Our wonderful team are our greatest asset. Not only experts in transport, engineering and placemaking but also committed to delivering better places for people through high-level-service client experiences.

We’re very proud to continue to celebrate the faces behind the fast-growing international consultancy that we are today in our monthly feature ‘PJA People’.

Next up in our series is Civil Engineer Eugenio Toichoa, based in our Birmingham office:

Eugenio Toichoa, Civil Engineer

Eugenio has over 4 years’ experience in civil engineering consultancy and is based in our Birmingham office.

He has experience in drainage, earthworks, and highways design, and has worked on commercial and residential multidisciplinary schemes from strategic to detailed design and construction stages.

Eugenio is a graduate member of the ICE (GMICE) and is currently working towards Chartered Engineer status (CEng).

Get in touch with Eugenio: [email protected] 

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Read more in our PJA People series here

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Transport Engineer Richard Spencer is joining our Perth office in January 2023 to support the growing workload of placemaking and transport projects with the team out west.

Richard has returned from a short hiatus from the transport industry to join us as a Senior Associate. He said:

“I took some time out of the industry this year to balance my work and family life.

“I’m refreshed and I feel now is the right time for me to join the team at PJA to support their fantastic work in creating great places in Perth and our Regions. I can’t wait to get started on the exciting projects that the Perth office are already working on.

“I know Tanya and Tim very well and they have been so welcoming and understanding of my need to balance my work and family life. They have an exciting vision for the future which I am looking forward to being a part of.”

Richard will join Directors, Tanya Moran and Tim Judd, who have been creating an impact in the transport and placemaking world introducing PJA to Western Australia.

Tim and Tanya said:

“We are excited to have Richard on board. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in transport engineering and will be supporting us in enabling great places and delivering great outcomes for our valued clients.”

We can’t wait to see the super duo turn into a super trio!

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Our wonderful team are our greatest asset. Not only experts in transport, engineering and placemaking but also committed to delivering better places for people through high-level-service client experiences.

We’re very proud to continue to celebrate the faces behind the fast-growing international consultancy that we are today in our monthly feature ‘PJA People’.

Next up in our series is Consultant, Harriet Haldenby, based in our Manchester office in the UK:

Tell us what you do at PJA

I’m an Urban Designer and Transport Planner – working to bring active travel and placemaking together in our projects. I work on a variety of things from LCWIP strategies to street-level design interventions and town centre improvements. Anything to try and make places a bit more walkable, cycleable and enjoyable really

What’s your career path so far?

I began as a Town Planning Consultant in 2017 with a Planning and Regeneration degree from Liverpool, converting to Urban Design a year later at the University of Manchester. I started my Urban Design career in Sustrans’ collaborative design team, during which time I met my now-line manager as we worked to deliver 10 LTNs across Greater Manchester – July 2021 I came to join her at the lovely PJA.

What do you enjoy when you’re not working?

I‘m quite outdoorsy – out in the peaks or exploring some town or city usually at weekends – can’t escape the day job really! Or you’ll find me working my way through Manchester’s many restaurants.

Are you a dog or cat person?

A cat person – just need to persuade my housemate that he is too…

What are you currently reading or listening to?

I’ve been hooked most recently on ‘City of Girls’ by Elizabeth Gilbert, and always have a Jameela Jamil podcast on while dinner’s cooking.

Claim to fame?

Keala Settle is my….second cousin? Once removed? I think. The singing talent didn’t reach me unfortunately.

Harriet Haldenby, Consultant

Harriet is an urban designer based in our Manchester office in the UK. She has 3 years’ experience working in planning and design, most recently working as part of a collaborative design team on health and travel-focussed projects.

Having been particularly focussed on the role of the community in design projects, Harriet has developed an interest in how the spaces and places we design interlink with the way we travel, and its impact on our quality of life.

Get in touch with Harriet: [email protected]

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We’ve opened a new office in Perth and welcomed two new people to the team. 

Tanya Moran and Tim Judd have been appointed to lead the new base, which is located at St Martins Tower in the heart of the Central Business District. 

