Management Team

Gary Humphreys

Joint Managing Director
BA Dip Arch

Gary is in charge of our Milton Keynes and Reading offices, he has been with the Practice since 1996, becoming Director in 1999 and Joint Managing Director in 2022. With experience in many sectors, Gary has completed prestigious schemes at Chalk Farm, London; a mixed leisure hotel and retail development at Chichester and industrial developments for Gazeley Properties.

He looks after Abbey Homes from initial site feasibilities through to building and is also responsible for key clients Aldi Foodstores and Focus/Wickes on long term roll out programmes across the south and midlands as well as a new Sainsbury’s store in Barking

James Richmond

Joint Managing Director
ACIAT

James has been with The Harris Partnership for over 21 years, becoming an Associate Director in 2007, Group Director in 2013 and Joint Managing Director in 2022. With extensive experience of numerous commercial sectors, he is one of the Practice’s leading Architectural Technicians heading up the design teams where he is responsible for developing high profile schemes from initial design and planning approval stages to completion and building a string of long-term client appointments.

Paul Mitchell

Group Chairman
BA Dip Arch RIBA

Paul joined The Harris Partnership in 1992 becoming Group Managing Director in 2000 and Chairman in 2010. He has wide experience across numerous sectors includes residential, offices, industrial, retail, leisure and education and is personally involved in all design aspects of projects with recent examples include the £120m Flemingate mixed use retail and leisure destination in Beverley, £70m Haribo production facility and multiple award-winning Bowcliffe Hall regeneration masterplan, both in West Yorkshire, as well as numerous mixed use developments throughout the UK.

He is currently working on the regeneration of White Rose centre in Leeds and the Butterfly concept building for Really Useful Products Ltd.  Paul’s client list includes Land Securities, Sterling Capitol, PPG Land, British Land and The Junction to name but a few.

Nicholas Charlesworth

Group Director
BA Dip Arch RIBA

Nick joined the Practice in 1998, having been a Director at Antal Architects in Bradford and was appointed to the board in 2007. His role includes providing a detailed design rollout programme service for Magnet and CP Hart and he has worked recently on the Nobles Amusement portfolio.

Nick’s specialties range from comprehensive high specification retail interiors together with mixed use residential schemes and commercial/industrial masterplanning, and he also oversees Vector Design Concepts, our sister 3D visualisation graphics company. Nick currently has the Regent Street Leeds scheme for Gregory Property Group and a major retail development at Featherstone;

David Evans

Group Director

Appointed a Director in 2013, David has been with The Harris Partnership for over 20 years, initially based at our Wakefield office before establishing the Practice in the North West in 1999 where he now oversees the running of our Manchester office liaising closely with clients, consultants and design team colleagues through all stages of the RIBA plan of work.

His experience covers a wide spectrum of schemes from high profile leisure, retail, education and office to industrial and commercial. Most recently David has headed up the construction design team for Aldi Stores in the North West completing over 70 store developments for the discount food retailer with other notable projects completions including Fort Retail Park, Cheetham Hill, Manchester and the Portland Street, Manchester Hotel Development for Novotel and Ibis with basement car parking for Q Park.

Lee Brewer

Group Director
BA Dip Arch RIBA

Lee joined the practice in 1997, becoming a Director in the Wakefield office in 2007 where he is responsible for delivering complex schemes from inception through to completion. His wealth of experience includes retail, industrial masterplanning, hotels and residential developments together with large scale mixed use redevelopment schemes across the UK.

Lee coordinates the regional planning and design team for ALDI stores in the North West and his clients also include LXB Property,  KIER Property, Marcol (Industrial Securities Group), Morbaine, Maple Grove and Brookhouse Group, with key projects including M&S in Stafford Town Centre, Sainsburys Sutton store and planning approval for the former Rolls Royce 70 acre masterplan site in Bristol, now known as Horizon 38. He is also working on the £40m redevelopment of Oldham Town Centre with Oldham Council and WYG as well as mixed use redevelopment sites throughout the North West.

Carl Braim

Group Director
BA DIP ARCH

Carl joined the Practice in 2000 and has become an integral member of the design team, working on large mixed use and city centre projects. Carl is responsible for developing schemes from inception, to create a strategic brief with the Client team, obtain detailed planning permission and develop the project through to Tender Stage. Carl became a Director in the Wakefield Office in 2017.

Michael Schorah

Non Executive Director
BA Dip Arch RIBA

Mike has worked for the Practice since its inception, rising from Associate to Director in 1995 and Group Managing Director in 2010. Having sold his majority share in a management buyout in 2022, he has stepped down to Group Director. He works across numerous sectors including retail, leisure, hotels, office, and logistics with notable recent schemes including the Stafford mixed use town centre regeneration scheme, the Sutton South London major food store and residential development together with Rushden lakes leisure and retail.

His work on major shopping parks including Manchester Fort, Fosse Park, Birmingham Fort, and Silverlink retail and leisure parks. He has a keen eye on large scale Logistics schemes, with a notable success at Horizon 38, Filton Bristol. Finally, Mike was instrumental in securing ALDI Stores as a client to the company in the early 1990’s for who we have now completed over 700 stores nationwide. He was also catalyst in opening the satellite offices around the country, Milton Keynes, Manchester, Reading and London. He also works regularly with major funds that include British Land, The Crown Estate, & RLAM, amongst many others.

Sarah Charlesworth

Harris Project Management Director
MRICS MSc MAPM CMaPS

Sarah is a Director of HPM, chartered member of RICS and holds full membership with APM and APS. She has been with The Harris Group since 2001 and is actively involved with the contractual and quality management of The Harris Group to help direct and grow the business in a structured way. She started out in the construction industry in 1997 at the CITB National Construction College in Norfolk, gaining practical hands-on experience and academic knowledge through the course and various work placements in civil engineering, quantity surveying and building surveying. Sarah has completed a degree in Architecture and Masters Degree in Project Management.

Iain Church

Director
ACIAT

Iain has worked for the Practice since 2005, becoming a director in 2021 and has contributed to a number of high profile schemes. Iain’s role is to manage the design process from the planning stage through to project completion, covering a range of schemes including retail, office, residential and education. Iain’s collaborative approach to architectural design ensures that important links between clients and consultant team are maintained throughout the detailed design and construction phases.

Ian Perrell

Director
RIBA

Ian is a well-established Project Architect and Director of the Harris Partnership and has been with the practice since 2011, qualifying with Distinction from the RIBA in 2016. Ian relocated and established the London office, working creative designs solutions for our London clients across multiple sectors including masterplanning, retail, leisure, residential and large mixed use schemes. Ian is heavily involved with schemes from inception through to detailed design, engaging with clients from outset unlocking site potential and hidden value.

RUSSELL O’DONOGHUE

Director
ACIAT

Russell joined the Harris Partnership as an architectural technician in 2003 progressing to Director in 2021. Often leading from the planning approval stage, Russell is responsible for liaising closely with clients, consultants and design team colleagues, producing detailed drawings in line with the brief and cost budgets to enable the Contractor to construct the development accurately and on programme. He pays great attention to detail to ensure the final product meets the expectations of all.