He succeeds Andrew Jarman, who joined the Interserve in 1990 and is retiring.

Edwards joins Interserve Construction from Sobha in Dubai where he was group commercial director of its Middle East construction business.

He has previously held senior leadership roles in Dubai for Lang O’Rourke and Kier, and has worked in the construction sector for more than 20 years.

Paul Gandy, managing director of Interserve Construction, said: “Ben brings considerable commercial leadership experience to our business having operated at a senior level across a range of markets.

“I look forward to working with him as we continue to deliver on our strategy to build world-class facilities for a range of key public and private sector clients on projects across the healthcare and education sectors as well as major frameworks.”