Kier has appointed Martin Staehr as its new group managing director for its Construction division.

Joining from Martin Laing O’Rourke, he will sit on the group’s executive committee and be responsible for the Regional Build, Strategic Projects, Kier Places and KME businesses.

He will join Kier in January 2026 overseeing an order book of £4.5bn  and a division which has  around 200 live projects at any one time spanning England, Scotland and Wales.

The business has delivered 266 education projects in the last six years and, in the past year, generated £1.9bn in revenue, completed HMP Millsike, the UKs first all-electric prison and maintained more than 70,000 residential properties.

It was also responsible for adding social value into UK communities worth over £275m and providing 734 apprenticeship opportunities across the division and within its supply chain. 

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 extensive experience across MEP manufacturing facilities, as well as delivery of regional buildings and major projects in the justice, defence, health, science and education sectors.

Passionate about performance, people and innovation, Staehr has a proven track record in creating diverse and high-performing teams and a focus on delivering value and quality to customers. 

Current group managing director 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 managing director of Construction until January 2026.

Stuart Togwell, chief executive designate, 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.”

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.”