Innov8 boss departs company following sale to Lucion

The managing director of Innov8 Safety Solutions has stepped down to pursue new opportunities after successfully selling the business.

Following the completion of the Manchester- and Wirral-based company’s sale to risk management group Lucion, North West construction industry businessman Alan Robson has departed from his role at the helm of Innov8 to plan his next venture.

Alan founded Innov8 and led the company for close to 10 years, during which time he grew its turnover past the £850k mark, employed 12 staff and opened new offices on the Wirral and in Manchester, London and Edinburgh.

Established in 2007, Innov8 provides two core construction design management (CDM) services, acting either as an advisor to a principal designer or as a client’s CDM advisor.

Discussing the deal with Lucion, the buyout process for which began in March 2015, Alan said: “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.

“At the time I felt there was a clear opportunity in the construction health and safety sector. I had a straightforward vision to help minimise health and safety risks within construction projects and ensure clients achieved complete compliance.”

He added: “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 launching Innov8, Alan said he and his team have completed over 400 projects on developments worth more than £2.5bn.

He continued: “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.”

Speaking further, Alan wished the Innov8 and Lucion teams “every success in the future” and said he plans to reveal details of his next venture later this year.

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