Adrian Ringrose, current CEO of Interserve Plc, has been appointed chairman of The Prince’s Trust Built Environment Leadership Group (BELG).

The BELG is a collaboration of corporate partners which has changed the lives of over 6,000 young people since 2005, helping them find work in one of the built environment sectors, particularly in construction and facilities management. Adrian Ringrose will take over from the current chairman James Wates CBE, who is stepping down after a three-year tenure, in March 2017. 

Adrian Ringrose said:

I am delighted to be joining the BELG at this exciting time for The Trust. The bar has been raised very high through James Wates’ leadership and the fantastic job the BELG has done to make sure companies in our sector are doing their part to support young people into sustainable careers. It is a win-win situation for the industry: while we are doing our bit to help young people, we are also addressing a worrying skills shortage which is affecting our businesses.

"My aim, as chairman, will be to encourage companies to invest in Prince’s Trust programmes, offer tangible outcomes, work placements and volunteering opportunities. I hope to see The Trust’s reputation grow as a partner of choice for the industry."

Ben Marson, Director of Corporate Partnerships at The Prince’s Trust, said: "The Prince’s Trust BELG has grown from strength to strength over the last three years under James Wates’s dedicated leadership. We want to thank him for his unwavering commitment. We are very proud to welcome Adrian Ringrose as the new BELG chairman. Adrian has the experience, knowledge of the sector and drive to fill this position. We have no doubt that he will be dedicated to helping us encourage our existing and future partners to deliver more positive outcomes for the young people we support."  

The Trust aims to provide training and career opportunities to 10,000 young people over the next three years in the built environment industry and the BELG will support this ambition by helping generate new partners and income.

James Wates CBE said:

It has been my pleasure and honour to serve as chairman of BELG. Seeing first-hand what a difference The Prince’s Trust can make to young people’s lives has been truly inspiring. By 2020, over 230,000 jobs are expected to be created in the construction sector alone. We need to ensure that young people today, and in particular those who have not had the best start in life, are gaining the required skills to find a job and enjoy a successful career in this very rewarding sector.

The Prince’s Trust was fortunate to benefit from the expertise of recruitment and executive search firm Carmichael Fisher. The firm offered its services pro bono to help The Trust select candidates and appoint the new chairman of the BELG.