Lewis held a similar role at Carillion’s property development business where she worked for more than 20 years before the group collapsed in January 2018.

Former Speller Metcalfe Finance Director Mike Clarke will move into a part-time role as Group Financial Controller.

Speller Metcalfe joint managing director Andy Metcalfe said: “Her wealth of experience and strong track record within the construction industry will be instrumental to strengthening our financial resilience and strategic plans to consolidate our strong trading position.”

Latest results for the firm for the year to March 31 2021 show pre-tax profits dropped of £536,000 from from a turnover of £104.7m.

Metcalfe is expecting turnover to return to pre-pandemic levels of £120m this financial year.