We’re excited to announce the creation of our new board structure as we focus on succession planning and doubling our turnover in the next five years to £100m.
As one of the top 50 largest employee-owned UK businesses, our team of 500 work out of 22 offices in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany. Our reported turnover last year was £54m, and we aim to target substantial growth over the next 5 years.
Hollis was founded just over 30 years ago, and we advise the largest institutional investors across Europe and the UK, as well as many of the biggest private and corporate real estate investors and occupiers. As leaders across the office, retail, life sciences, residential, industrial and student accommodation sectors, our clients include M&G, GSA, Legal & General Investment Management, SEGRO, The Crown Estate & Schroders.
Having appointed Digby Flower as our interim CEO in September 2023, we have now created new positions for Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief People Officer, Head of Commercial and Clients, and six Regional Managing Directors.
Interim CEO, Digby Flower, says: “Our people are our business and Hollis is awash with incredible talent and leaders who have helped the business grow considerably whilst still being structured as an SME. My role is to change that mindset and structure so that we can scale the business even further. Our aim is to double our size and become a £100m turn-over business within the next five years. To do this we have created a new board structure from within the company. The majority of the team have been here since starting as graduates or in the early stages of their careers, the ‘Hollis Way’ is part of their DNA, and it is essential we retain this culture that sets us apart from others. This will also help maintain business as normal for our clients.”
“Hollis has always had a reputation as pace setters in the sector, be that through investment in its brand, in embracing new service lines or driving innovation and opportunity in a sustainable environment. At the core is the desire to deliver the same ‘Hollis Hallmark’ of quality with the best possible service levels and outcomes for our clients.”
Our new board is now as follows:
- Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Digby Flower
- Chief Operating Officer (COO), Tom Willcock
- Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Ian Thompson
- Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Kerry Macleod
- Chief People Officer (CPO), Mel Olrik
- Head of Commercial and Clients, Mark Hampson
- Regional Managing Director – London and South East, Ash Winter
- Regional Managing Director – South West and Wales, Will Pasco
- Regional Managing Director – Midlands, Christopher Sullivan
- Regional Managing Director – North, James Audsley
- Regional Managing Director – Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland, Vikki Aitkenhead
- Regional Managing Director – Mainland Europe, Jamie O’Brien
In addition to our new board structure, each of the new regional managing directors will be putting in place regional leadership teams from within the business, which will include representatives from the four consultancy areas, supported by our 27 existing service heads.
Having been founded over 30 years ago by John Woodman, we’ve grown from being a three-person team of dilapidations specialists to being a 500 strong team with specialisms in building surveying, engineering, sustainability and energy consultancy, cost management, and project management. We are also proud to have one of the largest dedicated ESG and solar consultancy teams in Europe.
Hollis Chairman and Founder, John Woodman says: “For the last few years we have been working on establishing a sustainable succession plan that will not only secure the future of the business but set it up for significant growth. This started with the move to being an employee-owned business two years ago. The creation of this new board continues this development and brings through the next generation of business leaders.”
As well as starting 2024 with a new board structure, this year will also see the first full year of our EOT bonus scheme, with quarterly performance pay-outs earmarked for all employees as part of their combined 75% ownership.
