Curtins chief executive to retire
After 43 years with the Liverpool-based engineering practice, Rob Melling is stepping down at the end of the year, with director Neil Parkinson set to take the top post on 1 January.
Melling has been at Curtins his entire career, starting as an apprentice in 1981. Over the years he worked his way up the ranks, establishing the firm’s Edinburgh branch. He joined the firm’s board of directors in 1999, eventually becoming chief executive in 2004.
Under Melling’s leadership, Curtins has grown to have 14 offices in the UK and Ireland, including bases in Manchester, Leeds, Kendal, and Dublin.
He has led the practice to be appointed on project masterplans worth in excess of £1bn and oversaw its transition to an employee-owned trust in 2021. Melling also had a focus on making Curtins a better place to work, securing an Investors in People Platinum accreditation, and growing its in-house training programmes.
Reflecting on Melling’s time as chief executive, Curtins board director Paul Menzies said: “Where we were once just a civil and structural engineering firm, now we’re also a business with heart.”
Regarding why he chose to retire now, Melling said: “Curtins has been my whole career, and a hugely significant part of my life, but I feel very comfortable that now is the right time for me to step down.
“The business is in better shape than it has ever been with strong leadership, a resilient operational structure, and an extremely healthy market share.”
Neil Parkinson will become chief executive of Curtins on 1 January 2025. Credit: via Curtins
Melling also had kind words for his successor, having worked alongside Parkinson for more than 30 years.
“I can think of no one better than Neil to take on this role,” Melling said. “He knows the business inside out, and his passion and experience are the perfect fit to continue to build on Curtins’ legacy and lead the business into what I’m sure will be a bright and exciting future.”
Recent Curtins projects include Renaker’s New Jackson skyscraper cluster in Manchester, Peel Waters’ £130m Millers Quay in Wirral, and The Partington Group’s ambitions for a £75m holiday park in Fylde.
Rob came into Planit’s orbit when we were moving towards Employee Ownership. The evening session I had with him in Curtins HQ provided us with the most valuable tools to govern our decision making and gave us a few nuggets of wisdom that will serve us for many years to come.
I wish I’d met him earlier, but if anyone deserves a rewarding retirement, it’s Rob. Good luck from everyone at Planit
By Pete Swift