John Rowan and Partners appoints new chairman

Mash Halai has taken over from Ian Blacker as chairman at John Rowan and Partners, who remains head of the firm’s planning consultancy.

The change comes a year after former managing partner Stephen Gee retired from the consultant. He was replaced by deputy managing partner Gurpal Virdee.

Halai (pictured) has worked with the firm for 22 years heading up its residential development team. He will now work with Virdee to develop and implement the company’s growth strategy.

Virdee said Halai had already “played a huge role in the development of the company, developing our new build residential work and securing major clients such as A2Dominion, One Housing and Wandle Housing to name but a few.”

The firm, which was established in 1985 by John Rowan, has recently won a spot on housing association A2 Dominion’s health and safety framework and has picked up the cost management role on the £25m redevelopment of St Clare’s Business Park in Twickenham into 120 new homes and 10,000ft2 of commercial space for Notting Hill Housing.

It has been surveying various buildings, as well as developing investment plans and long-term maintenance requirements for the Royal Holloway University of London.