Hargreaves Services has appointed Simon Hicks as chief executive, succeeding Gordon Banham after more than twenty years running the County Durham group.

Hicks joined Hargreaves as chief operating officer and board member in June 2025, spending a year working alongside Banham before taking over. He joined from a background in infrastructure and industrial services, including senior roles at Cape, Altrad Services, Bilfinger and Evero Energy.

Banham remains involved, keeping executive responsibility for the group's German joint venture, HRMS, and its zinc recycling investment. The arrangement provides continuity on a venture Banham has been closely involved in, while Hicks takes charge of the wider group.

The appointment comes alongside a strong set of annual results, which the company reported in late July.

Hargreaves is one of the region's larger but lower-profile businesses: an AIM-listed group headquartered in County Durham, built originally on coal and now working across environmental services, infrastructure and property, including turning old colliery sites into housing and renewable energy land.