Property People: The latest hires from across the region’s property sector
Construction property and management consultancy Rider Levett Bucknall has boosted its leadership team with the appointment of Julian Henley as national head of public and civic sector, based out of its Colmore Row office in Birmingham.
Henley brings more than 20 years experience in operational delivery, leadership, strategy and business development across public sector areas such as defence, housing, regeneration, water utilities and industrial.
Joining from global consulting and engineering business Wood, previous clients include the Crown Commercial service, the Ministry of Defence, Homes England and numerous local authorities, many of which are shared with RLB.
He said: “With the Government putting public sector at the heart of revitalising the economy and the Midlands being the hub for so many public sector projects, this is an exciting time to be joining RLB. My new role gives me the opportunity to bring my 20+ years learning to the benefit of a business with a clear definition of travel and a marketplace hungry for progress.”
Jo Reynolds, managing partner for RLB Midlands, added: “Julian’s appointment comes at an instrumental time for us here at RLB. Julian’s multi-disciplinary and engineering background complements our existing expertise and strengthens our client offering. His understanding of the context of decarbonisation and the levelling up agenda and social values also aligns with our strategic vision for the future of the industry.”
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Real estate advisor Avison Young has promoted two team members to directors within its Birmingham office.
Among a raft of seven senior promotions across the country, Avison Young’s Birmingham office has made Tesni Thacker and Jennifer Price directors in its industrial and distribution agency and rates management advisory teams respectively.
Thacker will grow her leading role within Avison Young’s seven-strong Midlands team of industrial and distribution specialists. Over the past 12 months, the industrial market in the Midlands has seen a sharp rise in demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic, achieving take up of 15million sq ft of space in 2020 – the biggest seen for more than a decade.
Price, promoted within the rates management team of the telecoms business unit, has more than 10 years at Avison Young managing the local tax liabilities for clients across a wide variation of sectors, including Mobile Broadband Network, NatWest Group and The Argyll Club. Her directorship will see her continue to seize growth opportunities for the 11-strong team post-pandemic.
Carl Potter, principal and managing director at Avison Young Birmingham, said: “We’re thrilled to make Tesni and Jennifer directors in our Birmingham office and extend our huge congratulations to them both on their promotions.
“Testament to their leadership and hard work, the past 12 months has seen their divisions achieve strong results, with their teams being instrumental in helping our clients respond to the pandemic, remain resilient and grow.”
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Signature Property Finance has made a structural change within its business model, following the appointment of Thomas Howells as the firm’s first legal director.
The new management structure was announced at the start of the year and the firm said that bringing legal experience onto the board has helped broaden the expertise to help shape its growth strategy.
Howells commented on his arrival from Insight Law: “Development finance is currently our key growth area, especially in the small-scale development space of 1-5 units, which often require more complex legal issues to be addressed. Having an in-house advisor in this context, is a significant benefit.
“The link between property finance and legal advice is so intrinsic to the smooth running of deals, it is surprising perhaps that more lenders haven’t made a similar move. It makes for better, quicker deals, which often cost less to administer for the borrower, so a genuine win-win.”
