FOR a man who is used to dealing in the noisy construction industry, Ian Reeves is incredibly softly spoken.

So much so, that when I meet him in the near-deserted lounge bar of Darlington's Blackwell Grange Hotel I have to lean forward to catch every word.

But his hushed tones belie a gritty determination and the sharp business acumen which has seen him climb to the top of the industry. Quietly spoken he may be, but his vision is about to take world-renowned North-East firm Cleveland Bridge forward to a new level after taking over as its chief executive. It is a prospect he relishes.

"It is not an easy industry to prosper in," admits the 58-year-old, who is married and has two children. "But it is a challenge and I feed on challenges."

Mr Reeves began his career at the 2,000 megawatt Fawley power station, near Southampton. But he soon moved to construction firm Wimpey, which was responsible for many of the early motorways in Britain.

He was head-hunted at the tender age of 21 by Arthur Monk and Co to manage commercial and procurement matters and his first job would set the tone for the rest of his career.

Monks won the contract to build the Gravelly Hill Interchange - better known as Spaghetti Junction. It was the largest contract the company had taken in single tender, worth £14m in 1966.

"At the time, a first-class ticket from Birmingham to London cost 4s 4d," he laughs. "Now the Gravelly contract would be worth the equivalent of £500m."

The 1960s spelled an end of an era for construction as the Government turned its back on big capital expenditure projects which at the time accounted for 70 per cent of the industry.

Foreseeing a significant downturn in work, Mr Reeves left Monks to form his own management consultancy firm in Birmingham called High Point, with the aim of showing companies how best to avoid problems. But a proud industry was not about to be told how to change its working practices.

"The industry was steeped in tradition," recalls Mr Reeves: "It was very long established and change was difficult to introduce.

"People were more interested in hiring me when they had a problem rather than hiring me to prevent the problem occurring."

But what started as a small consultancy in three rooms in 1970, quickly spread across the UK. Offices sprang up in the Middle East, Hong Kong and Singapore.

In 1984, High Point took on work for the partners of Rendel, the company Mr Reeves' father had built his career with and, two years later, it acquired the company.

By 1989, Mr Reeves was hungry for new challenges and had taken a step back from the day-to-day running of the group. He left the firm in 1992 to set up his own private independent consultancy - sparking a period of extra-curricular activities which included becoming part of the major projects board at the Department of Trade and Industry.

He was also chairman of the London region of the Confederation of British Industry but one of his most fulfilling appointments was as chairman of Tomorrow's People which aims to get people out of long-term unemployment, welfare dependence or homelessness and into jobs and self-sufficiency.

The latest role holds its own difficulties. He is hoping the conflict with Iraq will be over soon, particularly as Cleveland Bridge has a strong order book in the Middle East.

"We need constantly to keep abreast of world change and the resources and strength of China to see how we can work with them," he says.

"We will see Central and Eastern Europe changing but we must stay abreast of the times while still having the modern business and management techniques to remain profitable.

"Our centre is here in Darlington. It is where it all started, where our largest fabrication facilities are and it is one of the most experienced plants in the world.

"This company is full of brilliant engineers and you have to respect what these people have built, engineered, fabricated and erected. I believe if you can strengthen international business experience, management and leadership, we should hopefully continue to be competitive."

Spannibg the globe

Cleveland Bridge and its associated companies have enjoyed a long and illustrious history, during which they have worked on some outstanding construction projects.

* 1877 Founding of The Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Co Ltd in Darlington, Co. Durham

* 1905 Completion of Zambezi Bridge, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

* 1924-1932 Construction of Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia

* 1964 Completion of Forth Road Bridge, Scotland - first major suspension bridge outside the US.

* 1966 Completion of Severn Bridge, England - the first aerofoil deck suspension bridge

* 1969 Cleveland Bridge bought by Trafalgar House

* 1976 New Cleveland Bridge works opened in Dubai

* 1981 Completion of Humber Bridge - the world's longest span until 1998

* 1982 New Cleveland Bridge works opened in Darlington

* 1982 Redpath Dorman Long bought by Trafalgar House

* 1990 Cleveland Structural Engineering formed from Cleveland Bridge and Dorman Long

* 1996 Renamed Kvaerner Cleveland Bridge on take-over of Trafalgar House by Kvaerner ASA

* 1997 Completion of Tsing Ma Bridge- the longest span road and rail bridge

* 2000 Award of contract for new Carquinez Suspension Bridge, San Francisco, USA

* 2000 Resumes the name Cleveland Bridge and re-established as independent company within the new Cleveland Group.