People: New senior planner at CBRE Leeds; Building consultancy appoints new head of office; Four new recruits for architecture firm; and more

CBRE has expanded its UK Development team in Leeds with the appointment of Alison Mackay as a senior planner to support its growing project workload.

Mackay joins from Colliers and brings more than 8 years planning experience working in the private sector in London and the North East.

With expertise in dealing with large complex commercial planning applications and land promotion, Mackay has worked across the residential, office, industrial, hotel, retail, leisure and extra care sectors.

The team is working on a number of high-profile planning projects across the region, including Wellington Place in Leeds and Peel Logistics Park in Sheffield which secured planning approval last month.

Oliver Freer, Director in the Leeds Planning and Development team said:

“I am delighted to welcome Alison Mackay to the Leeds team.

“Alison is a fantastic addition, bringing a broad range of commercial planning experience and enthusiasm that will be of great value as we grow the team.

:::

Independent commercial building consultancy Malcolm Hollis has announced James Audsley as Head of its Leeds office, following more than a decade spent working primarily out of its London and Manchester offices.

Audsley joined Malcolm Hollis 15 years ago and is a Partner at the firm. Having grown up in Yorkshire, he is now ‘moving home’ to head up the consultancy’s Leeds office, which has been operating for 16 years and boasts a multi-disciplined team of building surveyors, project managers and engineers.

Alongside his role as head of the Leeds office, Audsley will continue to lead Malcolm Hollis’ party wall and neighbourly matters team and will continue to manage client relationships at a national level. He also specialises in freehold and leasehold acquisition surveys, and deals with dilapidations instructions on behalf of several clients including LandSec, Segro and Sportsdirect.

Audsley said: “There is increasing realisation that the regions hold the key to the UK’s future economic growth, with significant investment in the real estate sector coming from UK based funds and overseas investors. Leeds is a city that has seen a significant chunk of this investment already, which reflects the confidence in the City and wider region. The commercial property market in the city has remained resilient with new developments opening up to create jobs and bolstering the local economy.

“For me personally, I am excited to be able to move back home and it is a great opportunity for me to grow the office in Leeds, whilst still maintaining my long-term client relationships in London, Manchester and throughout the country.”

As part of a focus on expanding the firm’s offering in Yorkshire, dilapidations and dispute resolution expert, Iain Feasey also re-located from London to the Leeds office to support the business in bolstering its dilapidations service offering in the North of England. Working with landlords and tenants alike, Iain has been involved in several multi-million pound projects, including the likes of the Metropolitan Police Service, the Home Office and the widely reported dilapidations case of Sunlife Europe Properties Ltd V Tiger Aspect Holdings Ltd & Anor (2013).

:::

Due to expansion and new project wins, York-based DWA Architects has appointed four staff to join its team.

The new starters are Mark Akister, who has been appointed as an architectural technologist, Robert Battison as senior architectural technician, Jordan Alcock as assistant architectural technologist and Sam Sherwood as assistant architect.

DWA Architects work on developments around the country and abroad, specialising in healthcare, commercial and residential projects.

David Ward, managing director of DWA Architects, said: “We are delighted for Mark, Robert, Jordan and Sam to join the growing DWA team.  They bring a broad range of experience and will be working on some very exciting projects across the UK.  We are always on the look out for the brightest and best architectural talent.”

Founded over 30 years ago the firm also has offices in London and Altrincham, as well as its York headquarters.

:::

East Yorkshire based video and marketing agency VIP Worldwide has made two appointments.

Sarah Jordan joins VIP Worldwide as social media marketing executive and will be responsible for creating digital and social marketing plans and managing social media campaigns.

Josh Rowden joins VIP Worldwide as digital content manager and will be responsible for bespoke, responsive website design and graphic design for a wide range of international clients.

VIP Worldwide is used by hospitality and travel brands and properties around the world and clients include Sandy Lane, Barbados, Royal Mansour, Marrakech, Oetker Collection, Marriot International, The Robert Parker Collection, The Leading Hotels of the World, Grace Hotels, The Ritz, London, and Rosewood Hotels and Resorts.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sarah and Josh to the team. Working in the luxury hospitality market it is essential to have the right people in place to continue our growth to support and anticipate the future needs of our growing number of international clients. ” said David Beasley, chief executive Officer, VIP Worldwide.