Senior independent director Richard Bailey has indicated his wish to retire and will do so on 31 January 2016.

Richard was appointed to the board with effect from 1 October 2010 and was appointed as the chairman of the risk management and audit committee in November 2010 and as the senior independent director in February last year.

Kier has also announced that Adam Walker will join the board as a non-executive director and as the chairman of the risk management and audit committee from 1 January 2016.

Adam Walker has been the group finance director of GKN plc since February 2014 and was appointed chief executive of GKN Land Systems in September 2015. Previously, Adam was the finance director of Informa plc from 2008 to 2013 and, prior to this, he was the group finance director of National Express Group plc from 2003 to 2008. Adam qualified as a chartered accountant with Touche Ross in 1992.

Kier chairman Phil White said: “Richard has made a major contribution to Kier and the board during the last five years. In particular, under his chairmanship, the risk management and audit committee has worked hard, during a period of significant growth by Kier, to ensure that Kier’s systems of internal control and risk management support the delivery of Vision 2020. On behalf of my board colleagues, I would like to thank Richard and to wish him every success for the future.

“I would also like to welcome Adam to the board. Adam’s range of skills and experience, which have been developed in a number of organisations throughout his career, will complement those of the other members of the board. He is an experienced finance director, having been a board member of three publicly listed companies, and is therefore well-placed to take on the role of chairman of the risk management and audit committee.”