-year construction industry career began as a Trainee QS and developed into cost planning and estimating roles for both regional and national contractors across the South West.
His eye for detail and extensive knowledge of construction costs help to produce accurate cost plans and budgets for a variety of projects, often from a limited brief. From fit-outs, refurbishments and new builds, Kevin is highly adept at producing competitive tenders and Bills of Quantities, identifying risks and opportunities in the process to improve competitiveness.
Faisal Mahmood
Senior Quantity Surveyor
BSc (Hons) Construction Management
Alpha Consulting – Leadership & Development
Faisal began his career working on specialist, large-scale transport projects and has a wealth of experience of Shopping Centre retail fit-out projects. Before joining Uplands he was working as Account Commercial Lead for accounts including Greggs, B&Q and Co-op.
He is a big advocate for diversity and inclusion and the positive impact this has on organisations and their employees.
Elliot North
Senior Quantity Surveyor
Business Management (BSc)
Graduate Diploma in Quantity Surveying
Elliot is a Senior QS with 10 years commercial experience successfully delivering various new build and fit-out projects throughout the UK.
He has led a variety of projects from inception to completion with a proven track record of delivering on-time and within budget which underpins his ability to maintain good stakeholder and supply chain relationships.
Mark O’Dowd
Environmental, Health and Safety Manager
NEBOSH Construction Certificate
NEBOSH Health & Wellbeing Certificate
ISO Auditor
Tech IOSH
Mark has a passion for positive Health, Safety & Wellbeing. He understands and appreciates the challenges within construction, advising on ‘best in class’ H&S, always focused on expectations as well as our responsibilities to clients.
Highly motivated and committed, he has over 30 years’ experience in construction working on complex and high-risk projects. Included in Mark’s remit is to cultivate a positive H&S culture. He implements day to day activities across the whole company, preparing our H&S strategy and advising the Board of Directors on continuous improvement.
He brings a wealth of practical experience, understands the difference between management and leadership, and has the confidence to challenge and bring about change at all levels.
Shaun Loveridge
Health & Safety Advisor
CMIOSH
Shaun brings a wealth of expertise to our construction projects. With 20+ years of industry experience across a wide range of specialities.
Providing solutions and guidance on all aspects of health and safety, he develops strong, long-lasting relationships with Project Managers and Site Managers through a proactive and personable approach.
Nick Gwyther
Compliance Manager
A highly valued team member, Nick brings over 15 years experience to the business.
Nick’s role sees him interacting with many different departments within the company. His attention to detail, communication and facilitation skills, ensure that compliance is always at the forefront of the business deliverables.