Hollandia’s UK chief quits in Wembley bust-up

Hollandia’s head of construction in the UK, Bob Miller, has left the company following an alleged falling out with main contractor Multiplex on the £757m Wembley Stadium project.

CJ understands that a further three construction managers working on the project in north London for the Dutch-based steel subcontractor were also considering resigning due to “strained” relationships between Hollandia and Multiplex, although this could not be confirmed as CJ went to press.

Relations between the two parties appeared to reach a new low in June when Multiplex blamed poor steel productivity levels for the delays and cost increases on the contract.

According to sources, Miller had become extremely disillusioned by the management style of Multiplex on the project and left the company last month.

The departure raises questions over whether too much pressure is being placed on the team to get the job done following claims that the 90,000-seater stadium won’t be ready in time for the May 2006 FA Cup Final.

Hollandia refused to comment on either Miller’s departure or those of its other construction managers.

Multiplex said it wouldn’t comment on another company’s movement of personnel, but did confirm that Miller was no longer working on Wembley. However, the spokesman reiterated that the project was running smoothly and was on schedule for completion in March 2006.

Multiplex knew four months before going public that the Wembley project would incur losses, according to American TV channel ABC. The programme claims that an internal memo, sent out in January, suggested losses of £87m, or £48m assuming successful claims.

The release of the memo came two weeks after Multiplex raised millions of dollars from investors, assuring them that the project would be completed on time and within budget.

Multiplex was unable to comment on the issue as CJ went to press.