Head of Ipswich-based reminisces over his 20 years of leadership

A Suffolk construction boss who’s spent 20 years at the helm says he ‘definitely made the right decision’ when he chose the company over a holiday rep role in Ibiza.

Simon Girling, director of Ipswich-based SEH French, has worked at the company since April 2000 – initially as a quantity surveyor, before becoming a sharehilding director in May 2003 and director designate in January 2022.

Simon said: “I was toying with the idea of being a holiday rep in Ibiza, but staying in Suffolk somehow beat sunny Spain. Looking back, I definitely made the right decision.

“In the early days, we were operating out of a portacabin in Nedging Tye with around ten site-based staff members.

“Now, we’re located in a large office on Ipswich’s Whitehouse Road with around 50 employees alongside our sister company, Jackson.”

SEH French is part of One Group construction, a collection of 10 different businesses in the construction and logistics sectors.

The company’s turnover was under £3 million in 2021, but it has reached almost £22 million in recent years.

SEH French has turned down many contracts in London, keeping up its commitment to stick local, support local suppliers and ensure good-quality construction remains in East Anglia.

However, progressing the company definitely hasn’t all been smooth sailing: “The pandemic certainly presented challenges, but there was still money being spent,” said Simon.

“The 2008–2009 recession, however, was another ball game. It was the first recession I experienced, and everything ground to a halt.

“Thankfully, I had older and wiser heads around me – such as my then-co-director Jack Davey and founder Graham Emmerson – who helped us ensure SEH French stayed afloat.

“While other businesses were getting rid of staff, we supported ours. It was the right thing to do and, from a business perspective, investing in them was better than losing them.”

The aspect of his time Simon is most proud about is watching the company and its people grow, without wavering from their principles.

He added: “Over the years we’ve taken on and retained some great talent. Almost half of our employees have been promoted to their current positions.

“They’ve been integral to the company’s growth. While the size of the company may change, our quality and attention to detail will remain.”