Building Strong Teams and Driving Operational Excellence at Chartway Group
Delivering high-quality homes takes more than good design and sound construction. Behind every successful development are strong operational leadership, clear processes and people who know how to solve problems before they arise. At Chartway Group, Chief Operating Officer David Murphy plays a central role in bringing all of those elements together.
As Chief Operating Officer, David is responsible for overseeing operational performance across the Group, ensuring projects are delivered safely, efficiently and to the high standards expected by clients, partners and customers. Working across construction, commercial and technical teams, his focus is on creating consistency, supporting collaboration and continually improving the way the business operates.
Although his responsibilities span every stage of the delivery process, David describes his role simply.
“It’s strategy, problem-solving and people management.”
With more than 20 years’ experience across the construction industry, David brings a broad perspective to the business. His career began with a carpentry apprenticeship before progressing into quantity surveying and commercial management, giving him first-hand experience of the challenges faced across every level of the industry.
Having worked for developers, contractors and subcontractors before holding senior leadership roles with major housebuilders, he joined Chartway at a time when the affordable housing sector was becoming increasingly important.
Rather than seeing a slowing housing market as a challenge, David recognised the opportunity for a business focused on partnership working to make a meaningful difference by delivering the high-quality affordable homes communities need.
Since joining Chartway, one of his priorities has been strengthening consistency across the business. By encouraging greater collaboration between teams, improving communication and embedding clearer ways of working, he has helped create a more joined-up approach to project delivery.
Those improvements extend beyond operational processes. Continued progress in build quality, customer care and overall business performance reflects the importance of creating a culture where teams work together, share knowledge and focus on continual improvement.
For David, however, people remain the most rewarding part of the role.
“Everybody’s different. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. It’s about understanding what motivates people and asking yourself how you get the best out of them.”
Developing talent has become one of his biggest priorities. Seeing colleagues progress into more senior positions is something he values as highly as any operational achievement.
“Everyone out there is like I was at some point in my career. Sometimes people just need someone to give them that opportunity to progress more than they think they can.”
That philosophy shapes his leadership style. David believes good leadership means being visible, approachable and willing to support colleagues when challenges arise.
“It doesn’t matter what role one of the team holds, from trainee to Director. If you’ve got a problem, come and find me and together we can identify a solution.”
Encouraging teams to identify potential issues early, think ahead and work collaboratively has become an important part of the operational culture at Chartway. By planning proactively and learning from experience, David believes problems can often be prevented long before they affect delivery.
His own route into construction through an apprenticeship also continues to influence his outlook. Having started his career on site, he remains passionate about creating opportunities for the next generation and supporting people as they develop their careers within the industry.
Looking ahead, David sees operational excellence, strong leadership and investing in people as fundamental to Chartway’s continued growth.
As the business continues to expand across the South East, his focus remains on building capable teams, creating consistency across the organisation and ensuring Chartway continues to deliver high-quality homes while providing opportunities for people to grow and succeed.