The new Perth branch follows the success of our Melbourne office which launched in 2019 and has seen continued growth despite recent lockdowns. 

Melbourne director Sam Williams said: “This is an exciting time for PJA’s growth in Australia, with Perth being a significant growth area for us in transport, sustainable infrastructure and placemaking. 

“We can’t think of a better leadership team than Tanya and Tim to expand our expertise and influence their respective markets bringing together PJA’s vision of creating better places through great design. We look forward to providing exceptional results for our clients.” 

Tanya and Tim have a combined 40 years in the transport planning industry bringing the expertise, stakeholder relationships and capability needed to deliver design-led, people-friendly places. 

Tanya and Tim said: “We have worked closely together in Western Australia for the past seven years and share a passion for creating places that people and families can call “Home”. 

“A “Home” is more than just a building or a space, it is a safe neighbourhood, a safe street and a safe gathering place that allows for playful exploration and social interaction, encouraging a more active lifestyle and improving our mental health. Whatever shape or form a home maybe, each and every one of us should be able to call somewhere a home, where we feel comfortable and have easy access to basic goods and services. 

“We are very excited about working with such an agile and ambitious company and contributing to its previous 20 years of success. We look forward to working with our clients, and alongside the Melbourne team, to continue to introduce PJA throughout Australia and to create new or to enhance existing places and neighbourhoods we call “Home” for people in all states and territories.” 

This latest office launch comes just weeks after PJA relocated its Birmingham headquarters and Manchester office, both in the UK, to accommodate its growing workforce. 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Full address: Level 27, St Martins Tower, 44 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA 6000, Australia

Find out more about our services here

Our wonderful team are our greatest asset. Not only experts in transport, engineering and placemaking but also committed to delivering better places for people through high-level-service client experiences.

We’re very proud to continue to celebrate the faces behind the fast-growing international consultancy that we are today in our monthly feature ‘PJA People’.

Next up in our series is GIS Manager, Brian Norman, based in our Reading office in the UK:

Tell us what you do at PJA

As the GIS Manager at PJA, I am lucky to work with every discipline and office across the organisation. With a vast range of GIS needs and users across PJA, I help to ensure everyone has the appropriate tools, software, training and most importantly suitable data to help inform their project needs. We prepare spatially referenced site forms for data capture which can be as simple as georeferenced images to customised intelligent forms with pre-configured pick lists to ensure the process is as efficient as possible. We support every aspect of planning and development which may include constraints plans, land use, land ownership, transport assessments in support of our Transport, Placemaking and Engineering departments.

What’s your career path so far?

Having started my career as a trainee cartographer, I quickly learned to appreciate the importance of using the media of a map to tell a story. Simple things like colour schemes, symbology, labels and scale can make a big difference in the story you are trying to tell. I worked for global consultancies for over 20 years using GIS to support the Environment Agency with flood risk assessments and National Highways, utilising LiDAR and imagery captured from mobile mapping devices to update the Strategic Road Network. I’m now utilising my knowledge and experience of data management and GIS in support of public transport schemes, cycling improvements, planning developments both in the UK and overseas, all with the ambition of creating better places to live and work.

Over my career, it has been fantastic to witness the increase in value of spatial data and the development of technology and skills to help manage, interpret and understand the uses of spatial information for pretty much every project on the planet. The establishment of the Geospatial Commission in 2018 has been a key driver in the promotion of location data and it is becoming evident that central government investment and the work they are doing is making data more accessible, usable and reliable, helping us to respond to the world’s major challenges.

With digital ways of working developing at a significant pace, as geospatial professionals, we find ourselves in exciting times, moving from traditional, static reports and plans to interactive web maps, incorporating dashboards to provide summary information and storymaps to link narrative directly to the geography. We take pride in developing new solutions and taking our clients on the digital journey so that everyone can benefit from the additional insights that this can bring.

What do you enjoy when you’re not working?

While I’m not working, I spend a lot of time ferrying my daughters to various sports training or cricket matches, keeping on top of our garden and allotment. I do manage to play golf occasionally and love a music concert.

Are you a dog or cat person?

My mornings usually start with one of our 4 Bengal cats jumping on the bed for their breakfast, they all very entertaining and enjoy following us on the school run.

