Our people.
Tom Reeves
Commercial DirectorProfile
Tom’s enthusiasm for the construction industry started in the family building business where he worked as a labourer part time during his studies. Following completion of his Building Engineering and Management honours degree in 1999, Tom’s formative years were spent in groundworks site engineering and management roles.
Tom went back to his groundworks roots following a project management role for Balfour Beatty, joining Solum in 2015 as a Director.
With over 25 years of groundworks experience and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building, Tom serves as the Commercial Director for Solum, guiding the direction of the business and responsible for all health and safety aspects.
Jon Rose
Operations DirectorProfile
Jon moved to Bristol in 1989 and after exploring various roles, (including that of a milkman), Jon stumbled into groundworks.
Joining Churngold in 1990 as a labourer, he steadily advanced to the position of Contracts Manager by 2001.
Assuming the role of Operations Manager after partnering with Mark and Rog at D20, Jon serves as Solum’s Operations Director and over the past 11 years, has been ensuring site efficiency and driving continuous improvement across the company.
Mark Higginbottom
Estimating DirectorProfile
Mark graduated from Portsmouth Polytechnic with an Honours Degree in Civil Engineering in 1983. Starting his career as a Site Engineer, quickly advancing to become Contracts Manager for several Tier 1 Main contractors across the UK.
Settling in Bristol, Mark managed numerous city projects before shifting to subcontract groundworks as Contracts Director at Churngold in 1996, overseeing the earthworks for the Cribbs Causeway Mall.
In 2001, Mark co-founded D20 with John Reed and Roger Glew, later joined by Jon Rose. With over three decades of industry experience and a robust network, Mark now leads estimating and work-winning at Solum, leveraging his expertise to drive business success.
Roger Glew
DirectorProfile
Rog brings a wealth of experience to Solum as our Finance Director, having founded the company in 2006, along with Mark Higginbottom and Jon Rose.
With a career spanning over four decades, Rog has held key roles in commercial and financial management. His expertise in financial management has been pivotal in Solum’s success, ensuring sound financial practices and contributing to the company’s growth and stability.
Scott Witcomb
Operations ManagerProfile
Scott has over 20 years of expertise in construction, beginning his journey at the age of 22. He has worked his way up previously as Contracts Manager, gaining valuable experience on the ground and actively participating in training to enhance his knowledge, having completed an NVQ Level 6 in Construction Constructing Operations Management.
His diverse skill set, combined with a background as a Professional Player for Bristol Bears Rugby and years of semi-professional experience, plays a vital role in ensuring the successful execution of projects at Solum.
Dan Fryer
Commercial ManagerProfile
Dan has a diverse background and brings a wealth of over 17 years experience in the construction industry, having held key roles at Beard and Midas Group Ltd.
Starting as a Trainee Quantity Surveyor at Midas and progressing the ranks to Senior Quantity Surveyor, Dan was responsible for overseeing a range of projects, from new builds to refurbishments, with budgets ranging from £250K to £14m.
As Commercial Manager, Dan plays a vital role in contract reviews, pre-contract activities, payment monitoring, and resolving day-to-day commercial challenges. Additionally, he remains actively involved in Quantity Surveying duties on some Solum sites.
Will Higginbottom
Contracts SupervisorProfile
Obtaining a degree in Civil and Coastal Engineering from the University of Plymouth, Will has leveraged over 20 years of experience in the construction industry. Will supports the overseeing contract operations at Solum, ensuring efficiency and compliance with project requirements.
Prior to this role, Will served for 10 years as a Site Engineer and Manager for Solum, gaining vital experience in project management and site operations.
Edward Maxted
Senior EstimatorProfile:
Having completed a year’s work placement at Hewlett Packard Edward then spent 3 years at Swansea Uni studying Actuarial Science before moving to Plymouth to complete a Secondary Maths teaching degree at Marjon college.
Following graduation Edward spent a year as a greenkeeper on golf courses in Swansea and Manchester before ‘moving inside’ as a landscape construction estimator in Bedfordshire.
Edward moved to Australia in 2013 and has spent the last decade in Melbourne and Geelong working as a senior estimator and business development manager in the landscape construction and civil construction sectors. During his time in Australia Edward’s teams were successful in winning over $100m worth of work.