Following a loss in 2005, the firm was heavily restructured, which included the divestment of its civil engineering division and various none-core activities to focus on urban regeneration, residential property management, and land.

It benefitted considerably from the British government's Help to Buy scheme, recording a steep increase in both profits and revenue two years following its introduction.

The firm began taking contracts in southeast England in 1930 and in 1932 Michael sent his nephew John Patrick 'Jack' Gleeson to manage the embryonic housing developments.

[4] During the Second World War, Gleeson was heavily engaged in the construction of aerodromes for military use; this work developed the firm's civil engineering capability that it would put to good use in the conflict's aftermath.

Colroy, a smaller rival company was acquired in 1991; three years later, Gleeson also purchased the residential business of the Portman Building Society.

Furthermore, to achieve better volume discounts and more efficient construction, the firm has also applied a high degree of standardisation and a micro-managed cost engineering model across its various projects.

[13] Gleeson benefitted considerably from the British government's Help to Buy scheme (introduced during 2013) alongside its own shared equity offerings.

[17][13] According to Jolyon Harrison, CEO of Gleeson at this time, the firm intentionally sought out to purchase land that required remediation, such as former industrial sites, due to its lower acquisition cost.

[18] In April 2022, Thomson announced his intention to stand down on 31 December 2022, with Vistry Group's chief operating officer Graham Prothero (formerly CEO at Galliford Try) nominated as his successor.