Carl Potter has been confirmed as new Midlands Regional Senior Director (RSD), taking over from Ian Stringer when he steps down from the role in May.
Ian will remain a director with the company and will focus on providing advice to a specific portfolio of clients.
Carl, who has been with GVA for 32 years, will move from his current role as National Head of Offices and will in turn be replaced in that position by head of the Midlands Office team, Charles Toogood.
Carl Potter said: “This is an enormously exciting time to be taking over the reins. The Midlands has an enviable future and consecutively Coventry’s City of Culture in 2021, Birmingham’s Commonwealth games in 2022, and the arrival of HS2 in 2026 will all be significant factors in enabling growth within our region.
“GVA is re-inventing itself as a business. We have developed a distinctly different approach to our industry. There is no doubt that the real estate business world is changing, our clients’ needs are evolving and our brand purpose positions us to meet all of these challenges.
“This office has an enviable reputation with exceptional levels of experience and expertise, and through our appointments with clients such as Argent at Brindleyplace, Birmingham City Council at Peddimore and The Birmingham Life Sciences Campus, Calthorpe Estates at Pebble Mill and New Garden Square, Friargate in Coventry, and Arden Cross in Solihull we can make a significant input in shaping the future of our region.”
Charles Toogood has been with GVA for 15 years and alongside his new role as head of the National Offices Team, he will retain his current position as head of the Midlands offices team, which enjoyed a hugely prosperous year in 2017.
Charles Toogood said: “The National Offices team is an important core service line for GVA and a fantastic group of likeminded people with a great collegiate approach to business. I very much look forward to this new role and am pleased to have the opportunity to build on our already strong offering, whilst positioning the team to provide advice throughout all stages of the property lifecycle.”
Both Carl and Charles will continue to play an active part in client work, advising public and private sector clients, managing transactions and providing strategic advice on new development.
A well-known figure in the regional property sector, Ian has been RSD for the Midlands for a decade and his previous roles have included National Head of Offices, UK Head of Transactional Services, Non-Executive Chairman of GVA between 2005 and 2008 and Advisory Board Chairman between 2014 and 2016.
Ian said: “It has been a fantastic privilege to work with the team both here in the Midlands and across GVA more broadly since I started with the company 35 years ago. I have held my current role for 10 years and the Midlands office enjoyed a record turnover of £27m last year, so this feels like a good time to implement our succession plan in the region.
“Carl is a natural choice to take on this role and I look forward to continuing to work with him as he provides ongoing leadership, direction, and a fresh approach across all of our business units in the Midlands, ensuring that this offices continues to go from strength to strength as the leading provider of commercial real estate and planning services in the region.“
