Two Yorkshire-based consultancy businesses to merge

East Yorkshire-based Shared Agenda and Leeds-headquartered Community Ventures will merge from January next year, creating new larger estates consultancy Sewell Advisory. The new business will employ more than 60 people, and will operate across the UK.

The two businesses have already been working together on projects for some time, with both being part of the wider Sewell Group of companies. The decision to formalize the merger was made to help grow the company and ensure all clients could benefit from the strength and depth of expertise available across both businesses. As part of the wider Sewell Group, both companies are part employee-owned, and were named in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work list in 2024.

Current Community Ventures Chief Executive Emma Bolton will become CEO of new company Sewell Advisory, with Shared Agenda Chief Executive Tim Wigglesworth moving to a role as Director of Partnerships across the wider Sewell Group, and also continuing as Chief Executive of Hull Citycare.

Sewell Advisory will specialise in strategy, development and management of public sector estates, particularly in the health, social care and education sectors. The new company will bring together professionals to offer strategic advice, project and programme management and operational estate management, and will also have a dedicated team of digital and data experts.

Chief Executive Emma Bolton said she was looking forward to the new chapter for the business.

“Our team of over 60 experienced consultants and estates professionals will put us on a par with some of the biggest consultancies in the country, and means we can take on larger projects, more long-term partnerships, and use our wider team to offer even more value, technical expertise and fresh perspectives for our existing customers.

“It’s a really exciting time for our staff and clients, and we can’t wait to unlock new estate improvement opportunities for our health and education sector clients. This merger shows we’re a key player in the estates consultancy industry and we’re looking forward to seeing what the future holds.”

Sewell Advisory will launch from January 2025, with all Shared Agenda and Community Ventures staff moving over to the new company.

Shared Agenda and Community Ventures are both estates consultancy firms, with a team of multi-disciplinary consultants who work to solve estates challenges in the health, education, public and commercial sectors. With offices across the north of England, including in Hull, Leeds, Stockton-on-Tees, Nottingham and Manchester, the company manages an estate portfolio of around 150 properties, with a combined value of over £250 million. They are also involved in managing a third of the country’s NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) buildings, including over 80 health centres across the north of England and East Midlands, such as Bransholme Health Centre and Kingswood Health Centre.

Recent projects that Shared Agenda and Community Ventures have worked on include leading an infrastructure strategy for NHS Greater Manchester, increasing the number of school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities in Rotherham, the investment and development of a new build GP practice near Darlington, and the delivery of a capital programme to upgrade mental health in-patient facilities for Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust.

In 2021, as part of the wider Sewell Group the companies were recognised in the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise for Promoting Opportunity, celebrating their commitment to social mobility through developing local talent and giving back to the community.

You can find more information about Sewell Advisory on their website, sewell-advisory.co.uk