A new Director of Research is set to take Lancaster University’s School of Architecture in an international direction and to help build a leading global destination for aspiring architects. Having spent the last 15 years at Manchester School of Architecture (MSA), Professor Richard Brook, a registered architect and architectural historian,
Property industry heavyweight Paul Millington has become the new Non-Executive Chair of leading Yorkshire commercial developer Wykeland Group. Mr Millington, who has held senior Board positions with the Evans Property Group for 27 years, has been appointed to Chair the Wykeland Board as the business delivers a series of major
GLP, the leading global investment manager and business builder in logistics, digital infrastructure, renewable energy, and related technologies, today announces that it has appointed Jens Müller as Sales Director for GRS in Germany and CEE. GRS (Global Robotics Services) is the robotics arm of GLP; a new innovative platform for
National firm Excello Law has announced the appointment of real estate specialist Amanda Hurst, who has joined from Hill Dickinson. Qualifying in 2002, she has a wide range of commercial property experience as well as specialisms in healthcare and education. “I am really excited to join other like-minded, experienced consultants
Construction company Urbanise has strengthened the leadership of its delivery team with a new senior appointment. Shaun Boylan, who has been appointed as Construction Lead, will play a principal role in the delivery of construction projects and will be responsible for health and safety compliance. He will also draw on
COMPLETE construction partner, Stepnell, has announced two new strategic hires with the appointment of Lewis Archibald as framework director and Sheona Macmillan as sustainability manager. Both roles will support Stepnell’s framework performance growth and bolster its sustainable commitments to project delivery for customers. Lewis joins with nearly 30 years of
“As The Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) partners, Fortus are particularly strong in the specialist area of Service Charge, and our coming together means we’ll be among the largest Residential Service Charge accountancy teams in the UK. It’s partly their commitment to this specialism that led us to conclude
Sodexo has been appointed as the single supplier on the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) new property services integrator framework which is accessible to all other UK public sector bodies, including the Offices of the Police and Crime Commissioners, the Greater London Authority and its functional bodies to
Timber frame construction specialist, SO Modular, has brought in a new Business Development and Marketing professional to join its rapidly growing team and build relationships with key stakeholders and the wider community. Lisa Amphlett has been brought into the new role with the remit of creating, maintaining, and strengthening relationships
LEADING housebuilder Lovell Homes has welcomed a brand-new sale advisor to its Blossomfield development in Thorp Arch near Wetherby. Caroline Lewis, who has more than five years’ experience in the industry, joins the team having previously worked for another housebuilder and has also worked in the new build retirement sector. She will be responsible for overseeing and
A new Director of Research is set to take Lancaster University’s School of Architecture in an international direction and to help build a leading global destination for aspiring architects. Having spent the last 15 years at Manchester School of Architecture (MSA), Professor Richard Brook, a registered architect and architectural historian, sees his new role at Lancaster as a commitment and investment in the School’s culture, its external relations and its international standing, as well as providing stimulating new challenges and opportunities. Hailing from Chorley, award-winning Professor Brook is a great advocate for the region. “I really believe in the North West as a cultural force and an economic power,” he says. “And, within that, Lancaster University’s School of Architecture is a very different place with a very specific offer. Its proximity to the Lake District, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Park, offers incredible possibilities to explore novel material technologies amidst highly protected landscapes. “The openness of campus and its spacious, green environment presents wonderful opportunities for live building projects already developed through the Summer School events of the past few years.” At Lancaster Professor Brook, is responsible for authoring and leading the architectural history and theory programmes and directing the development of the School’s research. “I view this role as Director of Research as an opportunity to make a serious and lasting commitment, building on the national and international networks I have established, as one that is enticing and energising,” he says. Building on the School’s already strong research culture, with a full complement of research active staff, Professor Brook will lead the development of multi-disciplinary special