Mixed reviews as Alan Lovell joins as Jarvis chief executive

City analysts have expressed mixed sentiments over the arrival of Alan Lovell as Jarvis's new chief executive.
Lovell is remembered by the construction industry for having been in the hot seat at Costain during the years when it survived cumulative losses of £800m in the early 1990s.
One said: "It is on the record that he did turn around a situation in Costain that could have ended in bankruptcy, but he was himself involved in Costain's decision to invest in the group's unprofitable US coal mining business.
"He has a fair bit to prove, but beggars can't be choosers and he is better than I thought Jarvis would get."
A corporate source said that Jarvis's banks are happy with the performance to date of Eric Simonson, drafted in to the group as chief restructuring officer.
"He was put in to keep the banks on side," the source said. "Once the disposals are complete, Simonson's role will be less important. It's then over to Lovell to turn the remaining businesses back to profit.
"The banks see that Jarvis has to retain its roads and rail divisions in order to generate an income to cover its debts.
"There have been loads of applications for the roads division," the source said.