Shane Assan

My early years were spent working in joinery workshops after leaving high school. I started in post forming and then was trained in building kitchens and cabinetry. I then moved into the installation side of the business after showing a keen eye for detail and the ability to work unsupervised.

I moved to carpentry in 1996 and worked with a company GAP Carpentry in Sydney before moving to the UK in 1998. The work with GAP was predominantly office fit outs in the CBD area.

When in the UK, i worked on various construction sites as an agency carpenter until i found work with a high end fit out company Hayden Playle Interiors. I worked in London and throughout Europe with this company fitting out commercial builds for 2 years (2000 - 2002). I constructed walls, ceilings, Komfort office systems, pedestal flooring, fitting of oak doors, frames architraves, skirting other and high-end finishes.

I left Hayden Playle in 2002 to expand my experience and start as a carpentry foreman in a large national construction company Fit Out UK. My role was to run teams of up to 20 carpenters in the building of stores for leading brands such as IKEA, SAINSBURYS, MARKS & SPENSERS, TESCO and WAITROSE. Working as the main contractor on site, my daily duties were to allocate jobs to my team and keep a track of schedules and liaising with the project management team and quantity surveyors. Within this role i worked throughout England and Ireland.

I met my wife when working for FOUK and the amount of time working away prompted me to leave and start my own building company Urban Jungle Construction Ltd where i started building lofts, extensions and commercial offices.

The company ran very successfully for 13 years until Covid started and i was offered a position in Australia working with Hallmarc National Projects.