Our Board

Julia Gregory

Interim Chair

Julia is a Non-Executive and Senior Independent Director, Chair, and Trustee with almost three decades of fostering unprecedented growth for private, public, and charitable organisations through strategic leadership and transformational change. Her career has been focussed in leading the development and delivery of key infrastructure across the highways, real-estate, and aviation sectors. She spent her executive career working with global companies such as BAA, Ferrovial and GIP, as well as driving forward major Government Projects such as the new Garden City.

Her career has demonstrated a strong focus on driving results to improve commerciality, performance, customer service, quality and safety. Julia is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation (CIHT).  Julia is also currently a Non Executive Director for Gateway 14 Ltd and  Milton Keynes Development Company, a NED and Chair of the Renumeration and ESG Committee at This Land and as well as Chairperson for Hone-Start Hertfordshire. Julia has acted as expert Judge for the National Construction Awards for over 8 years and in 2023 co-founded the InfraNED network for women NED’s in infrastructure, real estate and construction.

In 2022, Julia was awarded a lifetime achievement award for Women in Business.

Paul Cooper

Interim Group Financial Director

Paul joined the Group as Interim Finance Director in August 2022. Working initially in practice, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG, Paul has spent most of his career in the NHS, working at Director level in NHS Trusts across Devon and Cornwall. He has a wealth of experience, not only in financial management, but also in performance management, governance, analytics and information management, programme management and change delivery. During his NHS career, Paul led a range of major change programmes - some of the biggest to health and care system delivery across the two counties in recent years - and will use that experience to support the Group to deliver its transformation agenda in the coming years.

Dr Simon Ashby

Non-Executive Director

Dr Simon Ashby is Professor of Financial Services and Risk Management at Vlerick Business School, Belgium. Simon has worked as an academic, a financial regulator and a senior operational risk manager in a number of UK financial institutions. He is an expert in risk management, corporate finance and governance and provides training and consultancy services in these areas. Simon is a Fellow and former Chairman of the Institute of Operational Risk and a Director (until March 2022) and past Audit and Risk Committee Chair of Plymouth Community Homes. Simon lives in North Cornwall with his wife Alison and several chickens. They enjoy long walks around the Cornish coast, sea swimming and body boarding and growing as much of their own food as possible.

Tony Byrne

Non-Executive Director

Tony is currently the CEO for DEBRA UK, a national charity that supports individuals and families affected by Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). He has held numerous senior management positions in various industries, including catering, facilities management, hotels and retail. He has also held non-executive positions in the charity, not for profit and commercial sectors many of which were involved in supporting children and young people. He has worked primarily in the UK but has worked internationally both in Europe and North America.

Tony holds Non-Executive Director positions for Brighter Futures for Children Ltd whose aim is to protect and enhance the lives of children in Reading and for Cumbria County Holdings Ltd and Orian Solutions Ltd, commercial companies wholly owned by Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council involved in catering and cleaning.

Dominic Bostock

Divisional Director

Dominic was appointed as Cormac Highways, Environment and Civils Managing Director in February 2020. As a “results-driven” chartered engineer, Dominic has over eight years’ experience as the Commercial Director at Cormac. He thrives on inspiring multi-disciplinery teams to find solutions to challenging projects – providing the most innovative approach to help clients and stakeholders achieve their vision, particularly in the face of ever-increasing financial and budgetary constraints. 

Dominic has a strong record of attaining revenue targets, and business growth objectives within an integrated service provider, in rapidly changing environments.  As a procurement professional (member of the Chartered Institute of Purchase & Supply), he has a keen interest in supply chain development, and supplier added value. 

Sarah Morgan

Non-Executive Director

Sarah has over three decades of experience working in commercially focused businesses, ranging from FTSE 100 PLC enterprises to smaller private sector companies. Her skills include Leadership, Organisational Design & Change, Finance & Customer focus, Commercial growth, Strategy, Risk, Governance & ESG.

 Recognised as an inclusive advisor and effective communicator who brings positivity, energy, leadership, support and resilience.

Her roles have included: Advising private sector boards on Business Plan/Strategy for optimising commercial growth. Mentoring executives to expand commercial capability and transform businesses. Commercial Director for Pep&Co, beating all budgeted KPI’s over the 3 year period; Commercial Director for Wiggle, supporting them through their Sale to Bridgepoint; and Senior roles in both Tesco and George at Asda. Sarah is also a Trustee for Homestart Hertfordshire and Chair of their renumeration committee.