After more than two decades at the helm of utilities contractor, Falco, Brendan Griffin has decided to step down from his role as Chairman. The founder and former Managing Director of the company believes this is the right time to walk away and allow the next generation to continue Falco’s journey.
“Earlier this year Kevin Parcell succeeded me as Managing Director,” he said, “Under his leadership and our existing management team I believe Falco will continue to flourish and deliver the excellence in service and quality that our clients, partners and supply chain have come to expect.”
Since its establishment in 2004, Brendan has taken Falco from start-up to an established tier-one contractor in the utilities groundworks sector which now employs over thirty direct staff with a turnover in excess of £30million and operations covering the whole of the South East and East Anglia.
Falco started life undertaking smaller site investigation works for Thames Water’s Southern Region at the start of AMP4 before securing a 2-year package delivering a programme of flood alleviation schemes for MGjv. In 2012 it was awarded tier-1 contractor status by Thames Water and a framework contract to repair, maintain and upgrade of Flooding Local Improvement Process (FLIP) systems which was recently extended to run until at least 2029.
Having successfully diversified into electrical groundworks, Brendan was instrumental in Falco winning tier-1 contractor status for UK Power Networks (UKPN) in 2013. The company has worked continuously for UKPN since and earlier this year fought off stiff competition from over 40 other firms to secure a further 6-year contract which covers planned and responsive excavation services to cover faults, small services and unmetered connections (UMC) in all three of UK Power Network’s operating regions.
Other highlights under Brendan’s watch include:
- Transition to an Employee-Owned Enterprise in 2021
- Commitment to achieve net-zero operations by 2035
- Environmental Innovation Award for our e-digger scheme at 2025 City of London’s Considerate Contractor Streetworks Scheme Awards
In January this year Kevin Parcell was appointed Managing Director following six years as Director at M Group Water managing infrastructure frameworks across the Southern region for Thames Water, Anglian Water, South West Water, Southern Water and HS2. With more than 30 years’ experience across the utilities and infrastructure sector, Kevin brings significant leadership experience and a strong track record in delivering major programmes and developing high-performing teams.
Kevin sees his primary role to further strengthen the company’s capabilities and is keen to stress that his influence, especially in the short-term, will be marked by evolution rather than revolution:
“In terms of the day-to-day operation of our framework contracts for UKPN and Thames Water it is very much a case of building on what we have, to continuously improve the service we provide,” said Kevin, “Brendan is leaving Falco in a great position and I plan to build upon our capabilities and grow our offering for these key clients using recent success of delivering more substantial project-based civils work and showcase our range of skills, in particular our design and build capabilities.”
Brendan’s departure takes effect on 31 October 2026.
