North West construction industry businessman Alan Robson has officially stood down as managing director of Innov8 Safety Solutions after successfully selling the company to Lucion Environmental Services.
The buy-out process began in March 2015 after a deal was agreed to bring Manchester and Wirral firm Innov8 under the Lucion banner to further expand its risk management services throughout the UK and across the globe.
Innov8 was founded by Mr Robson in 2007 and delivers two main Construction Design Management (CDM) services – either acting as an advisor to a principal designer or as a client’s CDM advisor.
Mr Robson said it was a proud moment to complete the business sale and his tenure at Innov8 after almost 10 years leading the firm. During that time, he drove turnover to more than £850,000 employed 12 staff and launched offices in the Wirral, Manchester, Edinburgh and London. Mr Robson is now planning his next venture which he is set to announce later this year.
“This is one of the best outcomes I could have expected when I initially set up the firm back in 2007 as an ambitious young entrepreneur,” said Mr Robson. “At the time I felt there was a clear opportunity in the construction health and safety sector. I had a straight forward vision to help minimise health and safety risks within construction projects and ensure clients achieved complete compliance. Over the past nine years I have dedicated my life to building the Innov8 brand and along with a terrific team of skilled and experienced technicians we have made a name for ourselves as experts in our field. The success of the business has been underpinned by loyal and outstanding staff including Jeremy Meredith, Karen Benson and Christian McCale.
“Since setting up we have completed more than 400 projects on developments worth more than £2.5billion. In the last year we have worked with Peel Ports, Manchester Grammar School, Neptune Developments, Waitrose and Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust. Other memorable projects have included No 2 St. Peter’s Square in Manchester, Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall, Wirral Waters and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Services headquarters.
“There have been many highlights but the real turning point for the business was landing a five-year contract with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. This gave us stability and credibility to build the brand. Recent standout projects include the pioneering Proton Beam Centre at The Christie Hospital in South Manchester, Peel Ports’ Port Salford development and the landmark Liverpool fit-out scheme to deliver the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) new national architecture centre.”
Mr Robson played a key role setting up Liverpool Property Club and is well connected in the regional property network, having also attended Cannes trade show MIPIM three times on Manchester and Liverpool delegations. After completing his GCSEs he began work as a Cammell Laird apprentice, before joining electrical engineering firm, SeaKing. In 2000, he enrolled at Leeds Met University studying Occupational Health and Safety before landing a role at Courtley Health & Safety in Liverpool. He gained at experience at Turner & Townsend and Faithful & Gould, part of the Atkins Group, before setting up in business.
“I wanted to ensure Innov8 developed a strong USP for independent and pragmatic professionalism,” said Mr Robson. “We worked on everything from two-up, two-downs to four-year engagements on PFI projects. During the last few years we worked exceptionally hard to expand outside the North West and grow the brand nationwide by targeting London, the North East, Yorkshire, the Midlands and Edinburgh. But at its core Innov8 always remained a ‘people-based’ business built on networking and a hands on approach.
“We have also been able to grow into many different sectors including construction, public sector, utilities, housing and marine. This is supported by accreditations and approvals from CHAS, Safe Contractor, Association for Project Safety and Construction Line along with World Classification Service ISOs which all compete with that of larger multi-national operations. I believe Innov8 is now in a terrific position to develop within the Lucion Group by combining intelligence and resources. I wish the Innov8 and Lucion teams every success in the future and would like to thank everyone who has played a role in helping Innov8 from the very beginning. I look forward to announcing my upcoming plans later in the year.”
For more information contact Alan Robson on 07946 292846 or email alanrobson1981@gmail.com