Tag Archive for: Matrix Group

Recognising excellence in data centre construction

Through its partnership with Data Centre Dynamics, utility infrastructure specialist Matrix Group is sponsoring the 2023 DCD Global Awards.

The Award ceremony is taking place at London’s Park Plaza hotel on Wednesday 6th December and finalists are competing in 17 categories covering every aspect of data centre development, impact and innovation worldwide.

As a supply chain partner in the build out of data centres, Matrix Group is the exclusive sponsor of the Data Centre Construction Team of the Year Award. This category is open to any new data centre build project which has been delivered over the past 12 months. Judges are looking to shortlist teams which have overcome regulatory, supply chain, technical or other major challenges, to deliver projects on-time and on-budget.

James Smith, Managing Director of the Group’s Independent Connections Provider (ICP), Matrix Networks, is an Award judge. He said: “As an ICP with specialist capabilities working on high voltage (HV) and extra high voltage (EHV) installations, we have a keen interest in the how the landscape for data centre construction is evolving. This is the first time we’ve sponsored these Awards and from what I’ve read of the category entries so far, there are some stand out submissions which are worthy of industry recognition.”

A spokesperson for DCD added: “For 17 years, we’ve been recognising the best people, projects, and teams who put innovation at the heart of this vibrant industry sector. The DCD Awards are the most anticipated and most-talked-about awards programme that annually attracts hundreds of entries from all around the world. And ultimately, it’s the strength of our judging panel that makes us the data centre award-to-win, comprised of recognised experts from all the technical domains and disciplines.”

Supporting James in the judging process are expert panels from across the data centre industry. Category entries are now being reviewed with finalists due to be revealed in early November.

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Aimee Collins in a green canoe on the water. Aimee is wearing a dark wetsuit and a white helmet.

Matrix supports Olympic star in the making

Through its Community Support Fund, utility infrastructure specialist Matrix Group is sponsoring Olympic canoe hopeful Aimee Collins as she set her sights on the 2032 Brisbane Games.

Aged 18 years old, Aimee has been working to perfect her sport since she was 10. And now thanks to her uncle, Matrix Group SHEQ Director Simon Spencer, she’s been given a financial boost to help cover the costs of her equipment and accommodation as she travels to qualifying competitions across the UK.

Rob Sparkes, CEO of Matrix Group, said: “Our Community Support Fund provides an opportunity for us help local charities, events and individuals through nominations by our employees. It embodies our values of ‘Teamwork’ and ‘Integrity’ and in Aimee’s case, celebrates her determination to achieve her ambitions.”

Aimee has recently qualified in the 2023 Junior World Championship and Junior European Championship, with the latter resulting in a Silver Medal as part of the Junior Women’s C1 Team.

Aimee added: “I’m grateful for the support I’ve received from Matrix Group. The new Racer ST tops they’ve sponsored are a much-needed addition to my kit and the funding they’ve provided for covering my accommodation costs will help with my pre-race preparation and post-race recovery.”

Matrix Group wishes Aimee every success on her journey to 2032 and will continue to cheer her along the way.

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Matrix Group to exhibit at UKREiiF 2024

Utility infrastructure and network adoption specialist Matrix Group will be taking part in the UK’s Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) at the Royal Armouries Leeds, in May next year.

Exhibiting alongside 150 other companies from across the public and private sectors, Matrix is looking forward to connecting with some of the 10,000 built environment professionals who are expected to attend – including developers, investors and local authorities.

The three-day event engages people, places and businesses with the aim of accelerating and unlocking sustainable, inclusive and transformational investment across the UK. And, with Matrix Group’s interests focussed on industrial and commercial developments, data centres and high-rise residential projects, its attendance at UKREiiF promises to provide a platform for discussion around innovation and opportunity in utility infrastructure solutions.

Sunny Vij, Matrix Group Senior Business Development Manager, said: “I’ve attended UKREIIF as a delegate for the past couple of years. I know it as an event which provides the opportunity to reconnect with companies we’ve worked with before, as well as forge new relationships which might be beneficial to our future. 2024 will be our first year as an exhibitor, but I have no doubt it will be worth our investment.”

The UKREiiF event is organised by Built Environment Networking, with support from leading property and infrastructure companies. It aims to attract investments, generate economic growth, and drive a more sustainable and inclusive culture within the property and construction industries.

Keith Griffiths, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of UKREiiF, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Matrix Group to the third annual UKREiiF event. We look forward to providing them with ample opportunities to expand their client base.”

www.ukreiif.com/event/ukreiif-2024/

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New UK Power Distribution Managing Director appointed

Matrix Group has appointed Wendy Andrews as Managing Director of its asset adoption business UK Power Distribution (UKPD).

Andrews has been promoted from her previous role as Group Commercial Director to head up the Independent Distribution Network Operator (IDNO) arm of the utility infrastructure Group.

