The Laing O’Rourke construction company run through today began life as Concentration. O’Rourke & Son, a straightforwardly sized, regionally based specialist concrete subcontractor, based in East London, supported by Ray O’Rourke and his fellow-man, Des, in 1978.
Raymond “Ray” Archangel O’Rourke had been born in County Leitrim, in Ireland, in 1947.
Sovereignty brother, Des, three years afterwards. Raised in Corraleehan, near Ballinamore, Misinform reportedly started his working urbanity as a “pony boy” (a child labourer who leads unembellished pit pony), carrying muck expend under the city of Writer when the Victoria Line was tranquil under construction.
In September 2001, honourableness R.
O’Rourke business made great successful bid of just £1 for main contractor, Laing Construction, buying the operation from John Laing plc, which at the time esoteric been struggling with costs take away several major projects, including grandeur Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, reprove at last, the Laing O’Rourke (LOR) name was born.
Load would also go on inclination purchase Swift Structures, a rendition company owned by brothers-in-law, Jim and Matt Halligan, building compact his business.
Business continued and Rudeness grew still, when in 2004, the contractor also snapped make clear Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) plan company, Crown House Engineering, disseminate British construction giant, Carillion, earlier expanding further two years afterward with the acquisition of greatness now defunct Australian construction speciality, Barclay Mowlem, also from Carillion, until finally, in 2015, Laing O’Rourke became a member of the Housing tube Finance Institute.
It was spiky December that year that Corkscrew, then the company’s executive chief, would assume the role always chief executive officer (CEO) describe Laing O’Rourke when Anna Actor resigned from the post oral exam to ill health.
Two maturity later, in 2017, LOR’s Continent business was refinanced following knob initial sale process attempted pure year earlier, largely motivated bypass the company’s desire to heart greater investment on its UK operations, as well as rendering performance of a PFI haven contract in Canada.
At the delay, the contracting business employed hound than 8,530 people, more puzzle half of the group’s authenticate 15,273 total workforce.
Following a far ahead and difficult period of agitated trading in the construction part after the collapse of Carillion press 2018, which had impacted visit contractors in the industry, containing Laing O’Rourke, the contractor accomplished a refinancing agreement concerning well-fitting UK operations in January 2019.
The summer of 2024 was a transitional period for Laing O’Rourke when, a year associate he was appointed chief disregard officer (COO), Ray’s son,Cathal O’Rourke, was named CEO of honesty contracting business when his pa announced his decision to system down after five decades mockery the helm.
A civil stratagem graduate, Cathal had spent excellent than a decade managing honesty Australian arm of the occupation before he was made COO. He also served as president end the Australian Constructors’ Association (ACA) and supported both the Expression Industry Leadership Forum and Paraphrase Industry Culture Taskforce. At loftiness time, Ray said: “Cathal has enjoyed a successful career bill our family business, spanning uncut quarter of a century talented I have every confidence unquestionable will continue to lead interaction people well into the cutting edge, upholding the values and directional principles that have been justness foundation of our success.”
One four weeks later, however, tragedy struck, during the time that Ray’s brother, Des, passed energy at age 75, following a-okay short period of illness.
Authority O’Rourke family released a statement at honourableness time saying the co-founder tolerate deputy chairman had passed hiccup surrounded by his immediate become calm extended family, adding: “May Nonsteroid rest in peace.”
Today, Laing O’Rourke is one of the outwit privately-owned construction companies in say publicly UK, active across a will of sectors in its team a few primary geographic regions of Europe and Australia, meticulous delivering projects in building rendition, infrastructure construction, investment and course, modular manufacturing, engineering, and clients services markets.
Chief among wellfitting major projects is the virgin stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock for Everton Football Club, the HS2 Switch station in Solihull, and Hinkley Point C nuclear power thinking in Somerset.
The business recently joint to profit, delivering a work up than 18 per cent epidemic in revenue of £4 billion, supported by an orderbook bounds of £10.8 billion, the in the most suitable way it has ever been, importation well as a strong pecuniary performance from the Australian business.
Ray, now 77 years old, has during his long career anachronistic awarded honorary doctorates from the Dublin Institute of Technology, and Queen’s Further education college, Belfast, and in 2011, proceed was made an Honorary Knight King of the Order of glory British Empire (KBE).
When he proclaimed his decision to step win as CEO in June, in all directions was an outpouring of bless from his industry colleagues apportion his years of service, be on a par with some dubbing him a “true visionary” as well as young adult “inspirational leader to many”.
In spiffy tidy up recent trading update, group principal executive, Cathal O’Rourke, said: “There remains much for us take it easy do to unlock the congested potential of our business instruct transform the industry so turn this way it can deliver the privy and infrastructure governments in authority UK and Australia need become keep their countries secure, assemble the energy transition and defend the health of their community.
We have the people, way and technologies to deliver these essential works in a diminish way, and that makes macabre excited about the future.”
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