Emma Porter has been announced as construction director for Story Contracting.

She will oversee the construction team of the Carlisle-headquartered firm, which has a forecast turnover of £30 million for 2019/20.

She has worked in the construction industry for 11 years, including at Story, and will rejoin the firm on April 1 after working at Arup.

She said:“I feel a huge amount of loyalty, pride and responsibility for Story Contracting, particularly for the construction division where I have previously worked.

"I believe that a combination of education along with experience working in a different sector of the construction industry, particularly for an organisation as widely respected as Arup, has given me the knowledge, skills, contacts and experience to bring back to Story Contracting and help our business achieve its goals.

"I am looking forward to working with the construction team, many of whom I know, and getting to know new team members. I am 100 per cent confident that, together, we can build a really successful business with a great performance and culture.”

Emma first joined the Story family business in 2007 for six years, before moving to Paris to complete an MBA at business school.

After moving back to the UK in 2014, Emma joined Arup and then returned to Story Contracting as the company’s head of operations a year later.

Jason Butterworth, CEO of Story Contracting, said: “Our construction division has experienced a promising start to the year having secured work for 60 per cent of our 2019 business plan, and as such, we identified the need for a strong leader to help us deliver on these projects.

"With her industry knowledge and experience, passion for equality and diversity and hunger for success, we are confident that Emma is the perfect person for the job."

Earlier this month, it was announced that Emma had joined Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership's board and was appointed chair of the construction sector panel.

She said: “My reason for joining the LEP is a strong desire to make a difference. I’m passionate about enabling Cumbria to achieve its potential and I strongly believe that the county needs to work in an open, collaborative and ambitious way to raise aspirations and realise our potential together.”