01 / CONTRACTS
Fractional & interim Commercial Director
Executive responsibility for finance, procurement, contracts, commercial controls, payment exposure and risk, with clear accountability for decisions and outcomes.
International executive leadership
Commercial Director.
Projects Director.
Board & Executive Adviser.
Over 30 years of international experience in executive commercial leadership, contractual strategy, claims, dispute resolution and project recovery across major construction, infrastructure and energy programmes.
ContractsClaims & disputesCommercial governanceArbitration supportInternational projects
Practice areas
Executive leadership when commercial decisions matter.
Director-level leadership and independent strategic advice for CEOs, Managing Directors, Boards, contractors, project owners and legal teams.
02 / DISPUTES
Construction claims & dispute support
Bespoke international contracts, FIDIC, NEC, JCT and EPC; claim and defence reviews, variations, entitlement, negotiation, evidence and dispute avoidance.
03 / GOVERNANCE
Projects Director & board advisory
Project leadership, board-level assurance, procurement strategy, commercial recovery and risk reporting. Independent advice to CEOs, Managing Directors and Boards.
04 / COLLABORATION
Law-firm & specialist consultancy support
Construction delivery insight, records assessment and commercial assistance for legal and arbitration teams, including ICC-related disputes.
Project recovery & intervention
Find the problem before prescribing the solution.
Project recovery begins with a credible assessment of programme, contractual entitlement, payment exposure and management decisions.
Independent intervention can help establish what the records show, what is recoverable, which risks need immediate attention and who should own the next decision.
Request an initial discussionWays to engage
Executive appointments and defined commercial engagements.
Engage me as a fractional or interim Commercial Director, Projects Director or Board adviser, or for a defined contractual, payment or project problem. Scope and responsibilities are agreed before commencement.
01 / INITIAL CONSULTATION
Executive commercial consultation
A confidential 60-minute discussion to identify the core commercial issues, immediate risks and practical next steps.
US$250
02 / CONTRACT RISK
FIDIC / NEC risk review
Focused examination of relevant clauses, notices, contractual obligations and exposure.
From US$750
03 / CLAIMS
Preliminary claims assessment
Initial review of entitlement, available records, valuation approach and negotiation readiness.
From US$1,250
04 / PROJECT ASSURANCE
Commercial health check
Independent review of commercial controls, payment, variations, claims and priority interventions.
From US$2,500
Defined scope and fees are confirmed before commencement. Fractional and interim Commercial Director or Projects Director appointments, monthly commercial and contractual retainers, Board advisory and specialist law-firm support are available by agreement.
Selected commercial outcomes
Commercial results that can be measured.
Examples from senior commercial and project engagements across complex construction programmes.
£42mClaim settled for £11.5m, without arbitration
£41.6mReported procurement and commercial efficiencies
35%Reduction in disputed variations
Selected historical outcomes; context, responsibilities and measurement vary by engagement. Figures are not a guarantee of future results.
Selected experience
Contractor-side, owner-side and independent perspectives.
International commercial and project leadership experience across the UK, GCC and Asia-Pacific, including appointments involving Costain, McAlpine, the Government of Dubai, Accor and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
UK & GCC
Contractor-side and owner-side commercial management across major construction and infrastructure programmes.
Asia-Pacific
Executive commercial, procurement and contractual responsibilities across hospitality and infrastructure portfolios.
Independent
Commercial diagnostics, governance reviews, contractual strategy and construction dispute support.
Selected organisations and projects reflect professional appointments and experience; they do not imply client endorsement. Specific responsibilities varied by project.
Major-project exposure
Dubai International Airport expansion, Burj Khalifa, Palm Island & The World, Atlantis the Palm, Metro Manila Subway, Atimonan Power Plant, The Estate Makati and Asia-Pacific hospitality developments.
Responsibilities varied by appointment and project.
Engagement approach
Confidential, scoped advisory reviews and remote international collaboration, supporting senior management and external legal or specialist teams where appropriate.
FIDICNECJCTEPC / EPCMICC arbitration support
About John E Wells
Executive responsibility. Independent judgement.
Major construction projects rarely fail commercially because of one decision. More often, exposure accumulates through unresolved variations, weak contractual controls, delayed payments and disputes that could have been addressed much earlier.
That's where I come in. I work with Boards, CEOs, investors, developers, contractors and law firms to identify exposure, challenge the commercial position and determine what can realistically be recovered, defended or improved.
Over more than 30 years, I have worked on both sides of the construction contract, from engineering and contractor-side roles to senior client-side and executive appointments. As Commercial Director and Projects Director, I have led multidisciplinary departments, with department heads reporting directly to me, including finance, procurement, contracts, commercial operations, risk and legal matters. My responsibilities have included procurement from strategy and tendering through negotiation and award, claims, arbitration and commercial recovery. I advise CEOs, Managing Directors and Boards directly.
That distinction matters. A contractual entitlement is only as persuasive as the project records, programme evidence, technical facts and commercial analysis supporting it.
I ask what actually happened, what the evidence proves, where the financial exposure lies and which course of action best protects the client's position.
Career and international experience
My career includes senior appointments with Costain, McAlpine, Mitsubishi, the Government of Dubai and Accor Group. Assignments have involved major infrastructure, aviation, property and hospitality developments across the UK, GCC and Asia-Pacific.
Where I support clients
- Independent project and commercial assurance
- Contract and claims reviews, payment exposure and dispute avoidance
- Arbitration preparation and construction law-firm case support
- Procurement strategy and commercial recovery
- Interim or fractional Commercial Director and Projects Director leadership
My work encompasses FIDIC, NEC, JCT and EPC arrangements. I am available for confidential international assignments delivered remotely, including fixed-scope reviews, Board advisory retainers and law-firm support.
Professional background
BE Civil Engineering · MSc Construction Project Management · MBA Construction Financial Management · LLM International Business & Commercial Law · LLM Construction Law & Practice · FCIArb · LSE Executive Studies in AI & Legal Governance.
The value of two perspectives
Engineering experience. Commercial judgement.
I have worked on both sides of major projects — as a contractor-side engineer and commercial leader, and within client and government delivery environments.
That practical background helps identify where the contractual position and what is happening on site diverge: programme, records, instructions, payments, resources and delivery realities.
What is actually happening commercially — and what should management do about it?
Discuss an assignment
Perspectives
Construction law is not the same as understanding construction.
Commentary on contractual entitlement, commercial governance, project delivery, claims and dispute strategy from both engineering and commercial perspectives.
Professional insights
Read recent articles and analysis on LinkedIn, including practical questions confronting contractors, owners, executives and legal teams.
Read on LinkedIn →Contact
Arrange a confidential discussion.
Whether you require executive commercial leadership, project recovery, contractual strategy or independent board-level advice, please contact me directly to arrange a confidential discussion.
International engagements are delivered remotely from Southeast Asia. Any proposed assignment is subject to scope, availability and conflicts review.
Email
john@johnewells.com
LinkedIn
Connect with John E Wells
Engagements
Fractional and interim executive leadership · Board advisory · Monthly retainers · Project recovery · Law-firm support