Joining us from Grant Thornton, where he spent 25 years advising on complex infrastructure projects, Paul brings deep expertise in projects involving the public and private sectors, in particular the healthcare and local authority sectors. He has advised on PFI/PPP schemes from their original establishment to operational improvement and in complex cases where they are failing, termination.
His appointment marks a step forward in strengthening our offer in Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) work – areas in which we’ve been deliveringed strong results for clients, but haven’t always shouted about. That’s where Paul comes in. His first priority will be to map out our current involvement in this space and raise our profile, while offering practical, strategic advice to both public and private sector clients helping them address issues with operational contracts and support the process of handback at the end of the contract period. To do this he will build a specialist team to support this work further.
PFI and PPP are long-term agreements where private firms design, build, finance and operate public infrastructure – ranging from hospitals and schools to housing and emergency service facilities. These models have played a significant role in delivering essential services across the built environment, but come with their own set of complex contractual and operational challenges.
Paul understands that often the biggest risk isn’t just the delivery of the services specified in the contract – it’s the breakdown of relationships. He focuses on identifying issues early and tackling them head on. He’s also passionate about keeping data transparent and accessible, pushing back against its ‘weaponisation’ in disputes.
His experience complements our multidisciplinary offer and opens up opportunities in more complex sectors like housing, which share common ground with healthcare but bring their own unique challenges.
Adrian Goulding, who leads our Building Surveying team, said: “Paul brings the perfect mix of expertise, energy and pragmatism. He understands how to unpick complex PFI and PPP arrangements, and how to guide clients through them in a clear, confident way. We’re really excited to have him on board to grow this part of our offer.”
Paul says he was drawn to Ridge by the pace of growth, future aspirations and the chance to help shape something from the ground up: “It’s rare to find a business on this kind of trajectory. I’d only ever heard good things about Ridge, and everyone I’ve met so far has been brilliant – just really warm and welcoming.”
