New deputy chair for Developing Consensus as it ‘makes strides forward’

Membership organisation Developing Consensus has appointed Nick Gholkar as its new deputy chair.

Nick, who is the executive partner for the Newcastle office of law firm Ward Hadaway, started his journey with Developing Consensus back in 2012 when he volunteered as a scribe at a workshop.

He said: “Developing Consensus always stands out because of its crucial public and private sector cross-collaboration.

"This allows our private sector members to feed into one unified body, which consults with our public sector associates for the greater good of our region and the development industry.

"Over the last 18 months, while sitting on the steering committee, I’ve led a key task group in exploring the membership’s governance and formalising this to create a solid foundation in which our membership can sit.

“I’m delighted to take up the role as deputy chair at such a pivotal and exciting time for the region, as we see the work of the North East Combined Authority headed up by our mayor really starting to take shape.” 

Developing Consensus, which is made up of over 120 private and public sector organisations, has a track record of proactively fostering collaboration between the sectors in the property and development industry. A crucial part of Nick’s role will be to represent Developing Consensus’ private sector membership and working alongside the North East Combined Authority.

Nick added: “I’m looking forward to ensuring our private sector members' feedback is heard and that our collective voice is a pivotal sounding board as our region continues to unlock funding and make strides forward.”

Sandra Manson, chair of Developing Consensus, added: “We’re looking forward to welcoming Nick as deputy chair.

"Nick has been a vital member of our steering committee and has gone over and above to assist Developing Consensus in the launch of its new manifesto, while working with his team on the group’s governance structure.

“We have a busy quarter ahead as we submit our feedback on the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), continue to have dialogue on the region’s evolving infrastructure plans and work on further strengthening the relationships with our public sector associates and I’m delighted to have Nick joining me at the helm for the journey.”

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