Our People

Our team is at the heart of our business, mixing decades of experience and oversight with a hands-on, project focused approach. Find out more about us below and our extensive list of people we’re lucky to call our clients.

meet the team

Director | Technical Sales

Mark smith

A qualified Civil Engineer with over 40 years’ experience in the construction industry and 30 years in project management of fabric structures making him a…

A qualified Civil Engineer with over 40 years’ experience in the construction industry and 30 years in project management of fabric structures making him a leader in the industry. He has been responsible for the success of many world renowned tensile projects including Terminal 5 Heathrow, Lords Cricket Ground Moundstand, London2012 Olympics and many more. Mark is passionate about quality engineering, sustainable and cost efficient builds and is currently engaged in training the next generation of tensile project management to continue the good work.

Director | Head of Installations and Health & Safety

Andy Traynor

Andy has more than 30 years’ experience in tensile structures, specialising in installations and zoo mesh his knowledge is diverse and unmatched. Significant projects include…

Andy has more than 30 years’ experience in tensile structures, specialising in installations and zoo mesh his knowledge is diverse and unmatched. Significant projects include Up at The O2, London 2012 Games Basketball Arena, Lords Moundstand and Heathrow Terminal 5. Andy also has a deep passion for the creative industries having worked on a number of high profile art installations, festivals and events. He is a problem solver for the weird and wonderful, ad excels at finding solutions for the most challenging of installations.

Director | Head of Finance, HR & Administration

Rachel Winterton

MCIPD qualified Rachel has over 20 years background in business administration and office management, and more than 15 years’ experience in Human Resource Management, including…

MCIPD qualified Rachel has over 20 years background in business administration and office management, and more than 15 years’ experience in Human Resource Management, including multi-site and international HR experience. Rachels particular area of expertise is in the running of SME’s giving her a wide range of skills and knowledge to oversee all business functions from Finance to Marketing.

Director | Head of Projects & Quality Management

Fraser Shirley

Fraser is an experienced Project Manager with over 15 years’ experience working in the tensile industry. His unique background in specialist rope access installations and…

Fraser is an experienced Project Manager with over 15 years’ experience working in the tensile industry. His unique background in specialist rope access installations and administration gives him a skill set highly suited for commercial project planning, contracts and finding solutions to client’s installation needs. Fraser has a meticulous eye for detail and prides himself on ensuring projects stay on time and on budget. Some of his key iconic projects include Lords Cricket Ground Grandstand, Ben Ainsley Racing, Bath Racecourse and The Mathematics Gallery at The Science Museum for Zaha Hadid Architects.

Architect

kevin hemmings

Kevin is our Architectural Consultant and bring invaluable expertise to the team. As an original founder of Architen Ltd in 1986 he has more than…

Kevin is our Architectural Consultant and bring invaluable expertise to the team. As an original founder of Architen Ltd in 1986 he has more than 30 years’ experience in Tensile Structures and has worked on some of the most renowned tensile projects in the UK and overseas, including installations for BAAm Broadgate Estates, MOD and Railtrack, St Enoch’s Centre in Glasgow and Zaha Hadid’s Chamber Music Hall for the Manchester International Festival.

Project Manager & Installations Manager

Duncan Baird

A qualified environmental planner with more than 20 years’ experience in tensiles and site management, Duncan is an expert in tensile installations, complex lifting plans,…

A qualified environmental planner with more than 20 years’ experience in tensiles and site management, Duncan is an expert in tensile installations, complex lifting plans, method statements and safety management. Duncan loves a challenge and is driven by being the best in the industry, he has project managed the installations of some very high profile and complex projects including Up at the O2 in London, London 2012 Games Basketball arena, Heathrow Terminal 5, Le Pal Zoo in France and Zaha Hadid’s Chamber Music Hall for the Manchester International Festival.

Accounts & Office Manager

Kate Traynor

Having worked in finance and administration for over 6 years, Kate has developed a wide range of skills, particularly in accounts payable, purchase ledger and…

Having worked in finance and administration for over 6 years, Kate has developed a wide range of skills, particularly in accounts payable, purchase ledger and account reconciliation. She also has international banking reconciliations experience having been responsible for Scandinavian clients at an international acquisitions firm. Her experience in payments and reconciliations are especially key to her purchasing and invoice processing role at Base.

