Name: Graham Sturge
Title: Group CEO, founder, RED Construction Group
What I do: As CEO, my role is to bring a clear strategy to the business and ensure we achieve the objectives set by the shareholders.
Why I got into the property industry: As a young kid I had an interest in buildings and originally wanted to go into architecture. It didn’t quite work out that way and I took opportunities within construction.
How I did it: In 1990, during the recession, I was looking for a career and applied to over 200 architecture practices, unsuccessfully. I saw a local advert for a management trainee as an estimator for a building company, and thought that was about as close as I could get to buildings and architecture, so I applied and got the job.
My first proper job: After leaving education, my first job was as a jeweller, while studying for my National Association of Goldsmiths Level 1 qualification. My second job was as a trainee estimator for a building company, as I wanted to kickstart a career in construction. However, I was made redundant eight months later because of the recession, and had to go back out to find another job. I was lucky to find an apprenticeship scheme with another local building company, so that was my third job and the start of my career.
My first big break: There have been a lot of break throughs in my career through each stage, each one being significant as I’ve changed companies or roles. Working on Wembley was a big milestone in my career; it was award-winning as a project, and I also won the Construction Manager of the Year Awards Gold Medal for my work on the project, which was a humbling accolade. The biggest break was in really understanding and knowing that opportunities are always out there and to seize them when they come along.
My inspiration(s): My inspirations have been all the leaders I’ve worked with throughout my career. Every one of them has imparted a little bit of their style and knowledge onto me. Probably my true inspiration from the way I have been brought up is my father.
The biggest challenge I’ve encountered to date: One of my biggest challenges was gaining respect as a young manager on construction sites. After leaving school, starting a role with little experience, it was challenging managing tradespeople who were a lot more experienced and older. As I’ve moved through my career as a young director around the board table, again it is gaining respect and proving that everyone is capable, despite age and level of experience. Even starting RED Construction Group and building enough credibility to be able to establish the business was tough, but critical to securing financial backing and clients.
My greatest achievement/proudest moment to date: Obviously beyond my family achievements – marriage, children, and the like – I would say having the courage and taking the risk to set RED up is probably my greatest achievement. Everything had previously been structured and laid out in front of me, I just had to succeed. With RED it was going into the unknown.
The biggest misconception people have about the property industry: That it is simply bricks and mortar, and that it is run by non-academics. I also don’t think it is given the gravitas that it deserves as an industry, considering how fundamental construction is to everyday lives.
My biggest bugbear about the industry/the one thing I would change about the industry: It is very confrontational as an industry, and that makes the whole process inefficient and an unnecessarily stressful environment. If you could reduce that confrontation from start to finish, I think everyone would be happier and the money within the industry would be utilised more efficiently creating greater margin for all.
Why I’m so passionate about DE&I: I believe everyone should be given the equal opportunity to shine. That is better for businesses, but also better for the industry as a whole.
Where I’d like to be in five years’ time career-wise: I would like to be in a position where I could look to continue to impart my knowledge and experience onto the next generation, supporting the business to continue to flourish in years to come.
Who I’d invite, living or dead, to a dinner party: I’ve always been a person that lives in the present, and believe you should enjoy the moments you are in and the people you are with. I suppose the only person I would want to be at a dinner party with, outside of that, would be my father. He passed away just at the start of RED’s journey, quite literally after we had got our first branded shirts. He proofread our first tender submissions and I would love to be at a dinner table with him and show him what RED has become.
What I do in my downtime: Running. I’ve completed lots of marathons around the world and I think running for me over the last 12 years has allowed me to regain a physical health, and just as importantly it has always helped my mental state.
The job I’d be doing if I was not doing this: If I wasn’t doing anything within construction, I probably would have ended up somewhere in sales.
My advice for someone just starting out: Listen, watch what is going on around you, and ask any questions no matter how silly they may seem, so you can absorb and learn.
My motto/mantra: I sort of borrowed Adidas’ at one point, but the one that I’ve said to people is ‘nothing is impossible’, you just need to be determined and find the right strategy to achieve your goal. It is always out there somewhere.
