Established in Manchester back in 1999 by Dez Walker and Jon Sime, Walker Sime has developed from a two-man band into one of the North West’s most well-respected Construction Consultancies.
These days based out of three regional offices, our 80-strong team provides specialist services including Quantity Surveying, Project Management, Employers Agent, Commercial Consultancy, Dispute Resolution, Bills of Quantities and Construction Design & Management.
Our reputation as the go-to people for technical excellence and unrivalled client service is something we’re incredibly proud of. Always remembering that our clients get to choose the people they work with.
Those same clients turn to us time and time again, and continually feedback that – while they’re reassured by our obsessive attention to detail, our straight-talking, and our fearlessness to challenge the brief or deliver occasionally difficult news – their people always enjoy working with our people. We simply dig deeper than most to build rock solid relationships, built on trust, respect and likability.
We get invited, often via client referral, to consult on a remarkably broad mix of briefs – working across public and private sectors on projects ranging from large scale infrastructure commissions to landmark regeneration schemes. We work in virtually every sector including marine, ports, roads, rail, airports, residential, commercial, industrial, distribution, storage, hotels, retail, waste to energy, gas, defence, health, education to name a few.
The Walker Sime family
People people
Everyone knows people are the foundation of every great business. And we’re no exception. In fact, in a recent audit an independent brand consultant asked 24 of our clients, “What do you like best about working with Walker Sime?” – alongside our technical excellence, attention to detail and ultra-reliability, of course – the answer couldn’t have been more emphatic. “It’s all about the people.”
Duncan Firth
Managing Director
Duncan’s our MD. Sleeves rolled up and glass half full, he thrives on leading his 80-strong team from the front, inspiring and empowering them to deliver exceptional service and driving growth by making the exceptionally complex run smoothly. A more peoplier person you’ll struggle to find! His diverse experience spans SME to multinational, including a Director of Real Estate at Deloitte and a Project Lead on London 2012.
Jon Sime MRICS
Client Relations Director
Jon Sime co-founded the business in 1999. Before that he put in a shift for a national PQS outfit, was Commercial Director for a well-respected Contracting firm, and also a Claims Consultant. He also did a stint Down Under, where he first met Dez. Regarded as Walker Sime’s Mr Unflappable, Jon takes the strategic lead in our Infrastructure team, helping clients manage risks and maximise returns.
jsime@walkersime.co.uk
jsime@walkersime.co.uk
Caroline Rennie Assoc CIPD
Director of People & Culture
Caz has been with us since 2003. She knows Walker Sime inside out and back to front. Better than anyone, she knows what makes our people tick and leads on helping make sure everyone’s happy working here. After years with the world’s longest job title; Head of HR, Finance, Facilities Management, Health & Safety, and Office Management we thought a promotion to Director of People & Culture suited her better.
crennie@walkersime.co.uk
crennie@walkersime.co.uk
Gavin Garner
Director / Quantity Surveying
Gav joined the Walker Sime team in 2019 as Director of Quantity Surveying. Not only did he bring 20-odd years’ construction sector experience with him – having worked on countless landmark projects, many of them seriously complex, across a wide range of sectors – he brought a can-do attitude, a get-on-with-people character, a keen eye for the commercials and a reputation for digging deep to get the job done.
ggarner@walkersime.co.uk
ggarner@walkersime.co.uk
Gregory Gordan
Financial Director
Greg joined us in 2020, bringing over 20 years finance experience with him. Oh, and his framed ACCA and AAT certificates. He’s worked across a variety of industries, including Refrigerated Shipping, Facilities Maintenance and Industrials Services, with multinationals, family-owned businesses and SMEs. Greg’s a proper people person who’s passionate about fair play and helping colleagues develop in their roles, and thrive.
ggordon@walkersime.co.uk
ggordon@walkersime.co.uk
Mark Parker MRICS
Director / Project Management
Mark Parker was Walker Sime’s first employee. He spread his wings for a while, honing his skills managing multi-disciplined construction projects, from site acquisition to contract completion, and also worked 10 years client-side. But he’s back! A rare breed, Mark’s a Chartered QS who’s equally accomplished as a level-headed, commercially switched-on PM who clients quickly warm to and trust.
mparker@walkersime.co.uk
mparker@walkersime.co.uk
Nick Wdowczyk MRICS
Director
Nick joined the Walker Sime team back in 2008 as an ambitious Trainee Quantity Surveyor. Since then he’s grafted his way up to Director, responsible for our Yorkshire QS team’s day to-day delivery. Nick has outstanding technical ability and has a likeability factor our clients love. With construction sector experience under his belt including residential, commercial, industrial, transport, education, and healthcare he’s also an accomplished Employer’s Agent.
nwdowczyk@walkersime.co.uk
nwdowczyk@walkersime.co.uk
Peter Broughton
Associate Director
Peter was a member of the WCP team that became part of the Walker Sime family, following acquisition, in 2019. Joining as Associate Director taking the lead on the design and delivery of a nationwide portfolio of schemes for OnSide Youth Zones, along with a portfolio of leisure, industrial, and commercial projects.
pbroughton@walkersime.co.uk
pbroughton@walkersime.co.uk
Dom Gill MRICS
Director - Infrastructure Services
Dom, Director of our Infrastructure division, has vast experience of complex projects in the Highways, Power, Gas & Oil, and Utilities sector. A Chartered QS with pre and post-contract experience, he’s worked with many of the UK’s largest clients, specialising in NEC form of contract, project controls and PMO environment. And reassuringly, he’s also a Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) Practitioner.
