SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM

DR PAUL SEWELL,
OBE CHAIR

Together with Dennis Sewell, they grew the business to a construction company operating across the Yorkshire region, then diversifying into development, facilities management and petrol retail to become Sewell Group by the turn of the millennium.

Our culture is a collective DNA and is the way we treat each other with respect. I believe we are proactive with our culture, probably more than most. The main differentiator in business is your culture and I have maybe set the bar with a framework for that over the years, but it’s mainly about how we treat each other.

Jo Barnes,
Sewell Estates MD

I joined the Group in 2008 as CEO of Citycare, a public private partnership with the NHS. This followed a 14 year career in the public sector working on regeneration schemes in Scotland, the North West and Hull.

I love learning about people and trying to understand what motivates them. We are very protective of our focus on personal development and I’m proud of the talent I have seen grow from relatively junior to senior posts in my time here. We encourage our people to be brave, think creatively and keep energy levels high and, by doing this, we can keep serving our communities well.

Simon Davison,
Group Finance Director

I joined the Sewell Group in 2005 as Group Financial Controller, after spending 10 years with PwC, and was promoted to the Board as Group Finance Director in 2007.

Positive people equal positive results and that’s so important. Culture is at the heart of every business and, no matter what service you offer, you need a strong culture because you want team players who are proactive with a ‘can do’ attitude around you. I believe the aspects that make Sewell different are the relationships we develop and we always take a long term view of things.

Patrick Sewell,
SEWELL ON THE GO MD

After leaving university, I joined the family business within the Construction team. After some time gaining experience elsewhere, I returned to work in the retail side of our business as a Store Manager before becoming Managing Director.

The behaviours and values of our company sum up our culture to me. In essence, it’s how people act naturally without being watched over or micro-managed. Everyone has a part to play in that and, in turn, it creates a team with the same vision and values. Our high standards, innovative way of working, great service and focus on our people is what make Sewell special.

Dave Leedham,
Sewell Investments Director

I joined Sewell as the Group Accountant for Construction in 1995, when we also had one petrol station, and joined the Board as Group Finance Director in 2000.

My nature is to be collaborative and the way we treat people is reflective of our success. We always try to do the right thing by everybody, including our customers, staff and the community, and I have seen the benefits of that.

Katherine Batch,
Sewell on the go
Sales Director

I started here as a part-time cashier at a small Sewell shop in Swanland in 2002.

It’s the people who make this business stand out and make it really special. When needed, everyone pulls together, which is the recipe for success. When the going gets tough, people dig in, and we’re all in it together. We rarely hire managers externally, we like to grow our people from within which offers opportunities and career progression to anyone who’s hungry for it.

Mark Boothby,
Sewell Construction Joint MD

I joined Sewell in July 1996 as a management trainee.

Sewell has an open and supportive approach to working with people, and doing the right thing is greatly valued. The culture within Sewell means people can develop both professionally and personally and progress to become ambassadors for the company in all roles.

Chris Soper,
Sewell Construction Joint MD

I joined Sewell in January 2006, originally as a management trainee, trying my hand in the many different areas of construction.

Since I joined Sewell, the company has grown a lot but it has always maintained its family ethos and continues to invest in its people, empowering individuals and providing a platform for career progression. We have a “can do” attitude – working together to deliver the best results.

Alex Mortimer,
Sewell on the go
Finance Director

I joined Sewell in late 2009 and I’m head of finance in the retail division, as well as playing a major role in people and engagement activities.

Culture is the reason people work for a company for many years, like lots of our staff have. You can’t train staff to fit into a culture but you can train someone to do a job.

Christopher Carline,
I&G MD

Having joined the group in 2020, I work as Managing Director for Illingworth and Gregory Ltd where I also manage the Pre-Construction aspects of the business.

The nature of our business involves working to a degree of flexibility to ensure whatever the task in hand needs ‘it gets’, as well as maintaining a balanced and ‘one team approach’.

Sean Henderson,
Sewell Facilities Management MD

My Sewell journey began in 2008, starting as a Construction Manager, then Project Manager, before moving into Facilities Management.

Our culture is about being a team player, professional and doing the right thing by our customers whilst remaining flexible and agile. There is a huge customer focus, and we live by these values both internally and externally.

Tim Wigglesworth,
Shared Agenda CEO

I draw on my 30 years of estates experience to help our customers make best and most effective use of their estate allowing them to focus on their core business

My understanding of the challenges facing the public sector helps me apply my skills across the range of company services from strategic advice through to implementation.

Claire Harrison,
Parallel CEO

I joined Sewell in 2012 having worked for both the public and private sector in public relations and stakeholder engagement roles.

The culture is really special here – we look out for each other. In whatever area of the business you come into contact with, there is a positive team spirit and a can do attitude. We’re a glass half full kind of place.

Emma Bolton,
Community Ventures MD

Emma is an expert in public sector estates strategy, with extensive experience at leading diverse, multidisciplinary estates-focused teams across local authorities and the NHS.

A Fellow of the RICS, Emma pairs this with her town planning degree to give her a unique view across estates strategies.

Becky Oughtibridge,
Director of Professional Services

I joined Sewell in July 2006 as HR Admin, and became the Head of People for the Group in 2012.

I love being one of the many at Sewell that champion the culture and behaviours of our heritage, whilst embracing and nurturing the new ideas of our people as our business grows. Working with so many fantastic people makes this company a great place to be.

Neil Jennison,
Non-Executive Director

I act as a sounding board to all of the major strategic things going on in the business and as a third party counsel to the rest of the board.

Sewell Culture is about doing the right thing. The company looks at all the stakeholder groups, whether they be managers, customers, suppliers, or other, and treats them all in a fair and reasonable manner.