Mr McConnell, who joins from Hardies LLP and will work alongside RLB partner Jason Brownlee, has over 20 years’ experience in the industry, specialising in the commercial sector with a strong focus on retail park development including roadside services and drive-throughs.

Recently acting as the lead client contact for a major UK supermarket group and extensively with James Keiller Property Holdings, he has also previously led several local authority frameworks. 

RLB has been active in Scotland for a few years with a breadth of service offering across both the public and private sectors and with clients including the Co-op, Tesco and Mitie.

Mr McConnell said: “It is exciting to be joining RLB at a time of growth and investment and to be officially opening in a region that I am passionate about.

“We have ambitious growth plans for Scotland and look to have a team of 60 by 2030, offering multi-disciplinary solutions to our clients.

“Born and bred in Scotland and having worked up in Scotland for most of my career, I know my experience of the region combined with RLB’s expertise will be a winning formula for success and further growth in the region.”

Andrew Reynolds, RLB global chair and chief executive for UK and Europe, added: “We have been working in Scotland for a while now, providing solution-led services to our clients who are both based in Scotland and who operate within the region.

“The permanent office and the appointment of Martin allows us to build even stronger relations with our clients north of the border, invest in the region and expand our presence and our team. This is part of RLB’s overall vision and growth strategy that sees us continue to be the leading independent construction consultancy across the UK.”