What are you currently reading or listening to?

I’m currently listening to Beatles albums having discovered so many songs I didn’t know existed.

Claim to fame?

My claim to fame is owning two pairs of Bear Grylls hiking boots, I feel fitter just putting them on!

Brian Norman, GIS Manager

Brian is a senior data consultant with over 20 years’ experience in the capture, analysis and integration of spatial data within transport, water and environmental projects having worked for global engineering consultancies.

He has a successful track record as a technical manager with experience in the successful leadership and delivery of national data capture projects for public sector organisations, championing the use of location-based data to support the effective management of assets.

He has developed and led high performing teams, implemented efficient technical workflows and quality assurance procedures to maximise access to GIS systems and data, utilising new technology to analyse and share quality data across teams and organisations, improving collaboration and enabling more effective planning and decision making.

Get in touch with Brian: [email protected] 

Find out more about our services here

Read more in our PJA People series here

Our fast-growing Manchester office has welcomed two new team members and moved to a bigger office as it celebrates its second year in the city.

Transport planning specialist Eddie Jackson has joined as Associate and Senior Engineer Matt Shanly has relocated from our Birmingham office.

The new space, located in Hilton Square in the Northern Quarter, is close to public transport links with the cities main rail, bus and metrolink interchanges within a five-minute walk.

Chris Sibthorpe, Director of the Manchester office, said: “I couldn’t be more proud of the team here in Manchester. Since we launched in June 2020, our office has gone from strength to strength in what have been really challenging circumstances.

“We made a conscious decision when restrictions were eased to encourage hybrid working and having face to face contact has had a hugely positive impact on creativity and the team’s energy levels whilst still maintaining the flexibility that working from home provides.

“We’re working on some thought-provoking transport planning, engineering and placemaking projects from town centre masterplanning to helping shape national walking and cycling guidance and successfully assisting clients in bidding for funding.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve this year as a team of eight. Working in a vibrant part of the city and in the collaborative and supportive environment we have, the opportunities for further growth here in Manchester are really exciting.”

Get in touch: [email protected]

Full address: 8 Brewer Street, Hilton Square, Manchester, M1 2EU, UK

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What makes you want to arrive at the desk on a Monday morning ready to get your teeth stuck in and do your best work?

We don’t like to show off but we do have some of the best transport planners, engineers and place makers working together at PJA to create better places through great design. We all share a real passion for what we do, but what do we think makes a great project we love to work on? We asked our team and they let us know:

“A good project is one where we’ve really made a difference in achieving a great outcome; and that fact has been recognised and rewarded by the client.”

Phil Jones, Chairman

“A good project for me is one where you work with likeminded people who want to achieve high quality output, where there is an equal voice for each discipline so that challenges can be overcome and incorporated into the development of a project and that this collaboration is acknowledged and valued by the client.”

Catherine Phillips, Associate Director, Landscape Architecture

“Maybe I am a bit strange, but the projects that I look back on and think “that was a good project” are always the ones which were most technically challenging and which took the most engagement with authorities. You get a real sense of achievement when you manage to get something over the line which was difficult. At PJA, I think that is something we are really good at; doing the technical work, coming up with an innovative solution and convincing authorities that it is the right solution.”

Kay Nicholls, Associate, Transport Planning

“A project that incorporates great design and public realm to create a place that people want to be in. A project you can be proud of!”

Lianne Brook, Senior Consultant, Active Travel

“A project where I can really put in some creativity and sound visual organisation with a client that appreciates great design. A thorough revision procedure to push the visuals to the best they can be, focusing on the bigger picture as well as the detail. Seeing the result working whether it be a visual for a public consultation or a brochure in print gives me great project satisfaction.”

Julie Cadwallader, Marketing and Graphic Design Manager

“A project with an informed, engaged client who has a clear brief and where the budget allows us to really think through options and develop the best possible scheme or proposal.

