Nick Pollard replaces Murray Coleman as Bovis Lend Lease chief exec

Bovis Lend Lease has confirmed that Nick Pollard is to replace Murray Coleman as its chief executive with immediate effect.

Coleman, who headed the firm for two years, is expected to take up a role at Lend Lease in Australia.

Pollard joined the contractor from Skanska last year to become chief operating officer.

In a statement, Bovis Lend Lease global chief executive Mark Menhinnitt said: “Nick will move into the chief executive officer role immediately, but Murray will remain in the UK until the end of the year, to ensure that a full handover is completed.”

The statement added: “We are all aware of the impact that the global financial crisis is having on our business, but can take comfort from the fact that the underlying fundamentals of the Bovis Lend Lease UK business are strong.

“I'm confident that Nick and his team will continue to demonstrate the strong leadership that's required to take this business through the current downturn and towards future success and growth.”

The news of a management shake-up comes after contractjournal.com revealed this week that job losses at the firm were imminent.

Hundreds of jobs at the company are expected to be lost among the 2,000-strong workforce, as developments by parent company Lend Lease such as the Olympic Village and the Elephant & Castle scheme in south London have been hit by funding troubles.