Paul will lead a team of 50 consultants at Mace who work with clients across the built environment and infrastructure sectors to provide strategic counsel and advice on aligning specific projects and programmes with their overarching business objectives.

The appointment represents an investment into a thriving consultancy offering, and marks a new focus on the service, which builds on a collection of separate but affiliated service offerings that have been brought together under a single director. These include placemaking, strategic planning, transformation and change, social value, risk management and assurance, and procurement.

Mace delivers a number of these services for existing clients across both the private and public sectors, including Heathrow Airport and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Paul will be tasked with extending this offer and identifying new opportunities for Mace to work with clients early on in the programme development lifecycle. In particular, he will be targeting roles helping large infrastructure, local and central government, and corporate clients shape their objectives and business approaches prior to scoping out full infrastructure and real estate programmes.

Paul joined Mace in 2018 following four years as a director of Carillion’s Regions and Communities Division. Prior to that, he held senior roles at John Laing, KPMG and Bovis Lendlease.

Paul Kelly, Mace’s director for strategic advisory services, said: “I’m excited to be leading a growing and enthusiastic strategic advisory team at a time when clients are seeking fresh thinking alongside credible delivery.

“Our service offering, which spans both the public and private sectors, in the UK and internationally, provides early strategic advice that combines Mace’s pedigree in shaping and delivering complex programmes with a comprehensive understanding of our clients’ business objectives.

“In taking this approach, whether organisations are seeking a discrete service or an integrated and holistic offering, we are able to support them in converting their overarching business objectives into deliverable programmes.”

Jason Millett, Mace’s chief operating officer for consultancy, said: “Our strategic advisory offering is a key growth area for consultancy at Mace. It allows us to work with clients earlier in the lifecycle of a programme or project, helping them to ensure that they have the right strategic approach to ensure successful, long-term, sustainable delivery.

“This kind of strategic consultancy can make the difference between a programme that runs up huge costs and is delivered late, and one that lands on time and under budget. Paul is a fantastic appointment with a valuable set of experience and skills to draw upon; along with the right vision to build on the success we’ve already seen in this area.”