MP visits CPW Solihull Headquarters
This month, we were pleased to welcome Dr Neil Shastri‑Hurst, MP for Solihull West and Shirley, to our Solihull Headquarters. His visit formed part of a wider initiative to engage with local businesses, understand the challenges we face, and hear more about how we support our communities.
Our teams welcomed Dr Neil Shastri‑Hurst and his colleagues with a tour of the office and a presentation outlining CPW’s role within the industry. The visit offered a valuable opportunity to showcase the breadth of our work and the impact we make across key sectors including healthcare, education, and the wider public sector.
“It was particularly striking to see how a business with such strong roots has grown into a multinational firm whilst continuing to maintain a significant presence here in Solihull. With 210 staff based locally out of global workforce 390, CPW is clearly an important employer in the area and a notable contributor to the regional economy,” said Neil.
Left to right: Lewis Coleing (Design Engineer), Adam Mottershead (Acoustics Associate), John Thrupp (Associate Director), Dee Pardoe (Operations Manager), Andy Hill (Director), Dr Neil Shastri‑Hurst MP, Sophie Atkins (Operations Coordinator), and Rachel West (Talent Acquisition Manager)
At CPW, many of our colleagues have built long-term careers with us, with numerous team members progressing from apprenticeships into senior leadership roles – often across multiple generations of the same family.
Our culture sits at the heart of this success. Retaining the talent that has shaped our business over the years remains a priority. Many of our senior leaders and Directors began their careers with us as trainees.
In conversations with our trainees and long-standing employees, Neil expressed his admiration for the strength of our Apprenticeship Programme and the way it provides credible pathways into skilled and professional careers. This is essential in ensuring young people understand the full range of opportunities available to them. Over the past decade, CPW has employed and developed more than 150 young engineers, reflecting our commitment to nurturing the next generation of professionals who will help shape the country’s future.
Neil also welcomed our continued investment in the local community, not only through work placements and internships but through our company-wide volunteering scheme. Last year, our teams raised a total of £17,591 for a range of causes, and our partnership with Muse Places supported vulnerable families in Solihull via The Children’s Storehouse.
“It was encouraging to hear about the ways in which CPW supports the local community, not least through the provision of work experience and internships for young people, and through the company’s volunteering scheme which enables staff to contribute their time and expertise to local charities and community projects.”
With a background as a major trauma doctor, Neil took a particular interest in how our work supports the NHS and the healthcare projects our teams are currently delivering.
“We were delighted to welcome Neil and have the opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping healthcare estates today. It’s encouraging to see such engagement with the sector, and a shared recognition of the need to modernise facilities in a way that supports both sustainability and patient outcomes. At CPW, we continue to support the NHS and healthcare providers in creating environments that are not only efficient and future-ready, but that prioritise the wellbeing of patients and staff through thoughtful building services engineering,” shared our Director, Andy Hill.
CPW has supported the public sector, and particularly healthcare estates, for more than 48 years. Striving for better healthcare engineering was in fact the reason CPW (originally known as Couch Perry Wilkes) was formed by its original founders.
Our longstanding relationship with the NHS was recognised in 2023 in St James’s House’s publication Celebrating 75 Years of the National Health Service. Our healthcare portfolio includes major schemes such as Harborne Hospital, Kettering Hospital, Heartlands Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Good Hope Hospital and New Cross Hospital to name just a few. Our work at New Cross Hospital enabled the site to become the first hospital in England to run primarily on renewable energy.
It was a privilege to welcome Neil to our Solihull Headquarters and to discuss the key issues shaping both our industry and the next generation of skilled professionals. We look forward to working with Neil and his office in the future!
Find out more about what we do and mission here.