Client profile: Cameron Black

Property company Cameron Black specialise in fitting out and refurbishing commercial and residential properties around London and the South East.

Established in 1999 by Simon Black and Rupert Shaw - who met whilst studying construction management at university - Cameron Black began as a 'lifestyle business' doing small fit-out and refurbishment jobs around London.

Simon and Rupert's original plan was to grow the business into a known entity, to retain ownership, and to have fun. They were joined in 2004 by Stuart Johnson and together have grown the business to a turnover of around £20M in 2009.

Recent clients include Google, Land Securities, Standard Life and BUPA.

So what do Cameron Black do?

Cameron Black's clients get them involved in a number of ways, including:

• Churn refurbishment: for example they're regularly on site at Google helping to relocate teams of people
• Office and marketing suite fit-outs: helping large organisations to attract investors and potential buyers
• Property development: working on properties owned by investment businesses with a view to renting or selling the property

On  a typical project the client will employ a professional team that includes Architects, Mechanical & Electrical consultants and Quantity Surveyors. The contract will go out to tender and the selected partner will be responsible delivering it.

Project delivery can be quite a responsibility. As well as the usual issues of cost and timings, it includes:

• Taking legal possession of the site
• Full control over a wide range, and often a large quantity, of suppliers and sub-contractors
• Responsibiliity for the Health & Safety of all people on site
• Quality issues
• Environmental concerns