Wirral facilities management outfit Kimpton takes on team of five senior engineers and operations leads from collapsed Liverpool firm HE Simm. Tony McDonough reports
Five professionals from collapsed Liverpool M&E engineering firm HE Simm have secured new jobs with Wirral facilities management outfit Kimpton.
In September LBN revealed that the 77-year-old HE Simm had collapsed into administration with all 128 employees made redundant with immediate effect. Its most recent annual accounts showed pre-tax losses of more than £10m.
However, now Kimpton, which manages commercial space at multiple locations including across Liverpool waterfront, has offered a lifeline to a team of senior engineers and operations leads who were previously employed by HE Simm.
Ian Bruce, former operations director at HE Simm and Peter O’Keeffe, former work winning director, will be joined by senior project manager Neil Davies, lead mechanical estimator John Glynn, and Shane Hartley, who was electrical pre-construction lead.
These appointments will bolster Kimpton’s technical operations capacity as the business embarks on a new phase of growth under its new-look management board. They led the firm to a MBO 12 months ago following an increase in revenues to £25m.
In particular, the new team will support Kimpton’s expanded delivery of mechanical, electrical and plumbing services to commercial and public sector clients across the UK.
Tim Davis, managing director at Kimpton, said: “The completion of our MBO almost a year ago, and the growth we have achieved over the past few years, have given us a really strong platform for further growth.
“Kimpton has a new outlook, with fresh leadership, and that has been further reinforced with the recruitment of a stellar team of five talented and experienced industry operators.
“Ian, Peter, Neil, John and Shane each bring a wealth of specialist client experience and we are delighted to be able to blend them with the existing expertise within our business.”
Ian Bruce added: “We arrive as a team, but we are looking forward to integrating our experience and our client network with those of our new colleagues. We are excited for this next chapter in our careers.”