People: MEC Consulting Group; PJA; Association for Rental Living

The Birmingham office of MEC Consulting Group continues to gather momentum as it announces the appointment of another senior staff member.

Nathan Bill joins the consultancy as an associate civil engineer, bringing with him ten years of experience specifically in residential and commercial developments.

He said: “My background is in consultancy, specialising in civil engineering as well as road and sewer design on large-scale developments in excess of 1000 units. I really enjoy the detailed design side of the role and am looking forward to supporting MEC’s clients with my expertise as well as working with new developers looking to take advantage of a multi-disciplinary approach.”

“The opportunity to help evolve the next generation of engineers and run a team was one of the reasons the position at MEC really appealed. It will not only challenge my own skillset but also provide the chance for me to nurture new talent, and what better place to do this than Birmingham, which is a real hub of activity for property and development.”

Director, Rob Macdonald, said: “Recruitment was a primary focus when we re-opened in Birmingham; we wanted to attract talented professionals with the energy, drive and ambition to propel our growth. Nathan fits the bill perfectly. He is well-known in the city and West Midlands so will be a familiar face to existing and new clients, and was ready to move into a senior leadership role. We’re confident he will be a great addition to the team.”

PJA, the UK and Australian transport, engineering and placemaking consultancy, has welcomed a new Nature Lead Adviser – Scientist (Technical Director) at its Birmingham headquarters.

Dr Ana Togridou

Dr Ana Togridou will play a role in the firm’s vision to create better places through great design, by allowing our technical solutions to be nature-led.

She brings a diverse background to the company having worked in academia and consultancy, nationally and internationally.

Mark Nettleton, PJA joint managing director, said: “We want to support our clients as they follow the bio-diversity and mitigation hierarchy and become nature-positive. To do this Ana is building a team to help us provide holistic solutions, adding to our placemaking, active travel and transport planning, water, civil engineering and ground services.

“We have gone on a journey of understanding the loss of global biodiversity and the impact of this on human health, security and economic welfare. We are for development and growth as a firm, and we want to participate in this in an environmentally sustainable way.”

Nicola Fleet-Milne has been appointed chair of the Association for Rental Living’s (ARL) Midlands Hub.

Fleet-Milne is the founder and chief executive of residential sales and lettings consultancy FleetMilne.She has served on the Midlands Hub board since 2023 and takes the helm from Rebecca Taylor of Long Harbour, who will remain on the board. Tom Grey of Global Apartment Advisors (GAA) will serve as vice chair.

Nicola Fleet Milne

Fleet-Milne said: “The BTR sector has transformed the residential landscape, providing high-quality rental homes in response to the country’s housing need. The sector started life by delivering city centre apartments for rent but has morphed to encompass other living models, including multifamily, single-family, co-living and later living.

“Rental homes will form an increasing proportion of residential options in the UK, with the BTR sector on track to be worth £170bn by 2032*. Birmingham’s BTR offer is relatively embryonic but is rapidly evolving. There are 15 schemes in operation, with more than 20,000 units in the pipeline. Investors and developers are now extending their reach to the suburbs and around the wider region. It’s an exciting time for BTR in the Midlands and I’m thrilled to represent the sector as chair of ARL’s Midlands Hub.”

Brendan Geraghty, chief executive officer of ARL, said: “It is excellent news that Nicola will be leading the Midlands Hub; the sector’s rapid development is the ideal time to be embedding best practices, including a crucial focus on customers and their rental experience. There is also much to be done in terms of growing the understanding of Build to Rent’s role as an anchor tenant in regional regeneration and working with everyone from local authorities to investors. The ARL is grateful to Rebecca Taylor for her excellent leadership of the Midlands Hub thus far and to Nicola for now taking up the mantle.”