Somerset Club

James has a proven record of delivering commercial success throughout his 20-year career with Laing O’Rourke. James is currently the Commercial Director for the Hinkley Point C Main Civils Works being delivered by Bylor which is a Joint Venture between Bouygues Travaux Publics and Laing O’Rourke construction and is Europe’s largest Construction project.

A chartered Commercial Director with both European hub, Group, corporate level, functional and operational commercial leadership experience. James has worked across multiple sectors including Laing O’Rourke’s direct delivery businesses, Nuclear, infrastructure, healthcare, PFI, Education, data centre, scientific research facilities, manufacturing, retail and research and development. James’ operational experience has allowed him to consistently deliver value to Laing O’Rourke’s repeat clients through the successful delivery of significant projects within the portfolio.

James is passionate about delivering commercial and technical excellence through the adoption of collaborative working practices and Modern Methods of Construction and has been instrumental in leading the commercial digital and data strategies whilst optimising commercial performance across a broad portfolio with a particular focus on NEC & JCT forms of contract.

As Business Operations Manager at Bridgwater & Taunton College, Hannah Ranby is at the forefront of skills training for major infrastructure projects, most notably Hinkley Point C and its supply chain. Heading up the College’s EDF Energy-funded Construction Skills and Innovation Centre in Cannington, just five miles from the site of the UK’s first new nuclear power station in 20 years, Hannah is uniquely placed to identify, understand and respond to the workforce development needs of businesses large and small.

A business development and marketing specialist with many years’ experience, Hannah’s superb communication skills, ‘can do’ approach and sheer professionalism have enabled her to create bespoke, formally-recognised training programmes to upskill or re-train entire workforces in response to emerging opportunities. Her excellent industry links, coupled with the College’s superb facilities and consistently strong performance, are creating a blueprint for job-related skills training throughout the South West and beyond.