Ridge appoints three partners to commercial team

Mark Dewhurst, Lee Mellor, and Chris Dunne have all joined the national multidisciplinary consultancy from Arcadis, where they helped deliver the £116m One Angel Square and £35m RHS Bridgewater.

Dewhurst and Mellor are both chartered quantity surveyors, while Dunne is a project manager. All three have been made partners at Ridge and Partners’ Manchester office at 100 Embankment in Salford.

Lucy Osborne, Manchester managing partner at Ridge, said: “Mark, Lee, and Chris are an excellent addition to the Manchester leadership team.

“Our values align, as they too focus on delivering clients with a high-quality service,” she continued. “It’s exciting times ahead for us as we continue our journey on building a true multi-disciplinary offering with talented people.”

Dewhurst has more than 25 years of experience, having worked on construction projects ranging from £1bn to £3bn. In addition to 10 years spent working at Arcadis, he has past experience at Christal Management, Gardiner & Theobald, and Faithful+Gould (now AtkinsRealis).

Dewhurst shared what attracted him to join Ridge and his ambitions for the company.

“Ridge has an excellent reputation and is growing sustainably, while remaining partner-led,” he said.

“My focus is to contribute to Ridge’s success and establish us as the go-to firm for cost and project management in the North of England, especially for commercial and residential developments.”

“As Ridge grows, it’s important that we preserve the strong values and positive culture that have driven the company’s success over the past decade. Maintaining a client-focused, high-quality ethos is essential as we move forward,”

Mellor has been in the industry since 1998, starting out with Faithful+Gould as a quantity surveyor. His career has taken him to Gleeds, Gardiner & Theobald, and AA Projects before he joined Arcadis as commercial director. His experience includes work in the residential, leisure, education, and commercial sector for both public and private sector clients.

Like Dewhurst, Mellor said it was Ridge’s partner-led approach and “ambitious growth plans” that drew him to the company.

“As cost management lead for the private sector in the North, my focus is to grow a team which delivers service excellence, adds value and builds on the excellent reputation Ridge has already established,” he said.

Dunne has more than 30 years of experience in the world of contracting and development consultancy. In the past, he has worked for Gardiner & Theobald, The Co-operative Group, and Sweett Group. At Ridge, Dunne will lead the company’s Manchester-based project management team.

“Ridge has an excellent reputation in delivering project management services on complex projects throughout the UK,” Dunne said.

“I am looking forward to building on this success and contributing to the continuing growth of the business in the region.”

Ridge has more than 1,200 employees across 13 offices, including locations in Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, and London.

Recent Ridge projects in the North West include Your Housing Group’s plans to build 38 affordable apartments in Wigan, Invesco and Alumno’s large student resi scheme in Manchester, and the £58m revamp of the Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool.