National construction charity Band of Builders has taken a major step forward with the appointment of an Operations Director to steer it in its journey towards helping more tradespeople across the country.
Tony Steel joins the charity after 40 years in the building industry, bringing decades of experience to help move the charity on to its next chapter. The new Operations Director role will include overseeing the day-to-day running of the charity, planning projects to help tradesmen and women in need, leading on corporate partnerships and actioning a strategy agreed by the board of trustees.
Tony started his career in the construction industry in 1981 in a builders’ merchant’s yard, working his way through the ranks via Capworth Panel and Timber, Erith Building supplies, Travis Perkins and Jewson and Gibbs and Dandy. His latest roles included Area Director for Jewson in Cornwall where he oversaw 16 branches and Sales and Operations Director at Gibbs and Dandy, looking after the South Region’s 16 branches for six-and-a-half years.
Tony has been involved with Band of Builders since 2019 when he helped organise the donation of materials for Kyle’s Project and he has been a staunch supporter ever since. He became a trustee in December 2020 and among many other roles, oversees Band of Builders’ merchandise arm. He has now stepped down as a trustee after being appointed as Operations Director following a recruitment process that saw the charity receive a flood of applications for the post.
Tony said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to have been appointed to this role. After years in this industry I want to give something back and how better than by using my experience to help a charity I love grow so it can help even more people. I’ve supported Band of Builders for some time now and have watched it grow to the point where it really does need this role to help steer it – I’m looking forward to being a part of that and can’t wait to see what we can achieve.”
Band of Builders is a national charity that helps members of the UK construction industry battling illness or injury through the completion of practical projects, as well as supporting the construction community.
Chairman of the board of trustees Gavin Crane said: “Band of Builders remains, and always will, a volunteer-led charity. But over the past year we’ve seen such huge growth that BoB needs someone whose sole focus on a day-to-day basis is to run it and to ensure that we are meeting our promises to our beneficiaries, our members and our partners.
“We were inundated with applications for the role, and are hugely grateful for the support and enthusiasm we’ve seen, but after lots of deliberation felt that Tony really is the best person for the job. In the time he has been involved his contribution has already become invaluable to BoB and we can’t wait to see how much more we can do with him in this role.”
