KIER has announced the appointment of Martin Staehr as its new group MD for its construction division.
Martin will sit on the executive committee and be responsible for the regional build, strategic projects, Kier Places, and KME businesses.
He will join in January 2026 and oversee an order book of £4.5 billion and a division which has around 200 live projects at any one time spanning England, Scotland, and Wales.
A chartered civil engineer and fellow of the Institute of Civil Engineering (ICE), Martin has spent the last 17 years at Laing O’Rourke, most recently on its European hub executive committee as one of its delivery directors. He has experience across MEP manufacturing facilities, as well as delivery of regional buildings and major projects in the justice, defence, health, science, and education sectors.
Current group MD for construction and CEO designate, Stuart Togwell, will become chief executive of Kier Group from 1 November and James Askew, construction’s commercial director, will be interim group MD of construction until January 2026.
Stuart Togwell said, “Martin brings fresh thinking and a drive to make a meaningful difference within the construction industry, and I am delighted he is joining us. Our construction business has a strong order book and pipeline of work and, with government spending commitments, we have further opportunities for growth in our chosen sectors and through our integrated 360 approach. I am looking forward to working with Martin to drive forward our ambitions.”
Martin Staehr added, “Kier has a rich history of innovation and collaboration within the UK construction industry, which I know first-hand working with the team which delivered HMP Five Wells. With a strong pipeline of work, pioneering projects and fantastic people, I believe it’s an exciting time to be joining Kier and leading the construction business in its next chapter.”