Commenting on Wendy’s appointment, Matrix Group CEO Rob Sparkes said: “I’ve worked with Wendy for many years and know her strong commercial and legal background will stand her in good stead for heading up this heavily regulated part of our Group. But it’s her knowledge of our customer base, the market in which we operate and how she engages with our team internally which will see her make a success of this role – enabling UKPD to grow in line with our wider Group ambitions.”

Wendy added: “I’m proud to be heading up UK Power Distribution. I know the business well and am looking forward to working with our stakeholders to see UKPD play its part in the future development of the energy networks industry.”

As one of 14 IDNOs operating under licence in the UK, UKPD currently has almost 350 electrical networks secured serving industrial and commercial customers, and a further 140 for residential end users. The Company also has experience in delivering direct to Grid connections for large power users in the UK and is experienced in the high voltage and extra high voltage network connections.

Wendy continued: “Our aim at UK Power Distribution is to make the asset adoption journey easy for our customers and carry that high level of service through to the end user. It’s my priority to make sure we deliver that, be it for a data centre operator, or a domestic customer on the Priority Service Register.”

Wendy joins Matrix Group Executive Board members Rob Sparkes (Chief Executive Officer), Adam Lilley (Chief Financial Officer) and James Smith (Matrix Networks Managing Director).

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Matrix Group Sponsors 2023 Construction News Awards

As one of the most prestigious and coveted accolades in the construction industry, Matrix Group is proud to sponsor this year’s Construction News Awards.

The Awards recognise and reward the people, pride and passion of the construction industry and now in their 27th year, winning a Construction News Award continues to be a well-recognised badge of excellence amongst clients and peers.

More than 20 categories are open for entries, with Matrix Group sponsoring the Construction Leader of the Year. This Award is open to any leader of a construction company who can demonstrate excellence in leadership and who goes above and beyond for their business and the wider industry.

Rob Sparkes, Matrix Group CEO, said: “We celebrate and reward excellence within our own organisation, so wanted to embrace that culture in the wider industry. The Construction News Awards have firmly established themselves as a key date on the industry calendar and I’m delighted to be associated with what they stand for.”

Entries will be judged by an independent panel of more than 70 major industry figures, including Matrix Group CEO, Rob Sparkes – all of whom are keen to reward those who are passionate about driving the construction industry forward.

The deadline for submissions is Friday 10th February and can be made by following this link.

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Matrix Group appoints Head of Water

John Spreadbury has been appointed as Head of Water by utility infrastructure specialist Matrix Group.

John’s role is to lead the Group’s newly established Matrix Water business, which has been set up to enter the New Appointments and Variations (NAV) market offering potable and wastewater services for new residential and mixed-use developments.

Joining Matrix Water from United Utilities where he was a Contracts Manager, John has more than 14 years’ experience working in water regulation, developer services and operations. He will now work with the Senior Leadership Team at Matrix Group as Matrix Water enters the NAV market, providing alternative and cost-effective water adoption solutions for Self-Lay Providers (SLPs) and Developers.

Rob Sparkes, Matrix Group CEO, said: “We made the decision to enter the NAV market based on the opportunity, insight from our customers and alignment with our in-house experience. We needed a specialist though and John was the clear choice.  I look forward to seeing how through John’s appointment the capabilities of our Group are enriched, supporting our growth and as multi-utility service provider and asset adoption business.”

John Spreadbury added: “I’m pleased to be part of the team at Matrix Group. My appointment as Head of Water is a significant career step – and one which I’m excited by because it provides the opportunity to work with a forward-thinking company, in an emerging industry space which I know well.

“I look forward to working closely with my colleagues at Matrix and with our customers as we develop our business to deliver an agile, efficient, high-quality service.”

The water industry is highly regulated and Ofwat will grant a NAV licence on a site-by-site basis. Subject to the same regulations and statutory obligations as the larger incumbents, Matrix Water will provide greater flexibility as it’s not limited by geography and can work with Developers and SLPs nationwide to ensure the best commercial value is realised.

Matrix Water’s team of specialists have the knowledge and skill to operate regulated water and wastewater networks, and are interested in opportunities to expand its portfolio through the adoption of new assets on new developments.

If you’re a Developer or Sley-Lay Provider and would like to know more, please email [email protected]

www.matrixwater.co.uk

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New Group Head Office opens

On Wednesday 16th November, Matrix Group employees gathered in Wootton, Northamptonshire to celebrate the opening of the Group’s new head office.  The utility infrastructure specialist had outgrown its previous Northampton base due to an increase in employee numbers following investment in 2020.

The new head office will be home to the Group’s central administration functions as well as providing an office base for its three operational businesses – ICP Matrix Networks, IDNO UK Power Distribution and new NAV provider, Matrix Water.

Rob Sparkes, Matrix Group CEO, said: “We outgrew our existing Northampton office some time ago and with the added challenges of Covid, this move is well overdue. We refurbished the building, modernising the workspace to enable effective hot desking, team collaboration and overall, a much-improved working environment.

“Our Group is focussed on teamwork – it’s one of our cultural values and with this new office space I’m looking forward to seeing more of us working together to achieve our ambitions.”

