Andy McLeod started out as a site engineer and having spent over 36 years in the construction industry with various contractors across the region, he joined Tolent in 2017.

Following a brief transitional period, Andy was appointed CEO of Tolent in 2018, and rates it as one of his career highlights.

Under Andy’s leadership, not only is Tolent taking on more contracts, the company is also expanding the geographical areas in which it operates. It is clear that the considerable balancing act of completing multiple projects, whilst winning new contracts and looking to future opportunities, puts Andy’s unparalleled experience to the best possible use.

Andy’s ethos of “no politics, no privileges, just one team working hard” is clearly borne out of these years spent collaborating, learning, and dealing with people involved in every aspect of the construction industry.

Every day, Andy prioritises “finding time to talk to people – my colleagues, external consultants and clients of course”, and whilst he acknowledges the benefits of emails, Andy is keen to point out that “it’s important to talk”. This is undoubtedly linked to the impressive fact that 70 per cent of its turnover comes from repeat business. Andy points out that “not all contractors are created equal” in this highly competitive market place. Tolent stands out from the crowd by putting clients’ needs first, with the company’s fundamental aim always being to make it easy and rewarding for clients to do business and achieve their goals.

This year, Tolent is sponsoring Lumiere’s tenth anniversary, which underlines the company’s commitment to “creating great spaces to live and work, and positively impacting those communities where we operate and live”.

Andy’s pride in heading one of the largest contractors in the North-East means that as a major employer, Tolent “remains committed to its workforce, creating apprenticeships and developing its trainees and younger management teams”. Moreover, at the core of the company’s expansion is the impetus to keep working with “regional partners that we continue to work with every day, meaning that we keep the North-East pound where it belongs – in the North-East.’

n Organised by Artichoke, Lumiere is the UK’s largest light festival, transforming cities across the UK since 2009. The 10th year anniversary edition of Lumiere is in Durham November 14 to 17.