Torsion beefs up senior team
Richard Potts has been made regional director for the North in the Leeds property group’s construction division, while David Worsley becomes group-wide chief operating officer.
With Worsley stepping up to COO, Ed Wootton, who took over as managing director of the construction arm in 2023, will take on a dual MD role, filling Worsley’s former role as MD of development.
Bolstering the senior team follows a number of new project appointments for Torsion during the last few months. The construction business has a pipeline of £971m, £703m of this being secured in-house with Torsion Group developments and the remainder with third party clients.
Since Wootton’s appointment as construction managing director, the firm has looked to spread its geographic reach and strengthen in its key markets of PBSA, senior living and residential. The average size of project has grown to £54m.
To support the business expansion, Potts and Priesh Soni have been appointed as new regional directors for North and Midlands respectively.
Potts joins Torsion Construction with more than 30 years of industry experience, having served most recently as an area director with Morgan Sindall Construction.
He has a proven track record of delivering projects in the residential, commercial, leisure, health, education and blue light sectors.
Dan Spencer, chief executive of Torsion Group, said: “The successful implementation of our business improvement plans under Ed’s leadership has allowed us to focus on securing a record order book in line with continued business growth.
“I am delighted to support our construction business moving to a regional delivery model, and the appointments of Priesh and Richard are another step towards our long-term vision for the Torsion Group of companies.”
Wootton added that the new directors’ “wealth of experience, combined with their deep understanding of the industry, will be invaluable to our company as we continue to drive business growth and exceptional value to our clients”.
Earlier this month, Torsion announced a joint venture partnership with the Lloyds-backed Housing Growth Partnership to deliver its £53m Hollis Croft residential project in Sheffield.
Dave Worsley has been integral to Torsion’s growth, CEO Dan Spencer said. Credit: via Dragnofly
As COO, Worsley will focus on identifying future key development opportunities, securing large-scale funding, and negotiating joint venture partnerships.
He will also support the firm’s MDs in delivering their growth and business improvement plans within Torsion Developments, Torsion Construction, Torsion Homes, and Luna Students.
Spencer said: “Alongside myself, Dave Worsley was integral in founding Torsion Developments and has been instrumental in our growth and positioning as a market-leading developer. His continued and dedicated focus in this area will help us forge ahead in our
core sectors. Dave is delivering the strategic growth plan in the sector by finding innovative solutions to provide funding for schemes and unlock developments. This allows us to secure an exciting pipeline of projects by working closely as developer, contractor and operator.
“Ed’s appointment has provided a single, clear leadership structure that enhances project outcomes and strengthens our ability to offer clients end-to-end solutions.
“It has culminated in a record number of new projects for Torsion over the last 12 months. Aligning our senior leadership team to satisfy the needs of the business will help us deliver further growth and ensure we continue to exceed investor and client expectations whilst delivering our long-term business plans.”
