CORNICHE | BUILD | MAINTAIN | REFURBISH
Meet the Team
We aim to ensure clients are completely satisfied with our services and for that, we rely on our people. Many have been working with Corniche since the business started and all share our passion and values. Our people are our most important resource. Here's an introduction to some key personnel.
Michael Smith FCIOB MFPWS
Managing Director
After just six years in the industry, starting on site, Mike founded Corniche in 1983. As Managing Director he puts into practice all the knowledge he has learned ‘on the job,’ initially within family companies then branching out to develop and enhance his skills. Thirty eight years on and Corniche continues to flourish. Mike believes in building and maintaining relationships, taking pride in one’s work, competency, team work, working to the required standards and meeting the Clients’ expectations. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Builders, and was a Trustee for 6 years. He gained a wealth of experience in this role and has given many hours (and days) to the Institute he is passionate about. He sits on the CCLG as CIOB/CBC representative and is still actively involved with the CIOB in various capacities including the Professional Conduct Committee.
Marc Smith MCIOB
Commercial Director
Marc joined Corniche in 1991 shortly after completing a joinery apprenticeship where he Qualified at Advanced City and Guilds level. He has remained at Corniche, rising to Foreman, General Foreman, Supervisor and ultimately, Commercial Director in 2000.
Marc has obtained an NVQ level 7 in Construction Senior Management, via the NVQ route, as well as SMSTS and C&G CAD level 3 qualifications. In May 2019 he achieved membership of the Chartered Institute of Builders and in addition to that, he is our QMark fire door installation Competent Person.
Whilst Marc mainly concentrates on Education projects, an area in which he has vast experience, his overall responsibilities include managing the Operations side of the Company, Company growth, Risk Management and Contract Management.
Darren Whenham
Operations Manager
Darren has a comprehensive knowledge of ‘bricks and mortar.’ He has been in construction all his working life and has invaluable practical experience of the building industry. Having started out as a bricklayer (with a City & Guilds Qualification in Construction) he has worked with leading House Builders, such as Bellway Homes, Taylor Wimpey and Crest Nicholson.
Passionate and driven, he gained further experience with Tier One, Main Contractors, such as Ardmore, Mace and the Berkeley Group; eventually becoming a National Contracts Manager for PRMF. He is a firm believer in empowering people to excel in their roles and has a target and quality driven approach. He aims to ensure robust processes are in place to drive efficiency in the business.
Neil Kelly ACIOB
Senior Contract Manager
Neil trained as an apprentice carpenter and then foreman at Wates, achieving an HNC before his self employed career as a carpenter. He first worked with us in that capacity from 1992 to 2005 when he finally became a full time Corniche employee. Starting as Site Project Manager he is now our Contracts Manager and is mentoring several employees as they move into management. An invaluable asset to the Company, he has completed an SMSTS course and is continually developing his skills. Neil is all about quality, following the specification and doing things the right way.
Anna Bataille
Operations Support
Anna’s career started at Westminster City Council, as a Technical Officer, where she gained an HNC with part time study. Subsequently she worked for several Housing Associations and has worked with Occupational Therapists in Residential Care Homes and clients' own properties. She joined Corniche in 2006 to temporarily supplement our Contracts Manager and proved so successful that she was taken on full-time.
She is now invaluable, supporting the Directors and Managers carrying out site set-up and providing on-going coordination and support, together with compliance. Anna supports the Directors in the delivery of our Business Development Strategy and also carries out Health and Safety Audits and Monitoring. Anna has an NVQ Level 6 in Construction Contract Operations and an SMSTS.
Chris Smith
Contract Manager
Chris has a degree, but it is not in construction. His BSc Hons in Sports Science, however, is a benefit to us in many ways as he has an excellent understanding of performance and teamwork. He came into construction after various jobs and (as we would expect) has embraced the industry. An enthusiastic leaner, he has taken and passed an HNC in Construction Management and risen from labourer to Manager in just 4 years. He has also attained an SMSTS and has completed his Chartered Membership Programme. On top of that he is currently being mentored by Marc to develop his skills in Contracts Management.
Kamil Mickelowski
Site Manager
Kamil is one of our success stories. Rescued from a sub-contract gang, he spoke little English when he started with us (and curiously, now does so with an Irish accent!). He has gone on from humble beginnings to his current position by shear enthusiasm, watching and learning and commitment to our mentoring scheme. He is multi-skilled with a specialism in groundwork trades and demolition, but can turn his hand to most things. His ability or organise and run contracts and keep a firm grip on all aspects of a project makes him another valuable member of the team.
Rachel McHugh
Business Development
Rachel joined us in 2019 to carry out a Business Development function for the Company. With a background in Sales and Marketing she has worked specifically in construction for over 15 years and has a broad understanding of the Industry and of building relationships. She has a unique style of promoting our business and engaging with both existing and new customers. Since working with us she has not only developed new relationships but has re-engaged with clients we had lost touch with.