From Apprentice to Managing Director; Chris Logan’s story

In 2004, at age 16, Chris Logan left school ready to embark on the world of work and begin an apprenticeship with his local council. 17 years later, he would take the helm at the West Scotland region.

Chris Logan left Auchinleck Academy in June 2004 to start an apprenticeship with East Ayrshire Council. When he arrived, he was joined by other eagle eyed apprentices ready to be placed within one of several council departments. Chris was assigned to work within the planning department, where he would learn the tricks of the trade from veteran planners who had worked with the local authority for years. After completing an SVQ Level 2 in Business Administration in record time, Chris was given an administrative assistant role within the planning department, supporting the team with various tasks.

During his time in the planning department, Chris worked firstly within the Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme Team (a Historic Scotland funded grant scheme) and was made aware of funding for training opportunities. This led the Management at East Ayrshire Council to consider his next step, where he was enrolled in Glasgow Metropolitan College to complete an HND in Planning and General Practice Surveying from 2006-08. Having developed a passion for planning, the natural next step of enrolling in University took no time at all, with Chris beginning a BSc Hons in Urban and Regional Planning later that year.

After completing his further education journey and returning to East Ayrshire Council, Chris’ passion for planning caught the eye of Persimmon Homes, one of the nation’s largest home builders, who offered him a role as a Graduate Planner in their West Scotland business.

Joining the business in 2012, his time at Persimmon has seen Chris rise through the ranks at a rapid rate. A promotion to Planner in 2013 then Land Manager in 2015 was followed by another rise to the Head of Land position in 2019. That was followed by a promotion to Land Director in 2020 before taking on the top job as Managing Director of the business in 2021.

As Managing Director, Chris is responsible for the regional arm of the businesses that typically creates more than 600 homes per year. With over 200 staff in the business and significantly more subcontractors working directly for the company, Chris ensures that staff are equipped for the world of work and advocates training and development opportunities within the West Scotland team.

During Chris’ tenure at our West Scotland region, the business has taken on a record number of apprentices and internal progression is a big priority – with over 77% of Persimmon appointments being internal promotions.

Speaking on his journey, Chris Logan said:
“I can’t speak highly enough of my own apprenticeship, which first and foremost gave me the opportunity to find out about the world of work and discover what I was passionate about.

“My time as an apprentice with East Ayrshire Council helped equip me with a range of skills and experiences, all of which have stood me in good stead for the rest of my career – including in my current role where I lead a team that builds hundreds of new homes every year.

“I am proud that Persimmon places such a big priority on developing our future talent pipeline. We’re working hard to increase the number and improve the diversity of our apprentices so we can continue to provide exciting opportunities in our sector for everybody within the communities in which we build.”