dgill@walkersime.co.uk
dgill@walkersime.co.uk
Tammy Harrison-Round
Director / Business Development
A passionate advocate for both diversity and inclusion in our sector, and for investment in emerging talent, Tammy is a Fellow of The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), with a Masters in Business and Strategic Leadership. With 24 years construction consultancy experience, she’s perfectly qualified to lead our biz dev plan. Not only is she a highly experienced QS, Tammy also helps clients navigate procurement pathways, making the potentially complex bewilderingly simple.
tharrisonround@walkersime.co.uk
tharrisonround@walkersime.co.uk
Andrew McNaghten MRICS
Director Project Management (Leeds)
Andy from Sheffield joined our team in 2018 as Associate Director. Experienced managing mixed-use construction projects, he’s our kind of person. Trusted and much-liked by clients, Andy’s an insanely safe pair of hands with an eagle-eye for detail and an enviable track record of success planning and programming the delivery of complex construction projects. He is responsible for our PM team in Yorkshire.
amcnaghten@walkersime.co.uk
amcnaghten@walkersime.co.uk
Nick Quinn MRICS
Associate Director
Nick is one of Walker Sime’s talented Associate Directors. He has a strong pedigree in Consulting and his construction sector experience includes over 15 years specialising in the production of Bills of Quantities – so naturally he heads up our dedicated BOQ team. He brings natural leadership qualities to his role managing his team of Quantity Surveyors, along with strong technical expertise and passion for delivering to the highest possible standard.
nquinn@walkersime.co.uk
nquinn@walkersime.co.uk
Graham Redfearn MRICS
Associate Director
Graham has tons of experience managing multi-disciplinary teams – from inception and feasibility to completion, handover and close out – on schemes spanning logistics, retail, leisure, residential, student accommodation, self-storage and financial sectors. Clients also have him on speed dial for Employer’s Agent, Cost Management, Contract Administration, and Project Management support.
gredfearn@walkersime.co.uk
gredfearn@walkersime.co.uk
Chris Tildsley MRICS
Director Quantity Surveying (Liverpool)
Chris manages our Liverpool QS team, working across all sectors. With over 20 years’ experience under his belt and a sky high reputation, his extensive skillset has helped ensure the success of countless projects. A real team player who’s always striving for first class delivery, he knows the commercial office, hotels and industrial sectors like the back of his hand, and has also worked extensively in Stadia, Residential, and Ports & Marine.
ctildsley@walkersime.co.uk
ctildsley@walkersime.co.uk
What our people say about working with us
The philosophy that rather than individuals working for a company we are in fact one big team and because of this we are truly supportive of each other. Everyone within the company has the attitude of doing the ‘right thing’ for the greater good of our projects and clients.
Andrew Hopwood, Principal Project Manager
What our people say about working with us
Walker Sime’s best attribute is the professionalism exhibited at all times but having that fun and excitement you only feel when you’re either with your friends or family or work contractor side on site. The people are great and really nice to work with, almost eclipsing any other attributes!
Viet Huynh, Senior Quantity Surveyor
What our people say about working with us
Whilst I’ve been here for a long time, my working environment has changed quite often, which means it never gets boring or stale. There’s also variety in the workload. I’ve worked on warehouses, hotels, apartment blocks, offices, new builds, refurbishments, small schemes, massive schemes, different forms of contract, so it’s always interesting and challenging!
Will Magee
Our Vision
To stand proudly in front of more than our fair share of remarkable construction and infrastructure projects, and quietly think, “I was a part of the team that helped make this a big success”.
Our Mission
On completion of every single commission, to clink glasses with our clients, in emphatic agreement, it couldn’t have been managed any better, down to the tiniest detail, by anyone, anywhere.
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Charity
We take pride that we support charities close to our hearts. To name a few, we have fundraised for Wirral Hospice St. Johns and Coffee4Craig, which provide support for the homeless community in Manchester. We recently took part in the Great Manchester Run, to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre North West and the JLL Property Triathlon North, which supported JLL Property’s corporate charity, Crisis and Peels Group’s charity, the Christie. Dez Walker undertook the Barcelona Ironman to fundraise for the Christie and Ronald McDonald House. We’re also proud winners of the Liverpool Dragon Boat Race, in aid of Claire House Hospice for children.
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Community
We’re proud to do our bit to inspire students to choose quantity surveying as a career path. We do this by visiting local schools and colleges such as Saddleworth School, Crompton House, St. Wilfred’s Sixth Form and St. Bede’s Catholic College as part of the RICS ‘Surveying the Future’ initiative. We also offer students the chance to gain work experience in our company and find out for themselves what quantity surveying is all about.
CSR
Environment
We’re all about building better environments, not just locally but when we can, on a global level. So we’re proud participants in the government’s cycle to work scheme – and recently gave our people a safer place for their new wheels with a new bike shelter funded by a grant from TFGM. We’re also a bit obsessed by recycling and make sure everyone who works here is too.
CSR
Employee wellbeing
We can’t be people people without putting our own employees first. So we go further than being compliant with the law in health and safety and follow best practice to promote health and wellbeing in leadership, absence management, health and safety, mental health, smoking, physical activity, healthy eating, alcohol and substance misuse.
- Full accreditation of the Workplace Wellbeing Charter
- Signatory to the RICS Inclusive Employer Quality Mark
- Property Weeks ‘Best Places to work in Property 2019’
- Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce social value bronze award
