International property and construction consultancy, Gleeds, has announced the appointment of two new directors within its London project management arm. John Barnett and Ed Horne join the business from Avison Young Project Management to drive growth in Gleeds’ major London projects division, bolstering the firm’s growing presence in the capital.

The pair’s arrival follows the appointment of Craig Ward and Andrew Todman, who also joined Gleeds from Avison Young earlier in the year, bringing decades of expertise to the 40-strong project management team. John and Ed’s roles will add to a senior leadership line-up with a strong track record of delivery on some of the capital’s most influential projects.

Ed has over 30 years’ experience in the construction industry and has worked on major new build and refurbishment projects across the commercial and residential sectors for developer clients, pension funds and corporate clients. Ed’s particular sector expertise is in West End office development, and he has headed up numerous West End projects including mixed use schemes at 18-20 Hanover Square (Bond Street East Over Station Development) and Rio Tinto’s HQ at 5-6 St James’s Square. Other notable projects from his career include working on One Palace Street, the Royal Mint Court and Heron Tower.

John began his career as a chartered architect before moving into project management, and now has 25 years’ experience in the discipline. His diverse career has seen him undertake a range of roles including design and project management, with frequent secondments to client organisations. He has also headed up major projects for Battersea Power Station, One Nine Elms, Damac Tower, One Kensington, One Hyde Park and Fitzroy Place as well as governance over numerous large scale commercial office, residential, hotel and mixed-use developments.

Gleeds’ project management offering in London and further afield has seen steady growth following significant investment from the business, with a strong outlook heading into 2025 and onwards. Current projects and clients include commercial development 40 Leadenhall, EDF Properties, Standard Chartered Bank, the Department for Education and the Government Property Agency, among others.

Richard Steer, Chair of Gleeds Worldwide, comments, “It’s fantastic to introduce this newly completed team which will truly help our project management team in London to reach another level. John and Ed both bring unparalleled experience and knowledge built up over their respective careers, and our clients will benefit enormously from their guidance and support in delivering challenging projects. I’m happy to be welcoming them to Gleeds and look forward to seeing what they achieve here.”

Talking about their decision to join the business, John Barnett, Senior Director, Project Management at Gleeds, said, “Joining Gleeds truly feels like coming home, with a great opportunity to reconnect with many of my friends and former colleagues from across the industry. Gleeds’ deep heritage of providing consultancy services, and its ‘professional with personality’ value particularly resonated with me. Our team will be excellently placed to drive a best-in-class project management services to the London market.”

“At a time of significant investment into the project management team, Ed and I are both excited to be involved in overseeing progress in the months and years to come, and watch Gleeds’ potential in the capital reach new heights.”