Our Team
Stephen Roche
Managing Director
BSc (Hons) MSc MRICS
Stephen has been in the industry since 1984 and until recently was a Partner of Gardiner & Theobald LLP, where he had worked for 25 years before leaving to set up Certo MS Limited.
Stephen is an experienced project manager and has a wealth of experience in the delivery of large retail projects, particularly with owner/developer/landlord clients on projects such as the Brent Cross Shopping Centre redevelopment, the new Bullring Shopping Centre in Birmingham and Victoria Gate Shopping Centre in Leeds. Latterly he has been instrumental in the planning for the redevelopment of Dublin Central in Ireland and the reconfiguration of a former department store in Dundrum, Dublin.
Stephen is very experienced in dealing with retail-led regeneration projects that have multiple diverse stakeholders, and involve complex land assemblies and ambitious letting targets.
Dublin Central is a complex mixed-use scheme comprising offices, retail, residential and hotels in one of Ireland’s most notable and historically significant sites of O’Connell Street / Moore Street. He is very privileged to have been able to work with a great team on this project over the last 12 months.
Other notable projects involve the recladding of a residential tower in Bristol and the recladding of Selfridges Department store in Birmingham.
Jeff Day
Director
BSc
Following graduation in 1978 Jeff spent his early career working for major civil engineering contractors in the UK constructing steelworks, water treatment works and road and bridgeworks. In 1988 Jeff joined Gardiner & Theobald and established an office in Manchester in order to develop the firm’s Project Management business in the North.
From early beginnings in a small office on the first floor of Albion Wharf, Jeff assembled a team of thirty-six Project Managers who were involved in the delivery of many large, complex projects. Notable amongst these were: Spinningfields, Manchester with over 1,000,000 sq.ft. of commercial office space; the Co-operative Group’s iconic HQ, One Angel Square; Bridgewater House, Leeds; MMU’s £110m Birley Fields Campus; Imperial War Museum North; extensive retail developments/refurbishment projects including The Rock Bury, Victoria Centre Nottingham, Metro Centre Gateshead, Eldon Square Newcastle, Chester Northgate, Westgate Oxford and New Square West Bromwich.
Jeff brings to all projects direct experience of managing high profile, complex developments that require close involvement with occupiers and more particularly a clear strategy for controlling the Design and Construction teams who will be carrying out the projects.
Jeff retired as a Partner of Gardiner & Theobald in 2020 and immediately joined Certo MS Limited.
PETER MCILHAGGER
Senior Project Manager
MRICS
Peter, born in Belfast, is married to Janet and has three children. He graduated as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor in 1999. He worked with Kier North West after graduation, during which time he qualified as a project manager before moving to Mace where he was promoted to Associate Director. Peter went on to establish the Manchester office and serve as a Board Director at Paragon BC and now runs his own successful practice, PMC2. Peter is a member of the APM and RICS.
Having worked as both a Quantity Surveyor and Project Manager, Peter brings a well rounded view to the construction table as his is able to work quickly with information, retain his knowledge of projects in considerable detail as well as fairly representing the views of those on site as well as those of management. Peter’s enthusiasm for the industry, for progression and for efficiency without design compromise has lead him to working with a number of repeat clients who embrace his ‘can do’ attitude and loyalty.
Peter has extensive experience in student residential projects. He has worked with a number of key clients in this sector such as VITA and EREC Estates. He has also undertaken a number of projects for EasyHotel across the UK. Known for his ability to build and maintain relationships within the industry, Peter is thrives on challenging projects such as the relocation of Coronation Street to their new premises in Media City.
His current portfolio includes retail lead regeneration, student residential new builds, complex recladding, new build churches and working with listed building regeneration projects.
Nick Fay
Director
LLB (Hons) MSc MCIOB
An accomplished Project Management professional, Nick has worked in construction and project management in contractor, consultant and client positions since 1985. Nick joins us after 17 years with Hammerson Plc as a Client Project Manager, latterly leading the Hammerson Project Management team as Head of UK Project Management.
While at Hammerson he led the design and construction teams from project inception through planning, design, procurement and completion. All to programme and budget. He was the lead Project Manager on a wide variety of schemes, most notably Union Square, Victoria Gate and the Brent Cross Extension. He has also worked on numerous smaller scale retail parks, centre improvements and city centre building conversions across the Hammerson portfolio.
With project values ranging from £2m to £1bn and responsible for the associated construction contract and appointments, technical lease and third-party negotiations, Nick has significant knowledge, experience and expertise in large multi party retail led regeneration schemes with complex infrastructure and land assembly requirements, multiple stakeholders and joint venture partners.
Delivery orientated with strong interpersonal skills and natural leadership, Nick brings tenacity and innovative thinking to project execution and delivery – he is a great addition to the Certos team.