He joins as enabling works are underway ahead of a final investment decision later this year.

Preparatory works for the £20bn-plus project include improvements to roads and rail lines around the Suffolk site, ensuring the necessary local infrastructure is in place before full construction begins.

Speight brings over 30 years’ major programme experience both in the UK and overseas.

Most notably he was senior project manager for Lendlease on the London 2012 Olympics Athletes Village, moving onto the Hinkley project for more than seven years, initially as head of pre-construction planning and in the last four years as head of civil construction.

Speight then worked as delivery director for Heathrow Expansion just before the Covid 19 pandemic hit, to then join HS2 as delivery director of phase 1 main works construction contracts.