interest groups allied to the design research laboratory ImaginationLancaster. “In my own research I partner with heritage organisations, charities and statutory bodies, using novel digital means to bring history to life through a strong record of public engagement,” he explains. “As an architectural historian, my work focusses on the post-war period, of which I take a holistic view. “As such, my work examines the architecture, landscape, planning, urbanism and infrastructure of the period, their interwoven ideas and how they were influenced by successive government administrations and their policies. “I want to connect teaching and research in ways that capitalise on Lancaster’s quality as a research-intensive university to create unique programmes that respond to the global challenges of our times. “The School’s existing focus on future practice, digital crafts and the climate emergency are perfectly aligned with its geographical location, research expertise and international networks.” Professor Brook, who qualified whilst working for BDP, an international firm of architects and engineers with their roots in Preston, entered academia as a lecturer at the University of Liverpool. At the MSA he held a succession of leadership roles before his appointment as Professor of Architecture and Urbanism – experience that he is keen to apply to the young School at Lancaster as he joins this month. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Property industry heavyweight Paul Millington has become the new Non-Executive Chair of leading Yorkshire commercial developer Wykeland Group. Mr Millington, who has held senior Board positions with the Evans Property Group for 27 years, has been appointed to Chair the Wykeland Board as the business delivers a series of major developments vital to regeneration and economic growth across Yorkshire and the Humber. He is joined on the Wykeland Board by a new Non-Executive Director, Richard Dawson, who brings to the business more than 30 years’ experience in senior financial, commercial and strategic roles. The new appointments bring further experience and expertise to the Wykeland Board as the business delivers some of the biggest and most ambitious developments in its history of more than 50 years. They include a £150m retail logistics fulfilment centre, for which Wykeland secured planning approval, and a £100m research and development and manufacturing facility for global medical technology business Smith+Nephew, which is going through the planning process. Both of these developments are at Wykeland’s Melton West business park, west of Hull, which is one of Yorkshire’s premier locations for large-scale investments. As well as Melton West, Wykeland’s flagship developments include the Bridgehead business park close to the Humber Bridge; the £100m-plus Fruit Market urban village in Hull, in partnership with Beal Homes; the £20m Treadmills mixed-use scheme on the site of the former Northallerton Prison in North Yorkshire; Hull’s @TheDock tech campus; the Flemingate retail and leisure destination in Beverley, East Yorkshire; and Europarc, the premier business location on the south bank of the Humber. Wykeland Managing Director Dominic Gibbons said: “We’re delighted that two such highly-respected property industry leaders have joined our Board. “Paul and Richard are well-known figures on the North of England property scene and bring to the Board decades of high-level experience which will support our next phase of growth. “Their expertise will reinforce our excellent executive team and will be important as we deliver existing developments and capitalise upon the many exciting new opportunities we have identified.” Mr Millington has held a series of senior Board level positions with Leeds-based Evans Property Group, one of the UK’s leading privately-owned property investment and development companies, with net assets of over £600m. His roles have included Group Finance Director, Overseas Investment Director and Executive Director responsible for overseeing the growth of the Dakota Hotels business. Mr Dawson became Finance Director of Highstone Group in 2001 and then became Head of Family Office for the Moore Family in 2007. This position included a key role in the growth of Wilton Developments, the Leeds-based property development business within the Moore Group. Mr Millington succeeds former William Jackson Food Group Chairman Christopher Oughtred as Chair of Wykeland Group, while Mr Dawson replaces Neil Stothard, Chief Executive of construction products and services specialist Vp PLC, as Non-Executive Director. Mr Millington said: “I’m delighted to be joining one of the region’s leading property developers. Wykeland is a fantastic business, underpinned by strong core values, and its engagement with community stakeholders has enabled it to consistently deliver first-class developments. “I’m really looking forward to working with Dominic and the executive team and to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.” Mr Dawson said: “Wykeland Group has an outstanding reputation for delivering high-quality projects and combining excellent financial results with a strong ethical code and values. With a healthy balance sheet and an enviable development pipeline, Wykeland is in a great position to build for the future.’’ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
