Meet Our People
By putting our people at the forefront of what we do, we can lead by example with our honest and collaborative approach to inspire innovation.
Chris Watkins
Chairman (Group)
Chris is the reason Interclass are here. He founded the company back in 1976 and can still be found in the office most days, although it’s a long-running joke that he only comes in to instigate a game of ping-pong on the company table, which has been a lunchtime focal point since we upgraded from a net on the board room table! All jokes aside, Chris has the biggest heart and treats everyone at Interclass like his extended family. He remains involved in all parts of the business and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Des O’Neill
Managing Director (Plc)
Des is the main man responsible for looking after us all with his inclusive and collaborative management style. His primary focus is on team welfare and his personality resonates through Interclass. As a chartered construction manager and award winning MD, he has a wealth of knowledge to apply to our projects which is invaluable to both our teams and clients. After 26 years, he’s likely to have done it somewhere or know someone who has in his myriads of contacts! When Des isn’t steering the good ship Interclass you will find him at the rehearsal studios with his band “Under Construction”.
David Jones
Finance Director (Group)
Dave, a self-professed numbers man is responsible for keeping our companies financial affairs in check, and boy is he good at keeping those purse strings tight. As a former auditor he knows where every penny is and exactly who prints in colour instead of black and white!
With approaching 30 years under his belt at Interclass he is certainly put-upon if anybody needs to know anything.
Dave is well known for his distinguishable and strong black country accent – you would be forgiven for asking him to repeat himself at least three times.
Simon Round
Contracts Director (Surfacing)
With a track record in delivering surfacing projects, Simon has been part of the surfacing team from the get-go, working his way up to Contracts Director, so whilst you won’t find Simon on the end of a rake anymore, he is still the muscle behind the surfacing division, be it from behind the desk or steering wheel now.
Danny Jackson
Commercial Director (Surfacing)
When Danny first joined Interclass he was also studying part time at the University of Wolverhampton. Since then he has risen through the ranks, spending a large part of his career with our construction team before accepting a directorship with our surfacing division which has gone from strength-to-strength under his and Simon’s leadership. Super laid back in his approach, you can’t help but smile when Danny’s about.
Nicola Piggott
Quality Manager (Plc)
Nicola is a loyal and committed member of the Interclass team, she has developed all our processes and procedures to help whip our site teams into shape to ensure we deliver quality across the board.
Garth Watkins
Director (Civil Engineering)
A ping-pong enthusiast like his dad, Garth joined the family business 15 years ago and heads up our civil engineering division alongside Phil. Passionate about building customer relationships, Garth brings a calm and pragmatic approach.
Phil Hanley
Commercial Director (Civil Engineering)
One of our longest serving employees, Phil recently moved over to the “dark side” of civil engineering after spending the majority of his career working alongside our construction teams. In 2020, Phil became our latest director appointment, heading up our civils operations alongside Garth. Ever the professional inside of work, but get Phil in a pub and he always has a tale to tell!
Sara Barnes
Preconstruction & Marketing Manager (Plc)
Sara wears many hats at Interclass, when she is not writing bids and working on producing our tender submissions, she is helping our site team deliver social value whilst also heading up our marketing activities! Passionate about encouraging young people to join the construction industry and providing opportunities within Interclass for them to do so, Sara is also an active supporter of Women in Construction.
Helen Watkins
Human Resources Manager (Group)
Arguably one of the most important jobs at Interclass is looking after our people and providing them with opportunities to learn and grow. Thanks to Helen, all of our training needs are met and we are always looking for new ways in which we can develop our teams.
