James Roger Knowles 1937-2022
The institution is sorry to hear the news that Roger Knowles has passed away aged 84. Throughout his career, Roger was a passionate contributor and supporter of the institution through his articles in the publications and speaking at many conferences and seminars.
With his father’s help and by chance more than management, Roger started his career as a trainee quantity surveyor with LC Wakeman and Partners.
Relying on charisma and enthusiasm, he successfully navigated the job interview without a single idea what service the company provided. He went on to gain qualifications as a chartered quantity surveyor through distance learning courses, firstly with Liverpool College of Building and then the The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. Later he studied for the Bar and became a member of Lincoln’s Inn.
In 1973 he founded James R Knowles & Associates, the first company of its kind, offering a one-stop-shop of both surveyors and solicitors specialising in construction contract disputes. His first office comprised three rooms in Manchester and his first year’s turnover was £12,500. When he left the company, thirty-three years later, it had fourteen offices in the UK, thirteen overseas and its turnover topped £30m. In 1998 Knowles was quoted on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM). In 2006 it was delisted and sold to Hill International.
In 2004, Roger founded Quantity Surveying International (QSi), an organisation for those operating in the commercial aspects of construction and the built environment – it is still going strong today. Roger’s career involved representing clients all over the world, including East Asia, the Middle East, Africa, America, Australia and throughout the UK and Europe. His work included the preparation and resolution of construction claims, representing parties in arbitration, adjudication and mediation.
A born story-teller and talented orator, for decades Roger put his skills to great use running popular training courses internationally. He lectured at more than 1,300 seminars in locations all over the world, including one notable trip to Lagos, Nigeria in 2006, for which he was required to take out kidnap insurance and was provided with an armed guard by The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors for the duration of his visit. He was invited to return in 2007 but politely declined.
From the mid 1970s Roger was a regular contributor to technical journals with more than 400 published articles to his name. He is the author of Two Hundred Contractual Problems and their Solutions (2012) and the autobiography Somebody Up There Likes Us (2015).
James Roger Knowles is survived by his wife Wendy and his daughter Beverley. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.