Reader studied civil engineering, graduating from Loughborough University in 2007 and then gaining an MSc at Coventry University in 2009. He worked at construction consultancy Pick Everard for 10 years.[2] While there, he helped found Perfect Circle, a joint venture with Gleeds and Aecom which created 500 jobs in the East Midlands.[2] He later told Construction News that his political ambitions were sparked while working for Pick Everard during the 2010–2015 Conservative-led coalition government: "I could see first-hand what public sector cuts meant on the ground, in terms of fixing schools with leaky roofs, repurposing hospitals and road and infrastructure maintenance".[3]
In 2017, he then joined the Mace construction business,[4] where he worked for over six years.[2] At Mace during the COVID-19 pandemic, he worked on a NHS Nightingale project as the construction team's operations director.[2]
Political career
Selected to contest the Northampton South seat in March 2023,[5] Reader took a sabbatical from his job at Mace during the 2024 general election campaign; he said he expected to leave Mace if he was elected.[2] He gained the seat from Andrew Lewer, a Conservative.[6] He made his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 5 September 2024.[7]