Our History

CS2 was founded in 1999 as a partnership by three chartered surveyors and friends: Andrew Mather, David Jay and Richard Cullingworth. Leaving a very large multi-disciplinary practice, the founders shared a vision: to deliver the most innovative and customer focused surveying and consultancy services to their clients. CS2 quickly evolved into a limited company and three soon became five, as they were joined a few years later by their mentors Vince Owen and Mike Gregory, who sharing the same passions and visions, became co-owners of CS2. Together they developed the company into a huge success of seven offices supplying services to whole of the UK and Ireland.

CS2 was founded on trust, friendship, and passion, with a great story behind its conception. The below outlines the inspirational careers and lives of CS2’s founders past and present.

Andrew Mather – Managing Director

Andrew began his career at Leicester Polytechnic in 1986 where he studied Building Surveying.  This is where he met his long-time friend and co-conspirator, David Jay.  In 1989, Andrew joined Wilson & Partners, who were later bought by Lambert Smith Hampton, where he progressed from a Graduate to a Director over 10 years.

In July 1999, Andrew left Lambert Smith Hampton to start CS2 with David Jay and Richard Cullingworth.

Andrew loves and enjoys Project Management. He enjoys getting under the skin of a client’s business to be able to not only deliver a project; but the right project….  His passion and ability to understand his client’s requirements mean those client’s repeatedly return for his assistance with delivering their projects.  The first client he ever brought to CS2 is still with him 20 years later.  This is testament to his dogged determination to deliver a first-class solution, first time, every time.

Andrew became the Managing Director of CS2 around 2009 with a view to guiding CS2 into the future with planned growth.  Andrew is a visionary and the perfect candidate for heading the IT department as he has conceived some truly innovative new technology which should lead CS2 into a more efficient, profitable future.

Andrew’s determination also spills over into his personal life, having successfully completed two triathlons and an iron man, all whilst dealing with the day to day needs of a family with 4 children.

David Jay – Director

David Jay is a CS2 Director, having co-founded CS2 over 20 years ago.  After graduating from Leicester Polytechnic in 1989 with a degree in Building Surveying, David joined Wilson & Partners where he started his professional career as a graduate.  Over the 10 years he was there, he saw the company change from Wilson & Partners to Connell Wilson, then to Lambert Smith Hampton.  In this time, DJ also progressed and by the time he left to start CS2, he was a Director.

David has become an expert in his field of Dilapidations with many companies and surveyors seeking his knowledge and expertise. David’s experience majors in the provision of strategic dilapidations advice to a variety of clients across a full range of sectors and building types. He ensures seamless solutions to client’s property needs, securing great results on all Dilapidations claims.

During his time at CS2, David has headed many departments: Finance, IT, HR, H&S but now focuses on Finance, H&S and Insurance.  Whilst juggling running a company and being a chartered building surveyor.  Being meticulous and methodical, he has mentored many a surveyor into becoming first class dilapidations negotiators.

One of CS2’s successes can be attributed to David’s tight grip on the purse strings, ensuring both financial stability and growth.

For recreation, David likes to take a blast in his Caterham Super 7, as well as keeping fit by cycling or playing squash.

Alan Edge

Alan began his professional career in various elements of construction, from groundworker, working at Readymix Concrete, fitting architectural glazing, pest control and so on; he basically did what others specified until one day, he decided to try the other side of the fence and specify instead of do.

Having graduated from De Montfort University in 2001, Alan joined CS2 as a mature graduate.  With his engaging nature and his flair for understanding his client’s needs, Alan quickly grew his own client base and impressed his mentors so much, that, in 7 years he became a Director and co-owner of the company.

As a result of this and playing to his skillset, Alan became the Head of Marketing and helped to drive CS2 forward.  Many initiatives were developed under his stewardship including our annual Fee Earners event, CS2’s annual attendance of Property Race Day at Ascot, several MIPIM and MAPIC trips, as well as hundreds of successful campaigns and events.

