Member Article

Leading surveying and consents management practice make key hire as part of ambitious growth plans.

Ardent, which has expertise in the transport, utilities, renewables and regeneration sectors, has recruited Tom Hacker to head up its new Planning and Engagement team as a Senior Director after he spent eight years with WSP. Tom will be based from Ardent’s office in Leeds but the new service offering will be available to clients across the UK and Ireland via the company’s bases in London, Birmingham, Warrington, Glasgow and Dublin. The initial focus will be around stakeholder engagement and consultation in the planning process for major infrastructure and regeneration schemes. Ardent will not only invest in new staff in the new directorate – it could rise to 30 people in the next five years – it will also be utilising its own, in-house, state-of-the-art ATLAS platform to deliver engagement and consultation services bespoke to each project and client. Tom, who has more than 15 years’ experience in planning and stakeholder engagement on major infrastructure projects, joins Ardent at an exciting time. It recently announced a new look and brand after it surpassed £10 million in turnover for the first time. The company has plans to double in size by 2026 and it was this focus on the future that attracted Tom to the role. He said: “I have worked with Ardent for more than 10 years and kept a close eye on the company’s impressive growth. I have been hugely impressed by Ardent’s ambition moving forwards and I am delighted to join this project. “When we met, we talked about the present but the real focus was on where we wanted to be by 2025 and beyond. “I am really excited to launch this new offer and start delivering fantastic work for clients across the UK.” Richard Caten, Ardent CEO, said the new directorate and the arrival of Tom was the latest piece in the jigsaw for the company. He said: “We’re really pleased to bring in someone of Tom’s expertise and experience – and, most importantly, someone who shares our vision for the future of the business. “The new Planning and Engagement Directorate complements our other services and means we can offer much more to clients on projects that have a positive impact both economically and socially.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .