Severfield appoints Laing O’Rourke director as chief executive

Severfield plc has appointed Paul McNerney as chief executive officer.

McNerney, currently director for clients and government at Laing O’Rourke, will join the structural steel specialist in the autumn, with a start date to be confirmed.

He will replace Alan Dunsmore, whose departure was announced in March, less than a month after the firm issued a profit warning.

McNerney has more than 25 years’ experience in the construction and engineering sector, including roles as managing director of Laing O’Rourke’s UK construction arm, Select Plant Hire, Explore Manufacturing and Crown House Technologies.

At Laing O’Rourke, McNerney led the £1.3bn UK construction business, delivering projects across sectors such as stadia, healthcare, life sciences, data centres, aviation and mixed-use developments.

His portfolio included the Oxford University Humanities campus and Everton’s stadium, both involving Severfield.

He has also worked in Australia, establishing infrastructure operations in New South Wales and delivering heavy civil and marine projects, as well as developing new oil and gas markets.

McNerney is a chartered surveyor, a member of the CBI UK Competitiveness Committee and serves on the Liverpool–Manchester Railway Partnership Board.

Severfield chair Charlie Cornish said McNerney’s strategic and operational experience, particularly in construction, positioned him to lead the group “through its rebuilding process to the next phase of its growth and innovation”.

McNerney said he looked forward to working with the board, staff and customers to “continue building Severfield’s market leadership and long-term success”.