HSEQ Manager

Milo Fish

A HSE professional with over 7 years’ experience in Construction Health & Safety, specialising in Commercial, Residential, Renewable Energy and Large Scale event sectors. NEBOSH…

A HSE professional with over 7 years’ experience in Construction Health & Safety, specialising in Commercial, Residential, Renewable Energy and Large Scale event sectors. NEBOSH and TechIOSH qualified, Milo’s key skills include solid legislation and best practice knowledge, identifying trends and mitigating risk and championing change to transform ESH culture.

Project Manager

Owen Munby

Owen joined Base as a Project Manager in June 2022 to expand the team and specialise in overseeing our pre-engineered ranges and retractable roof structure…

Owen joined Base as a Project Manager in June 2022 to expand the team and specialise in overseeing our pre-engineered ranges and retractable roof structure projects. Owen has over 5 years project management experience in the Construction and Healthcare Industries and an impressive array of qualifications; BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science, BEng in Mechanical Engineering and an NVQ Level 6 Construction Site Management.

“Both on and offsite aspects of the works, Base carried out their responsibilities to a highly professional standard and played a key role as one of our key subcontractors on the project to assist in successful delivery of our main contract.”

Robbie Murie, Carey’s Civil Engineering plc

– Edinburgh Airport Project

“I couldn’t speak more highly of Base Structures. From the initial enquiry, Andy Traynor has been an excellent source of advice and support throughout, speaking to him sooner would have saved us a lot of time and money! I shall be contacting Andy in the future when we are ready for our next project!”

Craig Whitnall, Commercial Director

– Jaguar Jungle, Paradise Wildlife Park

“The feedback that I have had from everyone who has worked with you and your team has been incredibly positive. From my point of view it has been a real pleasure to work with such a professional team”

Kristin Davidson, National Exhibition Centre

– NEC 3D facades project

“They (Base) are the ultimate professionals. Easy to work with, positive, responsible and ultimately get the job done.”

Arnaud Bennet

– Le Pal Zoo, France

“We’ve worked with other fabric contractors over the years. Frankly Base have shown an altogether higher level of service and professionalism.”

Alan Howatson, Barr Construction

– London 2012 Basketball Arena project

“Thank goodness we were working with Base Structures. They have an incredible ability to deliver complex projects under duress and extreme timescales. Their collaborative approach and innovative thinking was outstanding, and their approach to safety on such a difficult project was second to none. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with Base again – they are a trusted partner and worked seamlessly with us throughout.”

Matthew Birchall, Buro Happold

– Up at The O2 project

“It has been a pleasure having contractors on site with such a can do and positive attitude.”

Duncan A Bolton

– Birdworld, Farnham. 2019

“Base have provided us with professional services from conception through to completion, a pleasant experience and an excellent job.”

Nedin Deomic, Marylebone Cricket Club

– Lords Grandstand project

“Zero incidents on a project this complex in very taxing weather would be a remarkable achievement for most companies, but it’s all in a day’s work for Base Structures. The prescient approach brought by the team – smoothing the way to keeping the building operational, despite developing design during the contract due to pre-construction access restrictions – made it a pleasure to work with them all. It’s rather sad we don’t expect to see them back for 25-30 years (on this job anyway!).”

Mo Blane, City of Edinburgh Council

– EICA roof replacement project

“The large areas of high performance and versatile temporary weather screening allowed even the most sensitive of the fit-out works to progress in the poorest of weather conditions.”

Giles Cranidge, Mace Limited

– Dublin T2 screening project.

“It has been a pleasure to work with Base Structures on the J.S. Bach Chamber Music Hall. They have a positive attitude and flexible approach towards challenging proposals. Their creativity, breadth of experience, and attention to detail were invaluable to the success of the project.”

Melodie Leung & Gerhild Orthacker, Zaha Hadid Architects

– J.S. Bach Chamber Music Hall project.

“A partner who operates with the same level of integrity, is a partner you can 100% rely on. That partner is Base Structures.”

Glyn Martin

– Marshals Urban Structures

“The project demanded a large, fully enclosed secure environment whose barrier was as invisible as possible. Standard building construction and engineering methods are not suitable for good zoo projects, the key is to adapt materials and technology to suit the purpose.”

Mike Kozdon, Whamby Kozdon Architects

– London Zoo Tigers project

“It was refreshing to work with a straight-talking provider with a wealth of knowledge and experience. At WWT we like to develop an honest working relationship with our providers and our choice of Base Structures reflected this philosophy.”

Simon Rose

– The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust

“We were extremely impressed by the ingenious problem solving methods of work that were employed by Base. The hard work ethic is also very prevalent within Base’s organisation from Director level right through the work force.”

Our team & who we work with