Arcadis has further reinforced its commitment to Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and the Northern Powerhouse with the appointment of Richard Bonner as the new city executive for the region.

Bonner, who joined Arcadis in 2007, previously held roles including chief operating officer, city executive for Bristol, managing director – UK property, UK lead of global cities programme and managing partner for south-west and Wales.

From 2018 until 2021, he held the role of president of the Bristol Chamber of Commerce and Business West. He’s also currently chair of West of England Local Enterprise Partnership, partnership board member at Western Gateway and nominations committee member at British Chambers of Commerce.

As city executive, Bonner will be working with transport providers, local authority leaders and the private sector across the region to help them navigate the evolving demands of the urban environment. 

From the challenges of housing delivery and under-investment in the railways, to positioning our cities, town and high streets for post-Covid recovery, his focus will be on helping to shape how the region operates and the opportunities available to make it a thriving and connected place to live and do business.

Commenting on his appointment, Bonner said: “Across our great northern cities, there are so many exciting growth and investment opportunities and the potential for long-term prosperity is huge. I am looking forward to playing an increasing role in engaging local stakeholders and the business community to build on these strong foundations to ensure that the benefits from a renewed investment in the north can be fully realised right across this dynamic region.”

Peter Hogg, UK cities director at Arcadis, added: "I'm delighted Richard has re-joined the UK cities programme. He's already made a massive impact through his work in Bristol and is a committed urbanite. Richard is the ideal candidate to drive growth in our northern cities."

Outgoing city executive for the north, Debbie Francis, will continue to work for Arcadis on a more flexible consultancy basis, supporting the company’s project work in the north.