28/06/2022
Meet John
Next in our meet the team, we chatted with one of our longest members of the team, John Ritchie. With over 10 years working at Sigmat and a varied construction career prior to that, John is an oracle of knowledge in the team.
Tell us a bit about your background before joining Sigmat.
Well, where to start.. I have been working in the construction industry since 1982, 40 years!!! Previously, I trained as a carpenter and after that was based in civil engineering, before moving into the building side. Following this, I worked across Germany and Austria on refurbishment of historic church roofs for 2 years. Quite the experience.
After relocating back to the UK, I worked on tunnelling projects on the London Underground and after that I moved into a management role for North-West Water projects, working on health and safety and bringing the company forward to adhere to current legislation. After that, I moved on to work for a Tier 1 contractor as a Senior Site Manager in the North West region before joining Sigmat!
Can you tell us a little about your current role and history of working at Sigmat.
I started at Sigmat in 2012 as Project Manager working on a five-block, ten-storey prestigious student accommodation project in Nottingham which gained RICS project of the year 2014. It was such a great scheme to work on and I am still so proud of what we achieved as a team. Following the success of this project, I was promoted to Senior Contracts Manager overseeing all the projects in England, as well as taking on the role of Pre-Construction Manager for a 5-year period.
Following this, I took on Operations Manager for a 4-year duration, involved in all aspects of a project during go-live including health & safety, R&D, Fire testing, as well as working to bring the Sigmat competency card scheme to fruition.
In my current role as Pre-Construction Manager, I work alongside the Estimating Department to produce all the pre-tender programmes, logistics plans, as well as managing the Master Programme for Pre-Con, Estimating, Design & Details.
What training and development have you had?
Last year I finished my NVQ7 in Senior Construction Management. I also have my NVQ6 appointed person in lifting operations, so I undertake all the crane and lifting plans. The opportunities for training and development at Sigmat are fantastic - all of our project management team are going through NVQ6’s or alternatives.
How would you describe Sigmat’s culture?
Sigmat has a very proactive culture, with a keen move to invest in the right talent for the company. It is great to see our younger members of the team learn, grow and thrive.
What do you like about Sigmat?
The people and the product! Sigmat is a people-focused business – everyone there makes each day enjoyable. On top of that, you have to believe in your work and I firmly believe in the product we bring to the market. Environmentally LGSF is the way forward. MMC & offsite have to be the future of the construction world!
What would you say to a prospective candidate?
Go for it! It is a very positive place to work. Working in a place like Sigmat there is so much opportunity for progression. You only have to look at our younger workforce to see the opportunities they can take on! And now, with Etex behind Sigmat there are even more prospects on the horizon.
How do you like to spend your spare time?
I am passionate about music and have camped out overnight in the street to buy rare and limited edition vinyl’s. I started cataloguing them and up to now have an impressive 970 catalogued vinyl’s!
