New hires at Turner & Townsend will broaden the firm’s integrated major programme set-up capability.
Global professional services company Turner & Townsend is strengthening its UK programme set-up capability with four senior appointments, further enhancing its consenting expertise.
Mark Southgate, Tara Chopra and Andrew Walters join as project directors, alongside Silvia To as associate director. Turner & Townsend’s expanded team will support the business’s work in setting up the UK’s largest programmes through the planning process, advancing nationally significant infrastructure and major programmes.
Southgate is a chartered town planner with almost four decades of experience in national infrastructure planning, national planning and environmental policy and development management. During that time, he worked in senior leadership positions across government agencies, regulators and local authorities. His expertise will help clients prepare, de-risk and secure consent for major infrastructure projects.
Chopra joins Turner & Townsend with extensive experience securing consents for complex infrastructure and energy projects, including the Queen Elizabeth Line and some of the UK’s largest solar farms. She brings specialist expertise in environmental impact assessment and DCO processes, enabling her to advise clients on the programme strategies needed to achieve successful outcomes.
Walters brings over 30 years of experience as a town planner and environmental lawyer. His career spans senior roles across public and private sectors, including appointments to the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. He has led delivery on a wide range of infrastructure projects and will now focus on addressing major consenting challenges in sectors such as transmission and distribution and defence. He will also drive Turner & Townsend’s growth in consenting services across Scotland.
Additionally, To has over 10 years of experience across nationally significant infrastructure programmes including Lower Thames Crossing and Jersey’s New Healthcare Facilities Programme. She brings a wealth of specialist expertise in stakeholder engagement and navigating complex consenting processes.
The four appointments also build upon the appointment of Rhian Halford in 2024, who joined the team bringing extensive experience from programmes such as the Queen Elizabeth Line, ABP and Thames Tideway, focusing on providing post-consent advisory to clients.
Simon Earles, head of consents, infrastructure, UK at Turner & Townsend, said: “This expanded team reflects our commitment to growth and provides a strong leadership to our clients navigating the consenting process for major programmes, from the outset through to delivery. Mark, Tara, Andrew, and Silvia’s combined experience will allow us to broaden our integrated major programme set-up capability, build stronger client relationships and deliver even greater value across infrastructure, defence and energy sectors. We will continue to build this capability to support our clients who are playing an active role in securing consent for the most transformational and nationally significant infrastructure projects in the UK and beyond.”