Since retiring in April 2022, Alan now focuses his energies into being a co-owner of The Old Cherry Tree pub in Great Houghton.

Richard Cullingworth

Richard began his career in the RAF in 1970 carrying out operational tours with the Fleet Air Arm on HMS Ark Royal and flying Buccaneers for the RAF in West Germany.  He worked his way up to Senior Navigator and Deputy Squadron Commander at the Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment before changing career and heading in a new direction.

He joined Connell Wilson in 1991 after a 1-month work placement and throughout his 8 years there, watched the company morph into Lambert Smith Hampton and left having reached the dizzy heights of Director and Quality Assurance Manager to become a co-founder of CS2 in 1999.  During his time at CS2, Richard not only became the President of the RICS, Building Surveyor’s Division, he became a leading expert in accessibility, providing consultancy advice on the subject to numerous corporations including the Diana, Princess of Wales exhibition at Althorp and the UK Government.  He also ran our sister company, Acsestra Limited, providing training on accessibility and the then Disability Discrimination Act to many professions including architects, surveyors, lawyers, planning officers, building owners and disability organisations.

In 2006, Richard left CS2 for pastures new and emigrated to New Zealand.  There he carries on in the same vein, being a Chartered Building Surveyor and Accessibility Advisor whilst enjoying semi-retirement.

Vince Owen

Vince began his professional career at Leicester Polytechnic where he graduated to join the building surveying team at Drivers Jonas under the tutelage of the legendary Bernard Holland.  Whilst in London he also indulged in his second passion, rugby, and played hooker for The Wasps 1^st XV and Vandals.  He developed his career in London before moving to Northampton in 1983 to head up the building surveying team at Wilson & Partners.  He remained at the helm of the Building Surveying Division as Wilson & Partners morphed into Connell Wilson and, eventually, Lambert Smith Hampton.  Vince left Lambert Smith Hampton to become a director and owner of the then infant CS2 and helped to develop the company into the national practice that it is today.

Vince’s talent as a building surveyor was greatly supplemented by his warm and generous personality and many of today’s building surveyors will have begun their career by having an interview with Vince and being encouraged and nurtured through their early career by him.  This would particularly apply to any building surveyors who had an aptitude for rugby!

Vince passed away unexpectedly on 18th May 2018. As a company we remain deeply saddened by this loss but continue to use the wisdom and knowledge learnt from Vince to guide the business.

Michael Gregory

Mike graduated from Thames Polytechnic in 1977, after which he joined Cinven as a surveyor.  In 1985 Mike joined Wilson & Partners.  Here he met Vince and in due course, Andrew, David and Richard.  During these formative years, Mike found his niche and love for project management.  He specialised in this area acting as employers’ agent for design and build projects for many hi-brow companies.  In 2003 Mike made the decision to join CS2 where he has been instrumental in its success.

Mike had mentored David whilst they were both at Lambert Smith Hampton (originally Wilson & Partners).  His calm approach and wealth of experience allowed the four partners to focus on the areas they needed to grow and their shared vision for CS2 as a good place for people to work in addition to providing a first-class service to its clients.  Mike’s charismatic and professional manner is something which CS2 employees try and emulate.

Clients love him.  His approach to collaborate and work with, not against people, and to work for positive outcomes at every juncture, has seen him deliver project after project successfully and with close clients and one-off’s.  A skill that only good project managers have.

Sadly, Mike passed away unexpectedly on 1 January 2021. As a company and personally, we are deeply saddened by our loss but we will continue to be focussed on the business as Mike would’ve expected and wanted us to.

CS2 never stands still, always looking for new ways to improve and excel at what we do.  In a bid to expand our services to our clients, over the years we set up a residential management office, a quantity surveying division, and more recently a sustainability department to lead clients and their buildings into a more integrated future. The owners share the same visions and this is backed by all the staff who work here, we stand together as one strong team with one common goal; our clients.