Congrats on 20 years at the helm, boss! 

Good leadership and a skilled team are the bread and butter of any business, and we’re celebrating a triumphant anniversary at SEH French this month. Simon Girling is marking 20 years as director. Here he looks back on his time with the company and the last 20 years at the helm.   

It’s hard to believe I’ve been in construction for more than 30 years! Starting as a fresh faced 16-year-old at SEH Ipswich, and then moving to SEH French in 1991. 

The move came as a result of potential redundancy. Honestly, the idea of packing my bags and becoming a holiday rep in Ibiza was appealing… very appealing, in fact. However, the temptation of sunny Spain clearly wasn’t enough to make me leave Suffolk. 

After four years at SEH French I moved to Morrison Construction and Haymills, and returned as a quantity surveyor in 2001, before being made director designate in 2002. Then, on 29^th May 2003 I became shareholding director. 

Thinking back on my early days of SEH French in the 90s, as well as when I re-joined in the new millennium, we’ve come a long way! For example, we were operating out of a portacabin in Nedging Tye with around 10 site-based staff when I first joined. Now, we share a large office with our sister company Jackson and employ around 50 people. 

Not only have we grown in size, but we’ve also grown financially too. In 2001, our turnover was under £3 million but we’ve increased that to almost £22 million in recent years. It’s all testament to the hard work and quality of our team, and the subcontractors and suppliers we work with! 

While we’ve had lots of successes, we’ve certainly faced challenges. Recently we’ve had the coronavirus pandemic which has taken its toll on the industry, but money was still being spent. The Great Recession of 2008-2009, however, was another ball game. 

It was the first recession I had worked through, and it was a difficult time. Thankfully, I was surrounded by experienced people, including my then-co-director Jack Davey and founder Graham Emmerson, who I learned much from. Thanks to their leadership and us working together, we were able to come back stronger. While some businesses were laying off staff, we supported ours. Yes, we lost money doing it, but investing in our team was of far greater importance – and it paid off! My co-director Paul Rodwell has also been instrumental in the continued development of SEH French, helping steer us in the right direction. 

I’ve certainly been proud of the way we’ve supported staff at SEH French – watching them and the company grow is great. In fact, 48% of our team have been promoted to their current positions. And those who’ve gone elsewhere have learned a considerable amount here, so we’re helping increase skill in the industry. 

Over the years, I’ve seen the company win fantastic contracts, from the MSC head office to the Natures Menu’s factory headquarters, Birkett’s Ipswich office and much more. Also, I had the honour of being National Chair of the National Federation of Builders, so it’s been whirlwind! 

While I’d certainly like to be retired within the next 20 years – and if I’m not then something’s gone seriously wrong – I’m looking forward to being part of SEH French’s continued growth in the years to come. 

I’d personally like to thank the company’s founders Graham Emmerson and Colin Hewitt, as well as Jack Davey, Richard Neall and Paul Rodwell for their guidance and wisdom over the years, and our fantastic team for their hard work and support. 

Want to find out about the work SEH French has completed over the years? Visit our What We Do page.