Award-winning property consultancy announces new Senior Partner and Chairman

Ward Williams, a multi-award winning national property and construction consultancy, has announced the culmination of a two-year leadership evolution strategy, which sees James Beckly take over the role of Senior Partner from Andy Snapes, the last of the firm’s Founding Partners to hold the role.

The change in leadership sees Andy become Ward Williams’ Chairman, taking over 40 years’ experience at Ward Williams into an external ambassadorial role, with an internal focus on mentoring and supporting others in the organisation.

James joined Ward Williams in 2017, being promoted to Managing Partner in 2021. Working closely together with Andy and the other Partners, the Senior Management Team has overseen the firm’s doubling in turnover and witnessed several pivotal milestones.

These include the successful restructuring of the business into a custodianship model to drive employee excellence, and the attainment of B Corporation Certification, becoming the first chartered surveying firm in the world to do so.

In 2022 the firm was also successful in being awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development, bolstering its reputation as one of the leading proponents of sustainability in the built and natural environment.

In this period, James’ leadership of the firm’s project management teams has cemented the company’s foothold in delivering high-quality, sustainable projects. He has also been instrumental in supporting the development of an ‘innovative’ Construction Management service, which is delivered under the brand “Whitebox”, led by Partner Stuart Wilkinson.

As part of this planned evolution, the Ward Williams team is currently in the process of a significant rebranding project, due to launch in January 2024, which will encompass the firm’s aim to further its positive impact on the built and natural environment for people, places and the planet.

James commented: “It’s a challenging yet exciting time for our industry, and I’m proud to be taking the lead of the next stage of Ward Williams’ evolution at a time of great transformation.

“My focus will be on ensuring we’re fit for the future through continued improvements to our infrastructure in readiness for AI integration and improving our service delivery through the formation of strategic partnerships with other industry leaders.

“I am excited to build on Ward Williams’ track record in sustainability and delivering a positive impact in our communities and for the people we work with.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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