"I have worked with Colin for over 23 years, both as a professional colleague and consultant. Colin has always demonstrated an incredible work ethic and focus, which, alongside his now extensive experience operating at the highest level for multi nationals and his deep knowledge of the industry, means he is an exceptionally talented business leader.
Colin provides inciteful, strategic leadership to any given situation and is an astute commercial operator with an uncanny knack of accurately predicting outcomes. Colin brings self-assured authority and discipline to critical decision making and moreover will bring his great sense of humour into even the most challenging situation, which makes him an absolute pleasure to work alongside.
Whether operating at board level, managing people, or leading complex or contentious negotiations, Colin exudes strong confident leadership borne out of his impressive experience . He is solutions orientated, pragmatic and collaborative. Combine all these attributes with his evident emotional intelligence and world class strategic thinking, he is a powerful asset for any business.
E. Daniels | General Counsel
"I have known Colin for more years than I care to remember! He’s a savvy professional who, like me, is passionate about what he does.
We have worked together for many years in different companies and in different environments & sectors. We delivered PFI projects, Development projects, and Frameworks, covering both traditional and Design-Build contracts.
The majority of Colin’s experience is as a Commercial Director, although he has at times crossed from the dark-side to the world of Operations where he no doubt gained some of the perspective and breadth of experience he uses so well now!
Colin’s natural strengths and indeed passions lay in the area’s of providing commercial & contractual advice on a wide spectrum of matters including procurement, contract, cost & risk management & the successful resolution of disputes.
We have worked together on both challenging projects and complex ones, with Colin facing each with equal measures of hard work and humour.
Colin is focused and courageous, however perhaps more importantly he puts his team first. He manages to have fun and maintains a sense of humour in difficult situations which is great for maintaining perspective.
Colin has long been the best dressed person I know! Behind the suit and tie lives a consummate professional."
Chris Stevens, MD & Operations Director | Bouygues UK Residential
“We have worked closely with Colin on many projects, including the National Holocaust and Learning Centre in Westminster, a 20 storey Tower in Lambeth, as well as on projects in India and KSA. Colin is incredibly knowledgeable about procurement and contracts but also brings pragmatic expertise on how to build schemes to budget while retaining a project’s vision. He has a deep understanding of the construction market and communicates that effectively. It is really uplifting to work with a consultant that brings so many ideas to the design stage of a scheme. He has such a positive attitude and really instils a culture of collaboration and the sharing of ideas which makes the whole team feel more motivated and engaged.”
Lucy Tilley | Associate Principle –Global Architect (Adjaye)
"Colin worked with me as Commercial Director. He is a versatile professional and a good leader with a strong understanding of the Contract and Commercial world.
He added value to Clients by finding alternative solutions & working with them rather than simply finding a problem. A good example was when he intervened to help avoid a serious problem when a European cladding contractor entered administration. He collaborated with the Construction team & the Client & visited the contractor in Austria. A pragmatic solution was reached & swiftly converted into a legal agreement. This protected the Clients programme, the company position as Contractor and also looked after the supply chain.
Colin has a strong network of Clients and Consultants alike and is able to positively influence Client's decisions. A good example was when he helped shape a bid & prepare a team which resulted in the successful award of a £200M project when the fund had already been reserved for our competitor.
Internally, Colin mentored and initiated best practice forums focused on key learning and areas for improvement for his team. He facilitated collaboration between the Commercial and Finance teams resulting in greatly improved cash recovery and consistency of reporting."
Richard Boeg, Head of Operations | Balfour Beatty
"Over the 15 years I have known Colin Whitfield, he has held numerous senior commercial leader roles with the industry's top players and has consistently leveraged his extensive experience and knowledge to bring clarity to complex situations. He offers unique insights that would be missed without his contribution. He is known as a world class manager and mentor, who brings a common-sense approach to challenging problems and who has the proven skills to deliver.”
Terry Halliday | CEO, New Bearing
"Colin worked for me as Commercial Director during a period of dynamic growth & change for our business. He was instrumental in securing high value, long term dependable frameworks in defence, commercial, travel & life sciences fields. Colin also masterminded the strategy, direction & resolution of a high number of complex financial claims & disputes on behalf of the Board. This involved taking ownership of the issues, selecting & then directing a diverse multi-disciplined team to successfully prosecute & defend multiple cases simultaneously over several years. Colin took the lead & represented the business in both Adjudication Hearings & Mediations. His advice & strategic direction was exemplary. As CEO, I needed accurate & reliable financial reporting on projected performance & evaluations on a diverse range of construction projects as well as contractual & legal advice to give confidence to shareholders & the banks. Colin provided exactly that."
CEO and Shareholder | Warings Construction Group
"Colin and I worked together for a number of years. As a Founding Partner I was responsible for several projects in Central London that were both complex and challenging. A number of these were Grade II listed projects, which required heavy refurbishment, and which also had high-end, bespoke finishes designed by some of the world's most celebrated interior designers. All of this was delivered in highly sensitive areas with unique operating restrictions over multiple phases.
As the Operations Director, Colin Whitfield led on the big issues at pre-contract stage, during delivery and in the final negotiations. He successfully navigated challenging stakeholder management whilst maintaining momentum of delivery. The projects were delivered to the highest quality on time & within budget. He is a solution-orientated professional, and we always felt he was someone we could trust and who could be relied upon”.
Matthew Dunne, Director Paragon | Managing Director, Bond Davidson
"Colin and his team have been successful for a variety of reasons, but in particular because of the confidence they build through strong dialogue at all levels. Colin's dealings were professional, and he demonstrated an open and straightforward attitude all the way through the process of working together. This was brought into focus when Whitfield issued a draft contract mark-up with their bid, even though it had not been requested. The project ran successfully and there were no contentious issues with the Final Account being wrapped up in a sensible manner."
Andrew Webster, Founding Partner | MHBC Cummings (Development Management & Project Management)