Tilbury Douglas names Dave Clarke regional director for Yorkshire and North East

Tilbury Douglas has appointed Dave Clarke as Regional Director – Yorkshire and North East for its Regional Building business, recruiting him from Vinci, where he was Construction Director for the same region.

The contractor said Clarke worked at Shepherd from 2006 before moving to Wates in 2015, where he was Operations Director.

Simon Butler, Managing Director – Regional Building at Tilbury Douglas, said: "Regional Building continues to grow in the north, supported by our national and regional framework positions and strong local relationships."

Clarke said: "I bring with me more than 20 years' experience across the region, working in many sectors, including education and healthcare." He added that people are central to successful project delivery and that he wants to develop the region's talent and support continued growth.

The restructure

Clarke joins a Regional Building leadership structure that Tilbury Douglas announced on 8 June 2026. In that restructure the company appointed Butler as Managing Director – Regional Building, with a brief that includes delivering its five-year growth plan.

At the same time it appointed Martin Horne as Regional Managing Director – Building North, with responsibility for Yorkshire, the North East and the North West, and Kabir Salihi as Regional Director – North West.

According to the company's office listings, its Yorkshire and North East Regional Building team works from Castleford, West Yorkshire, in an office shared with its Engineering division. It also has a Regional Building and Infrastructure office in Stockton-on-Tees.

Regional workload

Tilbury Douglas started construction of a new Halifax Leisure Centre for Calderdale Council in May 2026, a current Regional Building job in Yorkshire. In March 2024 its Yorkshire and North East team completed a campus nursery for the University of York in Heslington, with capacity for more than 90 children.

The company has also been appointed to Pagabo's National Framework for Major Works 2026 on lots two to five, which cover projects from £5m to more than £60m. Tilbury Douglas said in its announcement of the appointment that the Major Works Frameworks have an estimated total value of up to £5bn.

The numbers

Tilbury Douglas reported on 5 May 2026 that gross revenue for 2025 rose 12% to £692.1m, with consolidated revenue up 11% to £600.1m. Operating profit rose 28% to £14.6m and the operating margin improved to 2.4% from 2.1%.

Measure	2024	2025
Gross revenue	£619.6m	£692.1m
Consolidated revenue	£541.6m	£600.1m
Operating profit	£11.5m	£14.6m
Order book (year end)	£1.26bn	£1.48bn

The order book stood at £1.48bn at the end of 2025, up 17%, and the company put it at £1.6bn when it announced the June 2026 leadership changes.

Craig Tatton, Chief Executive Officer of Tilbury Douglas, said in the results statement that the company remains committed to becoming the leading UK contractor in its chosen sectors by 2029.

The company describes itself as having more than 140 years of experience and as a partner of central and local government.