Global real estate firm Avison Young UK has hired Ben Hood as a senior planner in its London planning team.
It said Hood will advise on a range of complex and high-profile projects across London and the south east, focused around residential, hotel, leisure and mixed-use developments, and Central London office developments.
Hood joins Avison Young from Turley, where he worked as a planner for three years. During this time, Hood oversaw projects across the office, residential, logistics, warehousing and life sciences sectors.
Avison Young also described Hood as a "vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion within the industry". The firm said: "His initiatives, such as spearheading a workplace mental health awareness week and establishing an internal LGBTQ+ network, underscore his commitment to fostering a more inclusive and supportive work environment."
Laura Jenkinson, planning, development and regeneration principal at Avison Young UK, said in a statement: "Ben’s appointment demonstrates our commitment to providing high quality support to our clients and strengthening our capacity to deliver excellent service.
"Ben’s wealth of experience will significantly enhance our capabilities and add great value to our team of experts."
Also this month Avison Young unveiled its new board of directors after completing a recapitalisation of the business, with the firm saying its appointment of three women out of five positions represented an "important step forward" to increase diversity in the sector.