GLP, the leading global investment manager and business builder in logistics, digital infrastructure, renewable energy, and related technologies, today announces that it has appointed Jens Müller as Sales Director for GRS in Germany and CEE. GRS (Global Robotics Services) is the robotics arm of GLP; a new innovative platform for customers and tenants seeking to optimise the productivity of their logistics operations throughout the warehouse, through the utilisation of robotic services. GRS offers collaborative robotics as a service (RaaS) solutions which provide customers with access to the benefits of robotics through an innovative subscription model, offering pay-as-you-go flexibility and avoiding CAPEX expenditure. GRS launched its first European project with GXO in Italy this year and has completed more than 30 robotics projects across Asia, with installations completed in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Based in Frankfurt, Jens will be responsible for developing new client relationships and supporting existing GRS customers across the region. He will also oversee commercial negotiation, working with project managers to ensure the ultimate success of projects. Jens brings over 10 years of specialised experience in logistics, automation, robotics, and sales to GRS. Prior to GLP, Jens served as the Technical Sales Representative for Adlatus Robotics GmbH, a manufacturer and distributer of service robotics, where he led sales for Central Germany. Prior to this, Jens held a variety of positions across different industrial and automation companies, leading the establishment of sales operations in his role as Head of Sales at both Albert Pielhau GmbH and Herchenbach Industrial Buildings GmbH. Hongming Chen, CEO of GRS remarked: “This is an exciting time for GRS’ expansion into Europe and we’re delighted to welcome Jens as we continue to build out our team. His extensive sectoral knowledge and prior experience leading and developing sales teams in the region will be invaluable as we roll out robotics solutions to more clients across Europe. The integration of automated solutions is only going to become more widespread in logistics; we are already experiencing huge demand for our services and see significant opportunity ahead in the European market.” Jens Müller added: “GLP is a pioneer in warehouse robotics and is leading the way in making automation more accessible for companies across Europe with its innovative subscription model. The demand for efficient, safe robotics solutions in logistics continues to surge, and the GRS team possess a wealth of expertise when it comes to optimising the functionality of the warehouse. I’m proud to be joining the team and look forward to the journey ahead.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
National firm Excello Law has announced the appointment of real estate specialist Amanda Hurst, who has joined from Hill Dickinson. Qualifying in 2002, she has a wide range of commercial property experience as well as specialisms in healthcare and education. “I am really excited to join other like-minded, experienced consultants and continue to provide an excellent service to clients whilst working flexibly,” commented on her appointment at Excello Amanda. Having moved from Hill Dickinson, where she headed up the national healthcare property commercial team, Amanda will be focusing on commercial landlord and tenant matters, as well as property acquisitions and disposals. “We are delighted to welcome Amanda to our real estate team in the north west. She is highly valued by her clients and joins at an exciting time in the firm’s history in Liverpool, with a growing team across the region and the launch of our new office facilities in Derby Square. It’s great to have her on board,” said Julie Mogan, Regional Director at Excello. Recently, Amanda was listed in the Legal 500 2023 directory for both commercial property and public sector (health) in Liverpool as a ‘Next-Generation Partner’. “Amanda joins a successful national real estate team and her expertise is a valuable addition to the services we provide. We’re always pleased to hear from lawyers looking to enjoy greater freedom to build their practice with all the infrastructure and regulatory support from an established consultant model firm like Excello,” added Jo Losty, Director at Excello. Founded in 2009 as one of the first law practices to adopt a limited liability company structure, Excello Law is a national, new-model law firm providing a more dynamic, forward-thinking and independent environment in which to practise for senior lawyers, underpinned by unparalleled administrative, compliance and technological support. The firm has grown to a team of 200 partner-level lawyers, with year-on-year growth averaging 20%. The firm has ten UK offices in London (x3), Birmingham, Leicester, Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Liverpool, Chester and Leeds. Excello Law was one of the first law firms in the UK to pioneer true agile or flexible working. The model reduces overhead costs and uses leading-edge technology to give freedom to lawyers and provide better value legal services to clients. