AEW adds eighth member to board

Eamon O’Hara has been promoted to director after 20 years with the Manchester-based architecture practice.

The promotion comes with a spot on AEW Architects’ board. O’Hara has become the firm’s eighth board member alongside Andy Rainford, Phil Hepworth, Mark Turner, Alex Southall, Alan Lamb, Colin Savage, and Danielle Purves.

O’Hara joined the business as a student in 2006. He qualified as an architect in 2011 and became an associate director in 2014. He has spent the last nine years as an associate director.

Alongside fellow director Purves, Eamon leads the firm’s retail roll-out team – the company’s largest – which was responsible for 35% per cent of AEW’s turnover in the 2024/25 financial year.

Andy Rainford, managing director at AEW Architects, was full of praise for O’Hara.

“A graduate of the ‘AEW plus academy’, Eamon’s tenure has been nothing short of brilliant and we’re so happy for him,” he said.

“Not only is he an architect with the skills required to meet the demands of fast-paced, retail roll out workstreams, but Eamon has helped pioneer our approach, policies and procedures in response to the Building Safety Act and changes to the Building Regulations.”

Rainford added: “The time is certainly right to recognise and reward the very significant contribution Eamon has made and continues to make to the practice and it’s an apt way to mark his 20th year at AEW.”