Montagu Evans has this week welcomed 14 graduate trainees as part of its continued investment in the younger generations of its partnership.

The firm, which celebrates its centenary next year, has appointed the new recruits in planning, heritage and surveying, working across a range of its core business sectors such as housing and land, town centres, industrial and logistics and healthcare, amongst others.

The intake is made up of nine women and five men from universities including Newcastle, Edinburgh and Nottingham as well as Reading and Oxford Brookes. It is the largest cohort of female graduates arriving at the firm to date.

Rob Bower, Managing Partner of Montagu Evans, said: “Even in challenging circumstances we are firmly committed to continuing the flow of new talent into the business. It serves our clients and teams well to know that we place significant emphasis on training, development and the long-term strength and succession of our partnership.

“While there is still a great deal more to do, we are committed to improving inclusivity across the business – from graduates to leadership and all the levels in between.”

Following the success of 3 events in 2019 Montagu Evans have now joined Future of London. A network dedicated to support those working to deliver a progressive, sustainable and equitable city.

The 2019 events underpinned Future of London’s “Paying For It” programme which explored public, private and alternative/emerging sources of funding to support projects across the Capital. Montagu Evans have now joined the team and the steering group to help deliver on vital initiatives impacting local authorities, housing associations, developers, SME’s and other public bodies.

The partnership encourages debate, thought pieces and practical events for enhancing skills and supports knowledge sharing across boroughs and a range of decision makers. The relationship also supports rising talent with their Future Leaders programme, a network of 450 individuals who have taken part in their highly acclaimed development programme addressing regeneration, planning, infrastructure, sustainability and social impact.

As the new member of their steering group, Partner and Head of London Oliver Maury commented:

“After many years of working with Future of London, I’m delighted now to announce this close partnership and support from Montagu Evans, for what will be an exciting series of programmes in 2020 and beyond. We can’t wait to inform the research and debate into key issues facing our industry, with our own experiences of planning, heritage, development and regeneration. And no doubt we’ll be learning a huge amount ourselves along the way.”

The first campaign the firm are pleased to support is Achieving Net Zero. With 26 London boroughs having declared climate change emergency, we will be working with Future of London to understand what this means in reality? How to write this into strategies, delivery plans and what local authorities can, or should, expect from development partners.

Montagu Evans is relocating its London headquarters to larger offices in the City of London, signing up for new space at Nuveen Real Estate’s 70 St Mary Axe, EC3.

The property and development consultancy firm has taken the twelfth floor and part of the eleventh floor – a total of over 25,000 sq ft (2,323 sq m) – on a 15-year lease.

The twelfth floor, which offers 360-degree natural light and views of the city, will bring together the firm’s London team on one floorplate for the first time, while the eleventh floor will be dedicated to clients and collaborative workspaces. BDG has been appointed to design the new office, which will include creating a central staircase between the two floors, flexible collaboration and meeting spaces for both clients and teams as well as new IT and agile working capability.

Rob Bower, Montagu Evans’ Managing Partner, said:

“We’re looking ahead to the future of the firm with this new office. London’s centre is shifting further east and we intend to stay at its heart, closer to many of our clients and easier for more of our team to access. The amenities on offer in the City are now unrecognisable from 10 or even five years ago.  Communications are excellent and set to improve with the completion of Crossrail with its new Liverpool Street station three minutes’ walk from the premises.

“Cross-service and sector-based working is becoming more important to our clients, as they tackle greater challenges around transforming assets and adding value – both financial and social. With everyone working closer together in one space we will be much better set up for our specialist teams to collaborate, supported by investment in new systems, tech and with the flexibility to grow in line with our core strategy.”

The 438,000 sq ft (40,700 sq m) building’s sustainability credentials were part of its attraction, with BREEAM Excellent, an EPC Rating of A, Wired-Score Platinum and Cycle Score Platinum all important factors in the firm’s decision making. Designed by Foggo Associates, 70 St Mary Axe has a distinctive, elegantly curved shape meaning it is already an internationally recognised icon of the City of London.

Peter Neal, Director of Offices, Europe at Nuveen Real Estate, comments:

“We are delighted to be welcoming Montagu Evans to 70 St Mary Axe.  The transaction demonstrates the building’s appeal to occupiers from right across central London – not just those traditionally associated with the City of London – and in this case a firm looking for a completely new approach to its workspace.”

Montagu Evans, which also has offices in Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow, will occupy the space from December 2020.