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Construction company Urbanise has strengthened the leadership of its delivery team with a new senior appointment. Shaun Boylan, who has been appointed as Construction Lead, will play a principal role in the delivery of construction projects and will be responsible for health and safety compliance. He will also draw on his wealth of experience in the industry to mentor and support Urbanise’s employees and supply chain. Shaun’s appointment comes at a time of significant growth for Urbanise, with plans to double turnover and increase headcount to 25 in the next three years. His role not only enables greater capacity and the ability to take on bigger projects, but it also frees up time in the senior leadership team, allowing a stronger focus on business strategy. Shaun brings over 20 years’ experience in construction, starting with Laing O’Rourke before moving on to ISG and Wates. During his career, Shaun has led the delivery of many multimillion-pound projects, including AstraZeneca’s SPP6 project in Macclesfield, the Lime Street Regeneration project in Liverpool and Chester Zoo’s Islands development. Shaun said, “I feel really fortunate to be joining Urbanise at such an exciting time for the business. It’s great to finally get started and I am looking forward to integrating myself into the team and working hard to realise the exciting opportunities that lie ahead.” Louise Hobson, Urbanise’s Co-founder and Project Services Director, said, “Finding the right person for this role has taken a few years of planning. We identified Shaun due to his great industry experience working across the country on a variety of projects for significant clients. Plus, having worked together previously, we were sure that he would fit well into our growing team. “With Shaun now joining Urbanise as Construction Lead, we believe that his appointment clearly illustrates our intent to continue delivering projects with a relationship led focus for our clients, whilst firmly remembering that ultimately it is all about the build.”
COMPLETE construction partner, Stepnell, has announced two new strategic hires with the appointment of Lewis Archibald as framework director and Sheona Macmillan as sustainability manager. Both roles will support Stepnell’s framework performance growth and bolster its sustainable commitments to project delivery for customers. Lewis joins with nearly 30 years of industry experience, having spent his career working across a variety of preconstruction and estimating roles. At Stepnell, Lewis will continue to add to the complete construction partner’s 15-strong portfolio of both regional and national frameworks. Lewis will also be responsible for increasing the number of framework projects, so that Stepnell can continue to provide better service, earlier contractor involvement and more certainty of delivery. Lewis said: “I’m delighted to be taking on this role during a time of significant growth for Stepnell. Our work to deliver construction excellence – via an increasing number of framework projects – is crucial to our service proposition and the success of the business. “I’m looking forward to accelerating delivery and efficiencies at project and programme level, as well as driving forward innovation for projects, helping to ensure they are on time and within budget. This is an excellent time to be joining Stepnell, with a huge amount of potential to enhance our position, which I hope to achieve.” Stepnell’s new sustainability manager, Sheona, brings seven years of environmental management experience to the role from across rail, construction and military sectors. Sheona will be instrumental to the implementation of sustainability solutions for projects across the entire business. Sheona said: “Supporting Stepnell to achieve and increase our sustainability goals is vital for success. I am therefore very much looking forward to leading the business on its sustainability journey and developing and driving forward new initiatives. By prioritising early engagement with our customers, and through using the most effective sustainable resources and technologies, Stepnell will further minimise waste, reduce carbon emissions, prioritise renewable energy and encourage biodiversity across our sites.” Tom Wakeford, joint managing director at Stepnell, added: “We are pleased to welcome Lewis and Sheona, who will both play an integral part in the continued growth and success of Stepnell. Investing in new talent helps our teams to unlock new and exciting opportunities, while expanding and strengthening our service offering. As they both develop in their roles, we are certain that Lewis and Sheona will make a significant and positive impact to the business, and we look forward to supporting them to do this.” To find out more about Stepnell, visit: www.stepnell.co.uk and for information about Stepnell’s framework partnerships visit www.stepnell.co.uk/frameworks . Join the conversation at @Stepnellltd.
