Aecom hires Gleave as cities lead

Engineering consultancy Aecom has hired urban planner Stephen Gleave as regional cities lead for Manchester, after he spent several years as an independent planning consultant on projects across the North West.

Gleave, a former Turley director who also worked with the Design Council, WYG Group, Stockport Council and others, will be responsible for planning and managing urban development initiatives throughout the Manchester city region, working with Aecom’s design and consulting services team, the company said in a statement.

Andy Barker, Aecom’s UK managing director for environment and ground engineering, who also oversees offices in the North West, said: “This appointment is central to the commitment that Aecom is making to invest in the right infrastructure and develop core cities like Manchester, while taking environmental concerns into account.”

Prior to his appointment, Gleave worked as an independent consultant through his company Gleave23, initially supporting Turley’s planning and design team on its Better Places agenda, before branching out and advising other clients, such as Deloitte Real Estate on the Greater Manchester Mayoral Development Corporation for Stockport, and Wigan Council on its strategic regeneration framework.

Gleave led multi-disciplinary practice Taylor Young for more than 15 years before its acquisition by global firm IBI Group in 2013, when he became a member of the transitional management team. He later joined Turley as senior director between 2015 and 2018.

He said: “A common theme during future city debates is related to coordinating the many strands of city planning. Having the opportunity to directly engage and be part of this transformation while making a difference to the city I live in is an exciting opportunity.”

Aecom has around 600 professionals working in and around the Greater Manchester area.