Circle has announced a strengthened Management Board as part of a new leadership structure, designed to support the next phase of the consultancy’s growth. The changes see Joe Cutler appointed Chief Executive Officer, Aled Williams become Managing Director, Tom Kavanagh join the business as Director from AtkinsRéalis, and Peter Christmas, Dean Wittering and Lloyd Thomas promoted to Director.
The appointments reflect a sustained period of growth for the business and reinforce Circle’s commitment to investing in its people, strengthening its integrated consultancy offering and supporting an expanding national project portfolio.
A strengthened leadership structure
As part of the new leadership structure, Joe Cutler has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, providing strategic leadership across the business and focusing on Circle’s long-term direction, growth and market opportunities.
Aled Williams has been appointed Managing Director, taking responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the business and leading the delivery of Circle’s continued growth strategy.
Aled joined Circle in 2019 before becoming Director in 2023. Since then, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the business, helping establish its operating model, expand its integrated service offering and embed the quality standards that underpin every commission. He also led the implementation of Circle’s ISO 9001 Quality Management System, further strengthening the consistency and assurance offered to clients.
Together, these appointments create a clear executive structure, allowing strategic leadership and operational delivery to evolve alongside the business.
When I founded Circle in 2018, the ambition was simple. I wanted to create a consultancy that simplified project delivery for clients, brought together genuinely integrated services and built a culture where attention to detail and continuous improvement sat at the heart of everything we do. We’ve grown significantly since then, but that ambition hasn’t changed. This new leadership structure isn’t about changing who we are. It’s about ensuring we have the right people, in the right roles, to support our clients, create opportunities for our team and continue delivering at the highest level as we grow.
Joe Cutler FRICS, Chief Executive Officer
Stepping into the Managing Director role is a privilege, particularly alongside colleagues I have worked with since 2019. We have a clear pipeline into 2027 as projects continue progressing into delivery, and my role is to ensure the business remains structured, resourced and disciplined enough to deliver every project to the standards our clients expect.
Aled Williams CEng MICE, Managing Director
Strengthening the Management Board
Alongside the new executive structure, Circle has continued to invest in leadership capability through both strategic recruitment and internal progression.
Tom Kavanagh joins Circle as Director from AtkinsRéalis, where he was Regional Director for the London office.
Tom brings extensive experience in the residential sector across the UK, together with strong contractor, consultant and client relationships. His appointment further strengthens Circle’s leadership team as the business continues to expand across the residential and living sectors.
What stood out to me was the consistency of delivery and the ambition of the business. Joining Circle at this stage of its growth, with a strong pipeline and clear vision for the future, was an opportunity I did not want to miss. I am looking forward to working alongside the team and continuing to build long-term relationships with clients and industry partners.
Tom Kavanagh MRICS, Director
Peter Christmas, Dean Wittering and Lloyd Thomas have each been promoted to Director.
Peter and Lloyd joined Circle in 2019 during the early stages of the business, with Dean following in 2021.Together they have helped shape Circle into the business it is today, building teams, strengthening our integrated service offering, developing long-term client relationships and helping develop the collaborative culture that defines Circle.
Their promotions recognise both the contribution they have already made and the leadership they will continue to provide as the business enters its next phase.
Why now?
Circle has experienced significant growth over the past three years, evolving from a focused project delivery consultancy to now: a team of 55 people, working across quantity surveying, project management, employer’s agent, carbon management, clerk of works and quality management throughout the UK.
Over the last eighteen months, we have supported more than 30 projects onto site, delivered over 1,800 new homes, grown our team by 40 per cent while maintaining a 98 per cent staff retention rate, and now oversee more than 5,090 co-living apartments across London and the South East. Alongside this, we are currently supporting seven single family housing developments, delivering around 700 new homes.
Our growth extends beyond the residential and living sectors. We are continuing to expand our Industrial and Logistics portfolio, building our presence and expertise in the sector alongside a growing number of Education commissions. This increasingly diverse portfolio reflects the breadth of our integrated service offering and creates further opportunities for sustainable growth across the business.
As our project portfolio continues to expand, across both established and growing sectors, with more developments progressing through Gateway 2 and into construction, we have taken the opportunity to evolve our leadership structure so it reflects the scale, complexity and ambition of the business today while preparing us for the opportunities ahead.
Growth demands more than additional resource. It requires clear leadership, defined responsibilities and a structure capable of supporting clients, projects and people over the long term.
Looking ahead
This strengthened Management Board positions Circle for the next stage of its journey. These changes give Circle the leadership capacity to take on increasingly complex projects, deepen our expertise across our service lines, and continue investing in our people, while holding on to the culture that has defined the business since 2019.
As we continue to grow our established residential and living portfolio, we remain focused on expanding our presence across Industrial and Logistics, while developing our work within the Education sector. The strengthened structure gives us the capacity to pursue these opportunities while continuing to deliver the quality and integrated approach our clients expect across every sector.
We congratulate Joe, Aled, Peter, Dean and Lloyd on their appointments and warmly welcome Tom to the team.
