Fifteen years after first walking through the doors of Greendale Construction Ltd on work experience, Chris Cave has been promoted to the Board as Commercial Director.

The 31-year-old got his first taste of work at the Poole-based firm when he  joined Greendale on work experience from Poole High School in 2006.

He returned to gain more construction experience in 2007, before formally joining the company the following year as a Trainee Contracts Manager and Quantity Surveyor.

Under the mentorship of senior colleague John Kirk, he gained experience on a variety of projects, including the restoration of Durlston Castle, before taking on his own contracts as Contracts Manager/Quantity Surveyor for Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Avon Trading Estate and Winton Primary School, among others.

Having achieved a 2.1 in his degree in construction management in 2013, Chris became a Member of the Chartered Institute of Building (MCIOB) in 2014.

He subsequently forged ahead with his career at Greendale by taking on a more senior role as Lead Surveyor/Contracts Manager for a number of high profile projects.

They included Highcliffe Castle phase 7; the Museum of East Dorset (formerly known as the Priest’s House Museum), pictured; the Royal Household at Windsor Castle and – possibly the most challenging live project he has been involved with to date – Canford School library.

Rob Hooker, Greendale Construction Co-founder, pictured right, said: “The Board is delighted to welcome Chris as Commercial Director, where he will be working closely with myself and Contracts Director, Andy Musselwhite, on the contracts and construction side of our business; delivering projects on time, to the highest quality, and providing best value to our wide range of clients.

“He will also head up the R&D (research and development) tax work, along with considerable involvement on the IT side of business.

“Having benefited from mentorship himself, Chris has in turn been a great mentor to Trainee Contracts Manager/Quantuty Surveyor, Will Jepson.

“Chris understands and promotes the Greendale way of delivering projects and will bring further commercial and professional acumen to the Board, along with having youth on his side!”

Chris said: “Having started my construction career with Greendale at just 18, I am very proud to have been appointed Commercial Director of a company known and respected for its high quality projects across a broad spectrum of sectors.

“Having successfully negotiated the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Greendale continues to thrive.

“With the opening of the Winchester office and further expansion up the M3 corridor, Greendale is a firm continually forging ahead.

“That is down to strong leadership, and a talented and supportive team of exceptional employees whom I am very much looking forward to continuing to work alongside in my new role.”

Greendale Construction was founded by Directors Chris Kane and Rob Hooker in 1990.

Sectors covered by the firm include commercial, education, health, private, interiors and special works, as well as an electrical division.