Former McAlpine engineering director Alison Cox has joined the board of southern building contractor Beard.

Cox takes a non-executive director role at Beard, bringing more than two decades of construction experience.

Most of this was spent at Sir Robert McAlpine having been an engineer, project manager and until last year managing director of the London business unit business unit with a turnover of £750m and 800 staff.

Cox currently serves as the domestic bursar (Operations Director) for St John’s College, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.

At Beard, she will pay particular focus to driving excellence in design management as the firm continues to deliver complex multi-million-pound projects in a variety of sectors and across its regional offices.

Mark Beard, chairman of Beard, said: “We find huge value in strengthening our board with outside perspectives. Not only does Alison bring needed diversity to our board, she brings a genuine diversity of thought and skills. Her extensive background and expertise across construction and her ability to challenge the status quo are incredibly important as we expand our regional footprint and secure projects in new sectors.”

The appointment follows two senior promotions within the team at Beard.

Mike Hedges has been promoted to the newly-created position of company operations director and will oversee all of Beard’s offices in Swindon, Bristol, Oxford and Guildford. He will also oversee the new south coast office.

In addition to his role as Beard’s Swindon director, Jamie Harwood now has the responsibility of safety director.