Matrix Group has regional offices in Warrington and Slough, providing national reach for its customers.

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Matrix makes new exec appointments

Utility infrastructure specialist, Matrix Group has appointed three new Directors to its Executive Team, all of whom are its own, homegrown talent.

Chris Hollis-Thompson has been appointed to the newly-created role of Group Technical Director; James Smith has been appointed as Managing Director of Matrix Networks, the Group’s multi-utility infrastructure design and installation business; and Simon Spencer is the Group’s new SHEQ Director.

The appointments and creation of the new Technical Director role are a reflection the phenomenal growth the Group has experienced over the past 30 months. This follows external investment in February 2020, alongside a continued desire to strengthen the Organisation’s position in the market.

Hollis-Thompson, Smith and Spencer are all long-serving employees of Matrix Group. Most notably James Smith started with the Business more than a decade ago as a Cable Jointer operating on site installations. Now as Managing Director, he’s working with the knowledge of what’s being asked of the Group’s 100-strong employee base and is keen on ensuring every individual has an active role to play in the future growth of the Company.

Smith’s fellow new Exec colleagues have also honed their leadership skills through the Business. Simon Spencer was promoted from his previous role as Operations Manager and Chris Hollis-Thompson made the natural progression to his Directorship, from Head of Design.

Commenting on the new appointment, Matrix Group CEO Rob Sparkes, said: “I started in the Company as a Cable Jointer, working alongside James and through wanting to ‘do better’, I worked my way up to where I am now. This is what Matrix is about. We nurture talent, we encourage individual career progression and I’m immensely proud to see these three colleagues now sitting alongside me as leaders of our Business.

“We work in a fiercely competitive industry but it’s one which is growing and with ample opportunity for true leaders to stand out from the crowd. That’s how we’ve worked since we were founded and with new personnel on our Exec Team, I’m very much looking forward to our future.”

 

As a utility infrastructure specialist there are three active businesses operating under Matrix Group – Matrix Networks, a multi-utility infrastructure specialist serving industrial and commercial clients; UK Power Distribution, an independent distribution network operator (IDNO); and Matrix Water, a new appointment and variation (NAV) provider, supplying potable and waste-water services for new build residential developments.

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Matrix supports Red Nose Day 2022

This year to show our support and to raise money for Red Nose Day, our offices took part in a race to cycle 300km – the distance between our Slough and Warrington offices.

The challenge was set as an inter-office race to see which team could cover the distance first – Warrington, or Northampton and Slough. From Monday 14th to Friday 18th March, exercise bikes were set up in each of our three offices, and our colleagues were encouraged to join in and clock up the km. Whether they could cycle 5km or 50km, they all helped contribute distance and raise money.

On the Friday morning, Northampton and Slough had claimed victory – though collectively our teams had cycled a staggering 591.5km, which was an amazing effort from everyone involved.

Rob Sparkes, CEO, Matrix Group, said: “I want to say a huge well done to everyone who took part in the Red Nose Day challenge. It was great to see this event bringing people into our offices for some fun, exercise, to raise money and eat cake. It was particularly good to see the team spirit.”

Alongside cycling, our teams helped to raise additional funds by supporting cake sales and running a cake sweepstake. The money we raised will help the Charity to provide support for people to live free from poverty, violence, and discrimination. Comic Relief’s Mission is to drive positive change through the power of entertainment, and this year we’ve helped support that through our drive and commitment to teamwork for our event.

For more information on Comic Relief and the work they do, visit www.comicrelief.com, or follow the stories of those involved on social media using #RedNoseDay.

Special thanks go to www.homegymuk.com for the loan of an exercise bike to our Northampton office, enabling the Northampton team to take part in the event.

 

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New Streetworks Department launched

Utility infrastructure specialist Matrix Group has launched a new Streetworks Department to provide customers and Local Authorities with a dedicated service for all Highways work.

Operating as a centralised function, the Department will manage the Streetworks permission processes required for the utility infrastructure and connection works which it undertakes for its clients, providing a single point of contact for all parties for the duration of any project.

Based at its Warrington office, the Streetworks Team is being headed up by Laura Park with Opoku Ware recently recruited who brings with him a wealth of knowledge of this sector. They will work in conjunction with operational teams across Matrix Group nationwide, promoting early engagement with Local Authorities, assisting with programme planning and further improving communication for customers.

CEO of Matrix Group, Rob Sparkes said: “Highways work is part of our daily business and we always commit to managing any risks and challenges associated with what we do. The impact of our work on road users must be one of the most carefully managed aspects of our operations and now with our new Streetworks Team in place, we’ll be able to deliver that in the most effective and efficient way.

“The introduction of our Streetworks Department also forms part of the commitment we make in our Customer Promise – continually looking for ways to improve the product and service we provide. Early engagement with project stakeholders and proactive customer communication have always been a priority for us, the difference now is we’re improving on that service by centralising it, with a dedicated team and single point of contact.”

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