Starting as a building site tea boy in 1973, Simon went on to become founder and director of four companies, including consulting civil and structural engineers, Craddys (now with 70 employees and a turnover of over £6M) and the construction management company Arc Bauen, which is in its eighth year of trading with a seven-figure turnover. Since 2003 Simon has appeared periodically as a commentator on BBC Radio 2 and has featured in several construction-related TV series. Simon’s main professional strengths have been the identification and repair of defects in buildings, buildability, historic structures, expert witness and public speaking, which has given him the opportunity to lecture to tens of thousands of building professionals on a range of topics since the 1990s.

After the Grenfell tragedy, Simon has been assisting in shaping new UK legislation via the Construction Industry Council. In particular Simon is promoting scrutiny on site of building projects. He is the author of the UK Chartered Institute of Building / Royal Institute of British Architects publication “Guide to Managing Safety-Critical Elements in Building Construction” published March 2023.