“As The Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) partners, Fortus are particularly strong in the specialist area of Service Charge, and our coming together means we’ll be among the largest Residential Service Charge accountancy teams in the UK. It’s partly their commitment to this specialism that led us to conclude they were the right fit.” Director Dave Brown, formerly of Thomas David. With nearly 200 years of legacy service and experience, the Executive team at Thomas David were exploring ways in which they could best continue to support Owner Managed Businesses (OMBs) long into the future. Increased regulation, more complex taxation and the need to advise clients on an ever-widening range of topics, were top of their concerns. They have now merged with Fortus Business Advisors and Accountants to build on their expanded and sophisticated advisory services, and bolster Fortus’ long-term growth plans. Committed to the Hertford area and to accommodate the new, enlarged team, Fortus now add the Hertford-based office to their national footprint. Fortus is becoming fast-recognised as the ‘challenger’ business advisory and accountancy firm with 350 people in their UK-wide team. Carly Liston, Executive Director at Fortus, said: “Our merger with Thomas David represents another positive key milestone in our nationwide expansion strategy. We’re pooling together our complementary strengths as ‘one team many talents’ to support the coordinated growth of our non-compliance related client services, as well as improving our national market recognition. The incredible level of expertise, experience and network the team bring with them to Fortus means we’re able to deepen our bench strength even further. Together we’ll continue to serve our valued, existing client base whilst also providing the much-needed resources to serve larger advisory clients. We very much look forward to developing many new business opportunities together.” Director Dave Brown, formerly of Thomas David, adds: “We couldn’t be more thrilled to join the Fortus team to support businesses achieve their future ambitions. We’ve known this was the right course of action for over 12 months but we wanted to take the time necessary to find a larger, national firm whose culture and client-first service aligned perfectly with ours. “As The Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) partners, Fortus are particularly strong in the specialist area of Service Charge, and our coming together means we’ll be among the largest Residential Service Charge accountancy teams in the UK. It’s partly their commitment to this specialism that led us to conclude they were the right fit. “This is a truly positive move for Thomas David with our entire Hertford team retaining their existing roles as we transition to Fortus. I’m more than confident our collective talent and harmonised cultures will bring tremendous benefits for our clients and team members alike.”
Sodexo has been appointed as the single supplier on the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) new property services integrator framework which is accessible to all other UK public sector bodies, including the Offices of the Police and Crime Commissioners, the Greater London Authority and its functional bodies to buy a range of strategic property-related services. Through the framework UK public sector bodies have access to Sodexo’s expertise and strategic advice through a range of property-related services, including: Strategic property support services Contract management Operational management Financial management Provision and management of IT systems including building management systems Procurement of supply chain services Audit of the supply chain Dan Weiss, Managing Director, Sodexo’s Property Professional Services said: “We are delighted to have been appointed to this framework. Occupiers are now expected to find solutions on how they adapt their portfolios to achieve net zero, make changes to their workplaces to accommodate hybrid working, balancing the imperative to support employee wellbeing, talent attraction and retention whilst also identifying cost savings measures to combat rising inflation. “We look forward to working in partnership with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime to promote the benefits that we can bring to helping the public sector with these workplace and property challenges. “Sodexo is very well placed to work in partnership with organisations who wish to explore the potential this new framework offers.” Over the past three years Sodexo has worked with clients to: Exit PFI and long-term contracts and successfully move to new operating models. Produce tangible strategies, roadmaps, processes and procedures to meet the government’s Greening Government Commitments and Net Zero targets. Complete whole estate detailed condition survey programme. Compile 15-year lifecycle maintenance plan to inform future asset management plans and estate strategy. Develop estates strategies to support clients with their transformation vision. Provide assurance for planned maintenance and statutory compliance moving one client with nearly 1,200 buildings to a position of 65% to 97% satisfactory state of compliance in six months. Develop a conceptual design for a police station of the future. Deliver over 500 capital projects in 2020-21 and £93 million of investment in life cycle works, capital projects and minors works. For more information about the new MOPAC Framework contact: Taz.Arif@sodexo.com
