Property people: Urbana; Bowman Riley; and more

Planning consultancy, Urbana, has welcomed Joe Kirtley to its growing team across Sheffield and London.  

Kirtley has joined the business from a private planning consultancy in the Midlands.

He said: “I wanted to work for a company with a genuine passion for the built environment, providing exceptional design and making better places.

“I firmly believe as Urbanists, we can shape the future of our cities and the spaces we interact with in a fundamentally positive way.

“The climate change crisis is threatening the world’s future, and I hope we can play our part in addressing this. I look forward to being a part of Urbana’s future growth, and I’m excited about our 2022 plans.”

Based in the Sheffield office, Kirtley will support the rest of the team in delivering development proposals that improve cities and towns.

He will also be looking into research projects around people’s relationship with the built environment, particularly concerning mental health and personal development.

Managing director, Adam Murray, added: “We have ambitious growth plans for 2022, and we’re thrilled that Joe will be joining us on our journey.”

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Architecture, interior design and building services consultancy, Bowman Riley, has expanded its heritage team.

In 2019, the company identified an opportunity to expand its services into specialist heritage consultancy, so appointed senior conservation architect Helen Walker.

Recruitment of Joanne Harrison, architect & heritage consultant and Robert Sharples, architect and RIBA conservation registrant followed, to bolster the team further.

In recognition of her achievements, the company – which has offices in Leeds, Skipton and London – has promoted Walker to head of heritage.

This role should empower her to lead the team towards more success, as its workload increases in the months and years ahead.

Walker said: “I’m proud of our team’s achievements in really establishing Bowman Riley as a leading provider of specialist heritage consultancy.

“A big thank you to everyone at Bowman Riley from senior management to the business support team for their continued support in the development of our heritage services.”

Michael Feather, managing director, said: “It has been a positive move to establish conservation architecture and heritage consultancy as core services to enhance what we can offer to our clients.

“I am excited to see what the coming months and years bring.”

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Yorkshire-based construction firm, Big Red, has added its new group operations director to its growing executive team – a move triggered by significant growth and expansion of service offering.

Greg Wood joins with a wealth of experience in food and pharmaceutical operations, a key sector for the company.

Big Red already has a presence in the food, pharmaceuticals and health arena, having worked on a number of complex and specialist projects in the sector over the past five years.

The company has a strong vision for developing this expertise further in 2022 and beyond, and is looking to drive forward this arm of the business in particular.

Wood, who joined Big Red in November 2021, has a background in operations management, having worked in food and pharmaceutical manufacturing operations for companies like Reckitt and has spent time with retail giant Morrisons.

He said: “The way the company has grown from its inception to now – particularly in the past 12-months – made a career with Big Red something I absolutely couldn’t turn down.

“Big Red is trying to do something different in the construction industry, and I think the next year will be a big one for us.

“We’re expecting another strong year of growth, with a good turnover and some great flagship projects nationwide.

“In terms of the food and pharma sector, I’m pleased to be able to bring world-class operational manufacturing experience to a construction environment to assist in branching out even further.

“There’s no limit to anything we can do – Big Red has massive plans for the future.”

Mike Lomas, group managing director, said: “We’re delighted to have Greg on board as we head into our five-year anniversary; his recruitment marks a significant period of growth for the business.

“As we move into 2022, having a designated senior lead in operations will help us to make strategic decisions about projects and the future of the company.

“His background in food and pharma is also hugely beneficial as we look to drive forward that area of the business.

“With an increasingly strong executive team now in place, Big Red is set to continue its trajectory of growth.”