DICE Consulting Engineers has announced the official launch of its dedicated pre-planning team, led by Joe Manson, alongside the opening of a new Leeds office to support and strengthen its presence across the North of England.
Founded seven years ago by Wayne Oakes and Raj Somal, Dice has grown from a small founding team into a highly respected, multi-disciplinary consultancy operating from Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds. This growth reflects the trust placed in the business by its clients and the strength and depth of its technical teams across a broad range of sectors.
Dice has long supported clients at the earliest stages of project development. Over time, this early-stage involvement has become a more significant and defined part of the consultancy’s work, as clients increasingly seek integrated technical advice during the pre-application phase to reduce risk, manage cost and programme, and improve the likelihood of successful planning outcomes. The launch of a formal pre-planning team brings this established capability together under a single structure, making it clearer, more accessible and focused for clients.
Together with its sister company, Dice Environmental, the group provides integrated consultancy services across civil and structural engineering, infrastructure and highways, geo-environmental services, flood risk and drainage, transport and mobility, acoustics and air quality, MMC and modular design, and pre-planning and environmental support. This breadth of expertise enables Dice to offer coordinated, practical and commercially informed solutions on complex developments nationwide.
To support these developments, Dice has also reviewed its leadership structure to ensure it remains aligned with its long-term vision and the needs of its clients and framework partners.
The updated structure is designed to strengthen technical governance, reinforce operational performance and provide clear strategic leadership to support the next phase of sustainable growth.
Co-founder Wayne Oakes has been appointed managing director for both Dice Consulting Engineers and Dice Environmental. In his new role, Wayne will provide overall strategic leadership for the group, with responsibility for business strategy, client and framework development, and long-term growth planning.
Co-founder Raj Somal will also step into the role of technical director for the Civil Engineering team, with a view to maintaining a strong focus on technical excellence, mentoring and quality assurance across civil engineering delivery.
Jon Svikis’ appointment to operations and framework director formalises his strategic role within the business, with responsibility for operational performance, key client relationships and the development and oversight of Dice’s frameworks, helping to ensure consistent, efficient and high-quality service delivery.
Now structural director, Adam Jolly’s promotion reflects his technical expertise and the leadership he brings to the structural team. In his new role, he will provide strengthened day-to-day leadership while continuing to support the delivery of high-quality structural engineering solutions across the business.
Martyn Dunk has been promoted to technical director for the technology team, where he will play a key role in strengthening technical governance, digital capability and innovation across the business.
The senior leadership team comprises Wayne Oakes, Raj Somal, Jon Svikis, Adam Jolly, Joe Manson, Martyn Dunk, Stefan de Jong and Natalie Pickford, providing a balanced combination of strategic, operational and technical leadership across all disciplines.
Commenting on the announcements, Wayne Oakes, managing director and co-founder, said: “When we launched Dice seven years ago, we set out to build a consultancy that combined strong technical capability with a genuinely collaborative and progressive culture. The growth we have achieved is a direct result of the trust our clients place in us and the commitment of our people.
“Establishing a dedicated pre-planning team and expanding our presence in Leeds strengthens our ability to support clients earlier in the development process, while the updated leadership structure ensures we continue to deliver consistently high-quality outcomes as the business grows.”
Joe Manson, who will lead the pre-planning team from the Leeds office, added: “We are seeing a growing demand from clients for clear, joined-up technical advice right at the outset of a project, when key decisions can have the biggest impact on risk, cost and programme.
“The pre planning team brings together our civil, structural, transport and environmental expertise at this critical stage, allowing us to add real value early on and help clients move forward with greater confidence and certainty.”
These announcements underline Dice Consulting Engineers’ commitment to technical excellence, robust governance and sustainable growth, ensuring the business is well positioned to support clients and framework partners across the UK.
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