Timber frame construction specialist, SO Modular, has brought in a new Business Development and Marketing professional to join its rapidly growing team and build relationships with key stakeholders and the wider community. Lisa Amphlett has been brought into the new role with the remit of creating, maintaining, and strengthening relationships with SO Modular’s clients and partner organisations. These include housing associations, local authorities, main contractors, sub-contractors, private developers, and national homebuilders. Her role also sees her managing the company’s marketing initiatives, developing project leads, assisting with tender submissions, and organising engagement opportunities with the wider community. As part of this wider engagement, Amphlett also takes on the role of tenant liaison officer, based on-site at the County Flats development in Sandfields, Aberavon. Her remit in this role includes maintaining communications and developing relationships with the residents and wider community. Amphlett joins SO Modular with five years’ experience within the construction industry in an office-based capacity. She has previously worked as a recruitment consultant for Involve Recruitment in Pontypridd, specialising in the recruitment of temporary construction site operatives. During this role, Amphlett developed extensive experience liaising with clients ranging from multi-million-pound principal contractors to local trade-specific sub-contractors. Lisa Amphlett, Business Development and Marketing Officer at SO Modular, said: “I am delighted to be working at such an innovative and forward-thinking company as SO Modular, and I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead. I will be based at the County Flats development in Aberavon, and very much look forward to taking on the additional role of tenant liaison officer at the site. “My role with SO Modular is varied and my remit wide ranging, and I hope that the skills and experience I bring can benefit the company by increasing awareness throughout the industry and wider community of its innovative and sustainable products and working practices.” Charlotte Hale, Operations Director, SO Modular, added: “We are delighted to have Lisa come on board with us, here at SO Modular, as we look to accelerate our production capacity and develop our growing business. Her new role is key to raising awareness of our products and services, and ensuring strong communications and relationships with our clients, partners and the wider community.”
LEADING housebuilder Lovell Homes has welcomed a brand-new sale advisor to its Blossomfield development in Thorp Arch near Wetherby. Caroline Lewis, who has more than five years’ experience in the industry, joins the team having previously worked for another housebuilder and has also worked in the new build retirement sector. She will be responsible for overseeing and completing sales at the new build development. When complete, Blossomfield will offer 119 high-specification houses, with three-bedroom homes starting from £315,000 and four-bedroom homes from £420,000. Caroline said: “I’m so excited to start my journey with Lovell Homes, especially at such a beautiful development like Thorp Arch. I was drawn to Lovell Homes due to its excellent reputation in the industry, both colleagues and friends within the sector recommended Lovell to me based on not just the quality of the homes but also the workplace culture and the way it looks after employees. “I’ve immediately been introduced to the fast-paced working environment within housing sales, and I absolutely love it. My top priority moving forward is to achieve and maintain a five-star development rating by working closely with customers and making their dream home become a reality. I feel incredibly fortunate to be looking after my own development so soon after joining the company and I want to make the most of this opportunity.” Combining contemporary design with rigorous build quality, the homes have been created with modern living in mind and feature elements such as open plan kitchen and dining areas and spacious rear gardens. Caroline added: “Supporting potential homeowners throughout their journey, from the first viewing all the way through to handing the keys over, is truly magical and I can’t wait to bring this exciting new community to fruition.” Robert Adams, regional managing director at Lovell, said: “We’re incredibly excited to see what Caroline brings to Blossomfield. Her passion for the site is evident and it’s been great to see her hit the ground running so quickly after starting at the development.” For more information, please visit Blossomfield, Thorp Arch or call us on 01937 318 046.