Chief Executive Of The Year

摘要

Paul Drechsler was voted the best chief executive in British construction after a turbulent 2008 for the industry. Born in Ireland, the Wates boss studied engineering at Trinity College in Dublin and spent 22 years at chemicals group ICI before joining Wates in September 2004. Under his tenure the contractor's profit margin has increased from 0.6% to 4.7% and last month he announced that the group had broken the ￡1bn turnover barrier for the first time in its 111-year history. He has also boosted cash from ￡47m to ￡170m, which has put the company in an enviable position to weather the recession. Drechsler is jovial and energetic in person and has the right balance of a razor-sharp business brain and easy diplomacy to sit in the hot-seat of a family-run business. When asked how he gets on with the Wates dynasty he once said: "I know all their kids and go to their parties. There are a significant number of feisty young ladies in the family and who knows maybe one of them will take over one day."