President Andy Sneyd explained that the departure was an entirely amicable one, and took the opportunity to thank Mr Pettigrew for the valuable contribution he had made during a quarter-of-a-century with the Association – particularly in the past two years when, as chief executive, he had worked closely with the officer team in developing the B&ES vision and strategy.
“My fellow officers, members of Council and the staff of the Association all join me in wishing Rod the very best of good fortune in pursuing his future career,” said Mr Sneyd.
And he added that interim arrangements were already in place that would ensure that B&ES continued to operate effectively – and to serve the interests of its members – while the search for a new chief executive was undertaken.
These arrangements include the formation of a strategic and operational board, under the chairmanship of the president and comprising the officers, Finance Committee chairman John Miller, finance director Ray Barraclough and Bruce Kirton, chief executive of Welplan, the Association’s principal commercial subsidiary.
“At the top of the new board’s agenda will be key issues surrounding membership and marketing, the development of the Association’s own skills base and the future of vocational education and training across building engineering services,” said the president.
A lawyer by background, Roderick Pettigrew joined the Association in 1990 as a commercial and legal adviser, and four years later was appointed head of the Commercial and Legal Department. He was promoted to the post of deputy chief executive in 2008, and became chief executive in July 2013.
He has also served as a member of the council of the Confederation of British Industry and of the policy board of the United Kingdom Contractors’ Group, and as general secretary (UK) of GCP Europe, the international umbrella body for the hvacr and plumbing industries.