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
SCAPE Scotland, one of Scotland’s leading public sector procurement authorities, has appointed a new framework manager to lead its partner relationships and support best-in-class procurement across the nation’s public sector built environment projects. Gary Meechan joins SCAPE Scotland following eight years with construction consultancy Currie & Brown, where he was
Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Christopher Pincher MP, has visited Graven Hill, the UK’s largest custom and self-build development site, in Bicester, Oxfordshire. The visit follows the Government’s launch of a 12-week consultation to create a vision for the Oxford-Cambridge Arc Spatial Framework, which aims to guide the
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.
SCAPE Scotland, one of Scotland’s leading public sector procurement authorities, has appointed a new framework manager to lead its partner relationships and support best-in-class procurement across the nation’s public sector built environment projects. Gary Meechan joins SCAPE Scotland following eight years with construction consultancy Currie & Brown, where he was most recently associate project manager, specialising in delivering projects for public sector clients including the NHS. In the newly created role, Gary will work closely with SCAPE Scotland’s construction and consultancy partners, including contractors on its £2bn, net zero-ready Construction framework, to enhance the quality and social value generated by projects for its public sector clients. Partners on the recently launched framework include Kier, Morgan Sindall and McLaughlin & Harvey. Consultancy partners include Faithful & Gould, Triskelion & Arup. As well as managing and supporting SCAPE’s delivery partners in Scotland, Gary will also ensure the smooth-running of SCAPE’s construction frameworks in Northern Ireland, delivered by Graham and McLaughlin & Harvey. The new hire represents further investment in Scotland for the procurement authority, which appointed Lillian McDowall as senior business manager in April. Lillian is currently leading SCAPE Scotland’s client engagement team, which supports local authorities in driving community regeneration and economic growth through construction. SCAPE Scotland currently works with more than 45 public bodies, generating revenues in excess of £400m for Scottish contractors through its frameworks. With projects currently being delivered for clients including the City of Edinburgh Council, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Perth & Kinross Council, Edinburgh University and East Dunbartonshire Council. Gary Meechan, framework manager at SCAPE Scotland, said: “Regenerating the public estate will be at the heart of the Scottish government’s plans and approach to the climate emergency in the coming years. As such, it’s imperative that local authorities and other public sector organisations are able to make the most of investment in infrastructure with the support of best-in-class procurement advice and experienced contractors whose goals are aligned with their own. Our delivery partners have a long track record of helping public sector clients achieve their objectives, and I’m looking forward to working with both groups to accelerate project delivery, drive innovation and generate community benefits for the Scottish public sector.” Andy Bacon, operations director at SCAPE Scotland, said: “Gary’s appointment represents the latest investment in our team as we continue to strengthen our support for the public sector while aiding the growth of an extensive local supply chain across Scotland. His experience bridging the gap between client and contractor is incredibly valuable and will no doubt aid the success of our latest generation of consultancy and construction frameworks, which continue to see our projects deliver positive and sustainable legacies for local communities.”
Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Christopher Pincher MP, has visited Graven Hill, the UK’s largest custom and self-build development site, in Bicester, Oxfordshire. The visit follows the Government’s launch of a 12-week consultation to create a vision for the Oxford-Cambridge Arc Spatial Framework, which aims to guide the growth of the area until 2050. The Framework is a long-term strategic plan for making the area a better place to live and supporting long-term economic growth in the Oxford-Cambridge Arc. The ministerial visit included a tour around the site to showcase how Graven Hill has been championing the future of housing, through self-build, custom build, and new build homes, as well as a wide range of innovative building techniques. “The Oxford-Cambridge Arc Spatial Framework is an exciting development, bringing jobs, homes and economic prosperity to the local area. Oxfordshire continues to be a popular place to live, so homes will be hugely important in ensuring the initiative is a success,” said Karen Curtin, managing director at Graven Hill. “The UK housing market is lacking in variety and we know that people are looking for more than cookie-cutter homes. We’re doing something different that truly offers choice, flexibility and personality. There are exciting things in the pipeline too and we hope that the Bacon Review findings and the upcoming Help to Build legislation will encourage developers across the UK to also consider self and custom build plots as a key aspect of their developments. They’ve been hugely popular at Graven Hill and we are excited to be launching our next phase this weekend.” Graven Hill sits directly in the Arc and will play a significant role in the development of the scheme, not least because of Bicester’s future location on the East-West Rail route from Oxford to Cambridge. Mr Pincher was able to see some of the innovative builds being undertaken by Graven Hill’s residents, as well as visiting the Build It Education House, which aims to give would-be self-builders an insight into the processes involved in a project. “We are levelling up the whole country and unlocking the huge potential of the entire Oxford-Cambridge Arc. Places like Graven Hill show just how we can build high quality, well designed, new homes and make sure this popular area continues to be a beautiful place to live, work and visit,” said Housing Minster RT Hon Christopher Pincher MP. “Improving the planning process across the region will support the housing sector, create thousands of jobs, drive investment and vital infrastructure, and protect the environment. I want residents and local communities to have their say on the future of the area and encourage everyone to fill out our online consultation.” In the last 12 months, Graven Hill has seen a number of house completions and the commencement of enabling works on the employment land and Phase 2 of the development, whilst welcoming new families into its ever-expanding community. Mr Pincher and Cllr Wood were also on hand to cut the ribbon on the next residential phase at Graven Hill which will see 18 new serviced plots released for sale from Saturday 2nd October as part of the Build It Live event in Bicester.