A fast-growing construction and property consultancy founded in Exeter has been named the UK’s best workplace for 16 to 34-year-olds by the Sunday Times after building a culture offering rapid career progression, unlimited holiday and flexible working.
Coreus Group, founded in 2019 by entrepreneur Andrew Clancy, has grown from a one-person business into a national consultancy employing nearly 100 people across offices in Exeter, Bristol, Birmingham, London and Truro.
The company was named the UK’s top workplace for younger employees in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work awards, beating major national brands including Octopus Energy and Brighton & Hove Albion FC. It is the first construction consultancy to receive the accolade.
Coreus says its rapid growth has been driven by creating a more modern workplace culture designed to attract younger people into the construction industry at a time when the sector faces major skills shortages and an ageing workforce.
The business also offers collaborative breakout spaces, communal lunches and social areas designed to encourage a more connected workplace culture.
Around 70% of the company’s workforce is aged between 16 and 40, while 10% of staff are apprentices and 33% are women.
Founder Andrew Clancy said: “We built Coreus to be a place people genuinely want to work for and with. The fact we’ve gone from a one-person business to being nationally recognised, ahead of some huge household names, is something we’re incredibly proud of.
“But what I’m proudest of is seeing younger people step into leadership positions, building careers far quicker than would traditionally have happened in this industry.
“A lot of traditional industries still operate around old assumptions about hierarchy and how careers should progress, but younger people simply won’t tolerate that anymore.”
Coreus said one of its priorities is helping change perceptions around careers in construction, particularly among younger people and women who may not previously have considered entering the sector.
The consultancy believes modern construction businesses now require a far broader range of skills than many people realise, including sustainability, communications, technology, people management and social value alongside technical delivery roles.
Among the company’s younger leaders is 23-year-old project manager Millie Lockyer, who joined through an apprenticeship and now leads multi-million-pound regeneration projects including the £15 million regeneration of Yeovil town centre in Somerset.
Millie said: “I don’t think many people expect somebody my age to be leading projects of this scale, but Coreus has always focused more on attitude and potential than age or hierarchy.”
Alongside its commercial growth, The Coreus Foundation has donated more than £90,000 to community and education initiatives over the last 18 months, including apprenticeship pathways linked with local schools and funding books for every child born in Chard in Somerset over a five-year period.
Managing director James Colthart added: “Younger generations entering the workplace now expect openness, flexibility, purpose and genuine opportunities to progress.
“We have created a culture where people are trusted early, supported properly and given real responsibility regardless of age.”
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