In the tenth episode of the Own the Build Leadership Series, Paul is joined by Mark Cahill, Commercial Director at Rowland Homes, a family-owned housebuilder delivering over 400 homes annually across the North West, with a turnover exceeding £120m. Mark's journey into construction began with a simple email. As a student, inspired by his father who worked in commercial management, Mark contacted Wainhomes asking for two weeks of work experience. That opportunity turned into three months, then ...
Oct 26
41 min
In this episode, Paul is joined by Martin Balaam, CEO and Founder of Pimberly, to explore a problem almost every Quantity Surveyor has encountered: You've been asked to value engineer a package and find an equivalent product. Where do you actually start? Paul takes the conversation back to his time working on Battersea Power Station, where finding an alternative to a specified product eventually unlocked around £1.5m in commercial savings — but took months of research, conversations, technica...
Oct 19
40 min
In this episode, Paul is joined by Len Foster, construction professional turned communication coach and founder of The Referral Edge, to explore one of the most important — yet rarely taught — skills in commercial management: how to communicate effectively and read the room. Len started his career on the tools as an apprentice joiner before progressing through site management, contracts management and planning, including senior roles with major contractors such as John Sisk. Today, he special...
Oct 12
46 min
In this Own the Build Question Time episode, Paul is joined once again by Chris Barber, COO and Co-Founder of C-Link, to tackle four real-world commercial dilemmas faced by Quantity Surveyors and Commercial Managers. First up: would you pay £100,000 more for a subcontractor you already know and trust? Paul and Chris debate the value of certainty, relationships and proven performance against the very real pressure to protect project margin. They explore how work references, site visits, supply...
Oct 5
29 min
In the ninth episode of the Own the Build Leadership Series, Paul is joined by Jonathan Solly, Cost Management Partner at Ridge, to explore the consultancy-side journey from Assistant QS to Partner — and what it takes to make the transition from being a technically strong QS to becoming a business leader. Jon started his career in accountancy before moving into construction as an M&E subcontractor QS. After joining Ridge as an Assistant QS, he progressed through the business over th...
Sep 28
56 min
In this episode, Paul is joined by Matt Mackey, Director at Contollo, who has recently returned to UK construction after spending 16 years working in Australia. Having left the UK during the aftermath of the financial crisis, Matt went on to build and lead cost and commercial management teams in Australia before returning to Manchester in 2026. So, after 16 years away, what does someone coming back into UK construction notice? The conversation explores: why many of the problems Matt remembers...
Sep 21
50 min
In this episode, Paul is joined by James Pearson, a freelance Quantity Surveyor with nearly 20 years' experience across UK construction, to explore the commercial habits that keep projects under control — and how AI is beginning to change the way QSs work. James shares his approach to managing projects through a structured commercial calendar, explaining why reporting what happened last month isn't the same as actively managing what happens next. The conversation explores: why projects rarely...
Sep 14
33 min
In this episode, Paul is joined by Kevin Horner, Procurement Operations Leader at Laing O'Rourke, Board Director at SSIP, and a member of several Build UK working groups, for an in-depth look at what procurement really looks like inside one of the UK's largest contractors. While procurement is often viewed as simply "buying subcontractors", Kevin reveals that modern Tier 1 procurement is far more strategic—balancing supply chain capability, governance, compliance, commercial risk and lo...
Sep 7
44 min
In this Own the Build Question Time episode, Paul is joined by Chris Barber, COO and Co-Founder of C-Link, to answer listener questions on the realities of working commercially in construction — including the mistakes, difficult meetings and relationships that shape you as a QS. This episode gets particularly candid, with Paul and Chris looking back on their own careers and sharing some of the lessons they learned the hard way. The conversation explores: the toughest meetings they...
Aug 31
33 min
In the eighth episode of the Own the Build Leadership Series, Paul is joined by David Taylor, former Group Commercial Director at Costain, where he spent over a decade on the Executive Board helping lead one of the UK's largest infrastructure contractors. From starting his career as a trainee estimator at Taylor Woodrow to leading complex PFI programmes, resolving some of the industry's most challenging projects, and ultimately becoming Group Commercial Director, David shares the experi...
Aug 24
1 hr 1 min
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