Kier Group chief executive Andrew Davies has announced his retirement and will be stepping down from the board on 31 October, after six years at the helm.

He will be succeeded by Stuart Togwell, currently Kier’s executive director and group managing director of construction, on 1 November.

Chairman Matthew Lester said: “I would like to thank Andrew for his exceptional leadership over the last six years which has transformed Kier.

“We proudly remain one of the UK’s leading infrastructure services, construction and property groups. Under Andrew’s leadership the group has increased its resilience, strengthened its financial position and currently has a record order book of over £11bn.

“Furthermore, during his tenure, Kier returned to the FTSE250 and recommenced dividend payments and has built a culture based on safety, delivery, discipline and performance excellence.

“Andrew and his management team set out a clear strategy, purpose and vision for the Group, initially to deliver its medium-term value creation plan and latterly to deliver long-term sustainable growth - and with invigorated and motivated colleagues, Kier is realising this ambition.”

Kier said Togwell had played a “pivotal role” in Kier's transformation making him ideally suited to lead the coming through the next chapter of its development and to deliver long-term sustainable growth.

Andrew Davies said: “It has been an absolute privilege to lead Kier and to transform the group into a strong and sustainable business that benefits all stakeholders. I want to thank all the colleagues for their support, hard work and commitment over the last six years in building the foundations to ensure Kier remains a leading infrastructure services, construction and property company that is vital to the UK and is better placed than ever to succeed.”

Stuart Togwell, chief executive designate, added: “I am honoured to be appointed as the next chief executive and look forward to working with Kier's exceptional teams to drive success and growth and deliver for our customers, our communities and this industry that I am so passionate about.”

The news came as Kier Group also issued a trading update ahead of its full year 2025 results, which will be published on 16 September.

It said revenue and profit was “expected to be in line with the board’s expectations”, adding with a year-end order book of around £11bn, 88% of revenue for full year 2026 was already secured.