News
Five new appointments for our Northern Ireland team
As part of the continued expansion of our Northern Ireland team we have appointed five new team members to join our growing Planning and Strategic Communications teams.
Donna Lyle and Nick Salt join our 16 strong planning team as Senior Planners, alongside Orlaith Keen who recently joined the firm on a permanent contract as an Assistant Planner.
Nick joins from Capita and brings a wealth of experience in major planning applications. In a previous role with the Isle of Man Government he advised on the proposed changes to the Isle of Man Government planning legislation.
Donna brings a range of experience in delivering local and major planning applications through the NI planning system. She is the current RTPI Young Planner of the Year in NI and was also instrumental in setting up the NI Branch of the Women in Planning network.
Orlaith graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a Distinction in MSc Planning & Development. Prior to joining the team in November 2021, Orlaith completed a work-based study with Lacuna Developments focusing on city centre living, a key growth area for the practice.
Meanwhile our Strategic Communications team, which has continued to strengthen its political and public affairs offer, has hired two new people including Senior Consultant, Jack Gibson and Consultant, Michael Jardine.
Jack joins from a policy and campaign position with Law Centre Northern Ireland, and previously as account manager for major retail and water infrastructure projects at a leading public affairs agency where he led the communications strategy clients.
Meanwhile Michael Jardine joins from Infrastrata, where he supported the company’s external, planning and regulatory communications for its underground natural gas storage facility at Islandmagee and Harland & Wolff sites.
Our growth in Northern Ireland over the last 12 months is driven by our clients’ focus on the delivery of city living, healthcare, logistics and infrastructure projects, its portfolio of Housing Association work and the our engagement in the new round of council Local Development Plans.
Speaking about these new appointments Head of Planning Ireland, Michael Gordon said:
“Donna, Nick, Orlaith, Jack and Michael’s appointments reflect the growth we have experienced in Northern Ireland, which is down to our collaborative, multidisciplinary approach and our reputation for successfully navigating a planning system which is often in the headlines for the wrong reasons.
“Our extended reach means our team of Planning and Strategic Communications specialists work on projects across the island of Ireland from our office locations in Belfast, City of Derry~North West, and Dublin.”
8 April 2022