Mike Bottjer is Chairman of Interserve Plc. He is responsible for providing leadership to the Group Board, for ensuring that relevant issues are addressed in a timely manner and for maintaining the Board's focus on running the business for the benefit of its stakeholders. With his long experience of the Group he is also represents Interserve externally and is well placed to offer advice on company matters internally.

Mike was appointed Chairman in 1996 (at which time the Group's name was Tilbury Douglas plc) and took on the role in addition to his existing responsibilities as Chief Executive. He held the combined role until July 2003 when Adrian Ringrose became Chief Executive.

Mike has spent 40 years – almost all of his career – with the Interserve Group and its predecessors. He joined Tilbury in 1964 after training with Mowlem, and by 1975 had risen to become a director of Tilbury Construction Ltd. Three years later he was Managing Director and a year after that took a seat on the Board of the parent company, the Tilbury Contracting Group Ltd. The company changed its name to the Tilbury Group plc, and in 1986 Mike was appointed Assistant Managing Director with specific responsibilities for overseeing the integration of the newly-acquired West's Group. In 1988 he became Tilbury's Chief Executive.

Tilbury was then essentially a construction/housebuilding/property-development concern.  In 1989 Mike successfully defended a hostile takeover bid, and in 1991 led the acquisition of R M Douglas plc to form Tilbury Douglas plc. Under his direction the Group adopted a new strategy which progressively took it out of housebuilding and property development and into the support services market.  Alongside numerous small purchases and disposals, three major acquisitions crystallised this move: How Group plc in 1998, introducing facilities management and engineering services; Bandt plc in 1999, providing industrial and equipment services; and Building and Property Limited in 2000, which provided a broader range of facilities management services.

With the acquisition of these businesses the company entered the FTSE 250 and, to reflect the new composition, transferred to the support services sector of the FTSE listing.  In 2001 the company changed its name to Interserve Plc in order to emphasise the change of focus and the benefits available to customers from integrating the provision of the services offered.

Mike was born in May 1940.  He is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Civil Engineers, and holds a Masters degree in Business Administration from Henley Management College and Brunel University.

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