How do they do it? Christopher Tennant

Christopher Tennant heads up WYG’s growing London planning team. After graduating and gaining a postgraduate diploma in planning from the University of the West of England, he returned to his home town, Northampton, for his first job as a planning officer at Northamptonshire County Council. He then “cut his teeth” in consultancy at a small firm in Bedford before joining Scott Brownrigg Architects where he stayed for over 12 years. He has worked on many major mixed-use regeneration projects including Chelsea Bridge Wharf in London, East Street Farnham in Surrey and Hatfield Business Park in Hertfordshire.

What are your objectives in your current role and how are you measured against them? 

As director and head of our London planning team my objectives are to grow the London team and expand our services into new sectors, which currently include education, defence and energy, urban regeneration, residential and commercial. London and the south east of England are important markets for us with increasing developer confidence. My role is to diversify the client base and help raise the profile of WYG and I set and agree my objectives with WYG’s UK head of planning Steve Fidgett. We have regular reviews to monitor the performance of the London planning team against our business plans.

Q. What key lessons have you learned during your career that help you to fulfil those objectives?

A. Recruit the very best people and invest in your staff. Offering good career opportunities will help you attract very good people. 

Put the client first. Search for new ways to deliver the very best service, and know your patch inside out.

Master the art of presenting an argument. Using well-evidenced, well-written and well-delivered advice is crucial.