People: Nurton Developments; GIA; Aon

Birmingham-based, Nurton Developments, is further strengthening its leadership team with the return of Guy Bowden to the business, after 17 years with Bridges Fund Management.

Bowden has over 39 years of experience in the property industry, specialising in identifying, acquiring, and adding value to a wide range of properties and assets across industrial, offices and student accommodation sectors.

At Bridges, Bowden was a partner and was involved in investment acquisitions and developments comprising 3 million sq ft with a focus on sustainable development.

David Bradshaw, managing director at Nurton Developments said: “We welcome back Guy to the team. His extensive experience, combined with his ability to identify opportunities and deliver value, makes him an ideal fit for our evolving business. Guy’s appointment comes at an exciting time for Nurton, as we continue to strengthen our team with recent senior hires such as Ian Harris, who leads our new joint venture, Nurton Retail Ltd and Peter Leaver, former JLL Head of Midlands Planning and Development, bringing valuable expertise to our strategic land direction.

“These significant appointments underline our commitment to growth and our ambition to drive forward projects that deliver not only value but meaningful contributions to communities. Guy’s focus at Bridges of delivering sustainable developments is an area which Nurton is keen to develop further and has always been aligned to, signing one of the first green investment loans on Two Colmore Square and bringing one of the first sustainable urban extensions in the UK forward, Branston Locks in the East Midlands.”

In his new role, Bowden will focus on identifying development opportunities across the UK, with a particular emphasis on the Midlands. He will leverage Nurton’s proven expertise in asset management and value creation to deliver significant growth opportunities in key markets.

Bowden said: “It’s good to be back in the fold and work with David once again. Nurton has continued to grow, diversify and use its financial stability and agility as a business to capitalise on market opportunities. I look forward to continuing to help Nurton cement its reputation in the property industry by investing in projects which are innovative and designed for the future.”

GIA has announced the appointment of Matt Hensey as director, bringing over a decade of expertise in the rights of light, daylight, and sunlight.

Hensey will primarily support GIA’s daylight team in Birmingham, where the company opened an office in May 2024.

His expertise, however, will be leveraged across GIA’s entire network, ensuring the firm continues to provide industry-leading advice and innovative solutions. His specialisms also extend to solar glare – assessing the impact of sunlight reflections on surrounding environments – and photovoltaics, optimising solar panel installations for maximum efficiency.

Hensey has built a distinguished reputation within the industry, with deep-rooted client relationships across the UK.

His addition to GIA marks a strategic expansion, reinforcing the company’s leadership and enhancing its ability to deliver expert guidance to clients navigating complex daylight, sunlight (planning) and rights of light (legal) challenges.

Michael Beatty, director at GIA said: “Matt’s arrival is a significant step for GIA as we continue to grow our presence in Birmingham and the Midlands. Matt’s expertise and industry insights will be invaluable as we strengthen our brand and capabilities.”

Throughout his career, Hensley has advised clients across the UK, including the Isle of Man and Gibraltar, and has been involved in multiple planning appeals and court cases.

A recognised industry thought leader, he frequently delivers talks and presentations to developers, solicitors, planning
consultants, architects, local authorities, and institutions on the evolving landscape of rights of light and daylight and sunlight assessments.

Aon has announced that its specialist UK insolvency and restructuring insurance and risk team, based in Birmingham, has made two promotions.

Due to the team’s continued growth, Sadie Easdown and Andrew McIntosh have both been promoted to executive director roles.

After starting her career with Aon, Easdown went on to gain a broad range of experience at Willis Towers Watson.

She returned to Aon in 2018 as a pivotal part of the team that launched the firm’s insolvency and restructuring business.

Andrew McIntosh and Sadie Easdown

Easdown has amassed over 16 years of experience delivering bespoke insurance solutions to insolvency practitioners, receivers and turnaround professionals.

During this time, she has led Aon’s project team on some significant insolvency engagements in the aviation, retail and manufacturing sectors.

She said: “Having worked across corporate broking and mergers and acquisitions, as well as insolvency, I have developed an interesting mix of experience that helps me shape bespoke solutions for clients from a range of perspectives. I enjoy the problem-solving aspect of my work.

“Aon’s insolvency insurance and risk team has built a strong reputation within the industry and the year ahead is set to be an exciting one. It is, therefore, fantastic to have been promoted into this new role allowing me to further my career within the Aon team.”

Andrew McIntosh has specialised in insolvency insurance since 2009, before which he gained experience across broking and scheme business.

He is a strong believer that in delicate insolvency scenarios, the effective use of the insurance market can make a positive impact in delivering better outcomes.

McIntosh said: “My responsibilities within the business have evolved in recent years and I believe this promotion is recognition of that. We have proved to be a consistently high-performing team for some time, and now Sadie’s and my promotions are forming part of a wider restructuring that ensures we will continue to attract and retain the very best talent to maintain this level of performance.”

Mark Sanderson, managing director of insolvency and restructuring at Aon in the UK said: “Despite there being comparatively fewer insolvencies in 2024, it proved to be a stellar year for the Aon team – we grew by over 40 per cent. This growth was in no small part due to the expertise and commitment to long-term client relationships in which our team invests every day.

“Both Sadie and Andy, with whom I’ve worked for the past 15 years, played a significant role in this growth – their promotions are richly deserved. Now in 2025 – a year which I don’t doubt will bring interesting new challenges to the insolvency landscape – it’s imperative that we continue to present the very strongest team within the sector.”