Glancy Nicholls managing director leaves to join Ridge as architecture lead in the Midlands

Multi-disciplinary consultant Ridge & Partners has appointed the managing director of Glancy Nicholls to lead its architecture business in the Midlands.

Adam McPartland joins Ridge as a partner after 15 years at Glancy Nicholls, where he has spent a decade in senior management roles.

McPartland has led some of the Midlands’ largest development projects including Birmingham’s 51-storey One Eastside tower and the Athlete’s Village in Perry Barr for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

He first joined Glancy Nicholls as a Part 2 architectural assistant in 2011 and was made a director in 2019 before being appointed managing director in May 2024.

Ridge said his appointment will support the firm’s plans to become the “leading multidisciplinary architectural practice in Birmingham and the wider Midlands”.

The firm’s lead architecture partner Liz Sparrow said McPartland will “play a key role in growing our architectural presence in the Midlands and strengthening the service we provide to clients across the region. 

She added: “He brings a wealth of experience across residential, higher education and tall building projects, alongside a strong track record of leading successful teams and delivering complex developments.” 

McPartland said on LinkedIn this morning that he was “incredibly grateful for the opportunities, experiences and relationships that have shaped my career so far” but it was now time for the “next chapter”.

“The opportunity to lead and grow a design-led architectural studio working across the Midlands, shaped by my vision and supported by the wider Ridge team feels very exciting,” he said, adding that he was “looking forward to reconnecting with familiar faces, meeting new ones and working alongside the talented Ridge team to build something special”.

Ridge employs around 1,650 people and its annual fees for the 2025/2026 financial year were £171m.