One of the region's largest property consultancies has appointed a new head of its Midlands operation.
Carl Potter will take over in May as new Midlands regional senior director with GVA from Ian Stringer who will remain as a director with the company to focus on providing advice to a specific portfolio of clients.
Mr Potter, who is one of the best-known faces among Birmingham's commercial property community, has been with GVA for 32 years and steps up from his current role as national head of offices, to be replaced by the head of the Midlands office team, Charles Toogood.
GVA is working on some of Birmingham's largest property projects including Arena Central and Paradise in the city centre, regeneration of the Peddimore industrial site near Sutton Coldfield and the new medical quarter on the former BBC Pebble Mill site in Edgbaston.
Mr Potter said: "This is an enormously exciting time to be taking over the reins.
"The Midlands has an enviable future and consecutively Coventry's City of Culture in 2021, Birmingham's Commonwealth Games in 2022 and the arrival of HS2 in 2026 will all be significant factors in enabling growth within our region.
"There is no doubt the real estate business world is changing, our clients' needs are evolving and our brand purpose positions us to meet all of these challenges.
"We can make a significant input in shaping the future of our region."
Mr Toogood has been with the agency for 15 years and will retain his current position as head of the Midlands offices team alongside his new duties.
He added: "I very much look forward to this new role and am pleased to have the opportunity to build on our already strong offering while positioning the team to provide advice throughout all stages of the property lifecycle."
Mr Stringer has been GVA's regional senior director in the Midlands for the past decade.
He said: "It has been a fantastic privilege to work with the team, both here in the Midlands and across GVA more broadly, since I started with the company 35 years ago.
"The Midlands office enjoyed a record turnover of £27 million last year so this feels like a good time to implement our succession plan in the region.
"Carl is a natural choice to take on this role and I look forward to continuing to work with him as he provides ongoing leadership, direction and a fresh approach across all of our business units in the Midlands."
