People: DPP; Ponderosa; Thomas Alexander Homes; and more

Independent planning consultancy, DPP, has made a key promotion at its Leeds office.

Oliver Corbett, principal planner, has been promoted to associate director.

He is a graduate of Leeds Beckett University where he studied Town Planning. He worked at Kirklees Council as a graduate planner before joining DPP as a planner in 2018.

Several promotions later, Corbett has now been named as one of DPP’s new associate directors.

He also sits on the committee of Forum for Tomorrow (fft) Leeds, the young professional’s branch of the Forum for the Built Environment (fbe) Leeds construction industry networking group, where he organises various networking and CPD events throughout the year.

Corbett operates across many sectors at DPP and is currently working on major education redevelopment projects across the country.

He is also leading on the regeneration of the Rheola Estate in the Neath Valley, South Wales, which includes three Grade II listed buildings and a Registered Park and Garden designed by architects John Nash and George Stanley Repton.

Gareth Hooper, CEO of DPP Planning, said: “There is nothing I like better than seeing colleagues thrive and that’s just what we have witnessed with Oliver.

“Being able to nurture talent is part of our DNA and seeing our younger staff members progress and contribute so much to not only us as a business, but also to our client’s work is so rewarding.

“We recognise we need the best in the business on our team to win and work on the best projects.

“We are fiercely independent and so we are committed to succession planning and creating a culture of excellence in a supportive and fulfilling working environment.”

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Leeds-based brand and communications agency, Ponderosa has appointed Gina Deen as Director of Social and Influencers.

Gina has worked with some of the world’s leading FMCG, fashion, entertainment and tech brands, including Gucci Beauty, Rimmel London, PUMA UK and Panasonic.

With vast experience gained at agencies, including WongDoody, SMARTS and MSL, Gina has a track record of developing and delivering impactful social and influencer campaigns for leading brands.

With plans to bolster and develop Ponderosa’s social and influencer services to meet client needs, Gina will be responsible for the commercial, strategy and activation rollout and will oversee the integration of the social and influencer team into the wider agency.

Gina will be supporting the team on the creative strategy and implementation for clients, including Hisense, PhD, Science in Sport, Leeds Bradford Airport and KCOM.

Gina Deen, Director of Social and Influencers at Ponderosa said, “I’ve built my career around translating impactful insight into first-class social creative, so naturally I was drawn to Ponderosa, an agency driven by the same ethos.

“My experience in helping brands to co-create with dynamic talent will help develop the agency’s offering, and I look forward to getting under the skin of our exciting client portfolio.”

Speaking on behalf of Gina’s appointment, CEO at Ponderosa, Richard Midgley said, “We are constantly evolving our services, using insights to understand what clients need to stay relevant and create impact.

“We are delighted to welcome Gina to our growing team – she has a wealth of experience which complements and supports our growing social and influencer services.”

Outside of her role at Ponderosa, Gina is the MarComms Director and youngest Board member at Ok Mentor – a social enterprise helping young female creatives in 52+ countries to succeed, by providing free crash mentorship.

Ponderosa is part of Audience Collective, which was formed in 2020 and now comprises of seven specialist marketing agencies.

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Leeds-based housebuilder, Thomas Alexander Homes, has appointed Joe Priestley as commercial director to lead its growth plans.

Priestley has more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry, having previously held important roles at a number of regional house builders and construction organisations, both in the UK and overseas, including Lovell Partnerships, Morgan Sindall and Harron Homes.

In his new role, he will focus on developing Thomas Alexander Homes’ commercial team and processes to facilitate business growth as the company moves to develop larger sites with more volume.

He said: “Since starting my career in the housing sector at the age of 16, I’ve held positions from management trainee to commercial director, and lots of other roles in between.

“At Thomas Alexander, I will be looking to ensure we obtain best value across our projects while also delivering uncompromising quality.

“By implementing new processes, developing our team and challenging the current approach within the industry, I’m certain we can achieve consistent commercial performance as we continue to expand and I’m looking forward to working with like-minded people to achieve great things.”

Alex Blease, managing director, said: “We’re thrilled to have added Joe to our growing team. He is a hugely experienced professional who knows our industry inside-out and I’m sure his know-how and work ethic will allow us to grow even faster.”

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Commercial interior designer and fitter, Absolute Commercial Interiors, has expanded its team with Tom Keysell joining as client account manager.

The Harrogate-based company has recently been acquired by fire solutions contractor, TECL.

Keysell has more than 10 years’ experience working in the commercial interiors industry predominantly in business development roles across the UK.

His decade in the industry has fostered a thorough understanding of the design and build, detail and build, and traditional procurement routes across several sectors including commercial, retail, leisure and education.

He said: “It’s fantastic to have joined the team at Absolute at such an exciting time for the business.

“I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the role and to working with an already extensive portfolio of clients. Absolute has a host of really interesting, creative projects in the pipeline so I’m excited to help bring these to life.

Director, Thomas Hare, added: “We’re thrilled to have Tom on board to strengthen our eight-strong team of experts.  His experience in the commercial interior world and track record in customer relations is unparalleled.

“Everyone in the business is excited to work with Tom as we continue to go from strength-to-strength.”