Chris Sargent

UK Managing Director, Real Estate

I believe that delivering sustainable outcomes through digital solutions, modern methods of construction and collaborative delivery models is key to a more productive construction industry.

I oversee and deliver the strategy and operations of the real estate segment of our UK business, building strong client relationships and synergising our capabilities, best practice and expertise is a key part of my role. All of which is underpinned by our digital offering as the construction industry undergoes an era of transformation.

I lead a team encompassing a wide spectrum of consultancy services, including programme and project management, cost and commercial management, controls, advisory and digital solutions. Together, we help our clients in successfully delivering some of the largest and most complex projects, programmes and portfolios, in the UK and internationally.

With over 25 years of experience in the construction industry, I started my career working for a Tier 1 contractor before joining Turner & Townsend as a Project Manager in 2001.

Since then, I have advised on strategy, set up and delivery of a diverse range of major projects and programmes, across multiple sectors and geographies in the UK.

During this period, I progressed to Managing Director of the programme and project management business in the UK. Having led significant growth and development of our programme and project services, I transitioned into my current role as Managing Director of UK real estate to cover the segment in its entirety in 2022.

Career highlights

Appointed Managing Director of Real Estate, UK
2022
Appointed Managing Director of Project Management
2019
Appointed Head of Real Estate, London
2017
Appointed Strategic Lead, Sheffield Office
2010
Joined Turner & Townsend as a Project Manager
2001

Q. What attracted you to join Turner & Townsend?

A. The ambition of the business and the relentless focus on service excellence.

Q. Which project are you most proud of being involved in at Turner & Townsend?

A. Our real estate teams have delivered some of the most iconic projects in the UK, all of which have had a significant impact on society. I’m particularly proud that we have supported on developments which have created entirely new destinations, such as the Shard and Battersea Power Station, combining existing and new communities and creating a sense of place for everyone.

Q. How do you contribute to Turner & Townsend making a difference?

A. I am passionate about helping clients address their most complex challenges by developing actionable strategies that deliver programmes of scale and complexity. We have access to a significant amount of insight and capability which we’re able to leverage to deliver such projects and programmes on time and on budget in the most concise and productive way.

Q. Detail any specialist skills or experience for which you are known.

A. My expertise is in project management and leading large, complex projects and programmes. I am a trusted advisor and have built long-term client relationships across industry.

Q. Describe your typical day.

A. There is no ‘typical day’ for me, but I spend a significant proportion of my time overseeing our key client relationships via regular meetings, and actively engaging with them to add value across their programmes. I travel throughout the week across the UK, whether that’s to my hometown office in Sheffield, to our flagship London office or to various client sites. When back at my desk, the remainder of my day mainly consists of checking in with the wider team, positioning us in the market for new business opportunities and updates with the leadership team.

Q. What is the emerging trend in your industry specialism and how are you responding to this?

A. There is a growing need for digital solutions across the construction industry. Technology and data are having an increasingly large part to play in delivering better value and increasing productivity for many of our client’s projects. We are responding to this through the digitalisation of our core services and developing digital products and insights that enhance our offer such as our embodied carbon calculator our client portal and ‘Hive’ cloud platform.