Severfield has appointed a new chief technical officer (CTO) and executive committee member to lead engineering and design across its UK, Europe and India operations.
Simon Nicholas, a chartered engineer, brings more than 27 years’ experience in the sector. As CTO, Nicholas will be responsible for strengthening the group’s technical capabilities, as well as supporting the delivery of Severfield’s refined 2026 strategy, which aims to improve the company’s financial performance.
Before joining the structural steelworks specialist, Nicholas was global operations director at infrastructure consultancy Surbana Jurong (SJ) Group, leading mechanical, electrical, public health design and environmental design from 2025 to 2026.
Alongside his director role, he was SJ Group’s global sector lead for industrial and data centres.
Nicholas also spent eight years as managing director for the UK and Europe at Robert Bird Group, an engineering consultancy, and has led global initiatives focused on carbon reduction, across major projects, including Battersea Power Station and Brisbane’s Cross River Rail, Australia.
Chief executive at Severfield, Paul McNerney, said: “Our refreshed Group strategy is about building a stronger, more integrated Severfield, with engineering excellence and client collaboration central to our success. I am delighted that Simon is joining our team. He brings enormous industry knowledge, international experience and the ability to develop engineering teams to help deliver that ambition.
“His experience across both design consultancy and contracting will be particularly valuable as we look to engage clients earlier, improve collaboration and deliver better outcomes across the project lifecycle.”
Nicholas added: “There is a tremendous opportunity to build on Severfield’s engineering and delivery reputation by connecting our people, technical expertise and manufacturing capabilities. I’ve always believed the best outcomes come from bringing engineering into projects early, collaborating with clients and contractors, and designing with delivery in mind.”
During FY26, group revenue grew to £454.3 million from £450.9 million; however, underlying pre-tax profit fell to £10.5 million from £18.1 million.
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