I particularly enjoy working on multidisciplinary projects such as “complete streets” schemes that bring together active travel, green infrastructure, placemaking etc. where we are creating great places as well as useful bits of transport infrastructure. The fact that PJA is so strong in transport planning, engineering and placemaking is what attracted me to the company as it gives me confidence that we will squeeze every ounce of benefit out of schemes rather than delivering “just” a cycle track or “just” a public realm scheme.”

Catriona Swanson, Associate, Active Travel

“A positive, honest, and mutually respectful relationship between us and the client, the rest then takes care of itself!”

John Myatt, Associate Director, Transport Planning

“A project where we are going to have a positive impact in local communities, by solving real life problems that affect the everyday life of individuals always gives me a project satisfaction. Also, I think a good project is one where I am able to help the development of junior staff, in terms of both technical knowledge and development of soft skills, to help them become the best they can be.”

Jane Overton, Senior Consultant, Transport Planning

Delivering on time and to budget (even better, early and under-budget!) and having a happy client who can meet their own obligations through our work.  Finishing the project knowing that the client will come back to us – on the same project as it moves forward, and, again even better, for other projects.  Working well with the wider project team (other consultants) where we’re all on the same side and aiming for the same result – where we try and make each other look good!  Knowing our team (including me!) have enjoyed working on the project and have developed as a result – all the better if we’ve delivered something technically different or challenging and solved a difficult problem for the client.

Penny Pech, Associate Director, Project Management

“A good project is where we put forward a good solution to a problem and win the support of the client, stakeholders and the public.  Seeing our projections come to fruition and knowing we have made a positive difference to a place and people’s lives is the ultimate reward!”

Sam Goss, Associate Director

“A great project team!”

Dave Woolley, Director, Engineering

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International Women in Engineering Day gives a platform to engineers around the world to show young people what engineering is about, and why it’s a great career for anyone.

Women are hugely under-represented in the engineering profession with figures as of June 2021 showing that just 16.5% of engineers are women. 29.4% of our technical service teams at PJA are women – way above that average.

We are proud to employ a wide range of people from diverse disciplines and backgrounds and recognise that there is a life outside work for everyone in the team – we’re flexible and supportive.

We want to encourage young women who are considering a career in engineering by helping them to feel represented in the field, so some of our 29.4% shared what great reasons there are to become an engineer:

“As an engineer, two days are never the same. We have to work as a team to approach challenges in innovative ways, always problem solving and trying to think creatively. I am able to walk onto the street and see the real life impact my designs have on people’s lives, knowing I had a part to play in changing the landscape. I love being an engineer, I love making a difference.”

Abbie Smart, Principal Engineer

“I love being able to see the projects I have worked on come to life. Most recently, I have been working on the re-naturalisation of the River Rea, right outside our Longbridge office and it has been really satisfying to see the designs I have completed for the new river channel being constructed.”

Phoebe Ryding, Senior Flood Risk and Drainage Engineer

“It’s incredible to see a project through from conception to construction – to see the concept develop on paper in meetings to a computer CAD drawing to a physical asset on the ground which has both engineering integrity and can also be made to look good and have value added.”

Amy Evans, Principal Flood Risk and Drainage Engineer

“Being a transport planner means I get to use a whole range of skills: writing reports, building models, designing junctions, and so much more. We are currently at a pivotal point in the evolution of transport, with significant changes to the current ‘norm’ needed to respond to issues such as climate change and congestion. I’m excited to see what the next few years brings!”

Lucy King, Senior Consultant

“A career within the engineering industry has allowed me to work on a variety of interesting projects across the country in relation to flood risk and drainage. I feel my role allows me to network with other likeminded individuals to create unique and sustainable strategies for the future.”

Charlotte Turner, Graduate Flood Risk and Drainage Engineer

“Every project we work on presents a new challenge which requires a unique solution. This makes every day interesting and seeing the outcome of your design work is really rewarding.”

Samantha Furey, Engineer

“One of the best things about being an engineer is seeing your hard work come to fruition when a scheme is built. There’s nothing quite like cycling or walking a route you have designed, or even better seeing other people enjoy it! It’s so rewarding and really motivating. I enjoy working in the build environment, and engineering is a great way to make a difference to the world around you.”

Rebecca Jones, Principal Consultant

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