McBains announces senior promotions to strengthen leadership and support continued growth

Their promotions recognise their achievements to date and position them to play a key role in the continued growth, development and long-term resilience of the business.

• Elena Cocuccioni – promoted to Director, London Housing & Masterplanning
• Asela Premachandra - promoted to Director, London Development Monitoring
• Zac Brooke – promoted to Associate Director, Thames Valley Cost Management
• Andrew Fear – promoted to Associate Director, Manchester Project Management
• Jalal Miah – promoted to Associate Director, Data & Digital
• Danny Wood – promoted to Associate Director, Thames Valley Cost Management

ELENA COCUCCIONI has been promoted to the position of Director within the London Housing & Masterplanning team. Elena joined McBains in 2013 as an Architectural Assistant and has progressed through multiple roles, before being appointed Project Director in July 2024. She’s a highly valued and integral member of the Housing & Masterplanning team, known for her exceptional design capability, client relationship management and leadership. She manages a significant portfolio of key clients, maintaining an excellent reputation while delivering major projects with efficiency and consistency. .

ASELA PREMACHANDRA has been promoted to the position of Director within the London Development Monitoring team. During his time at McBains, Asela has consistently demonstrated strong leadership, providing clear strategic direction to multidisciplinary teams and delivering practical, high-quality solutions to complex challenges. He brings significant analytical, commercial and strategic expertise to the challenging realm of PPP and asset management consultancy, drawing on his extensive experience across a wide range of sectors. With strengths in structured finance, asset optimisation and commercial negotiation, Asela helps clients maximise value and achieve long-term outcomes. 

ZAC BROOKE has been promoted to the position of Associate Director within the Thames Valley Cost Management team. Since joining McBains as a graduate surveyor in January 2018, Zac has demonstrated exceptional progression, qualifying with an MSc in Quantity Surveying and achieving membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Zac has shown high-level performance and strategic leadership, independently leading complex projects for clients and managing senior stakeholders with confidence to deliver consistently high-quality outcomes. A strong leader, he supports and develops those around him, fostering collaboration and strengthening team capability. .

JALAL MIAH has been promoted to the position of Associate Director within the Thames Valley Cost Management team. With over 10 years’ experience and a strong background in data, compliance and programme performance, he’s brought a well-rounded and strategic approach to programme management since joining in September 2024. As Head of Digital & Data, Jalal has led the development of a robust data and digital capability, mentoring team members, introducing structured support frameworks and driving innovation across multiple SBUs. His work now spans digital workflow design, data governance, automation and client-facing advisory services. In addition, Jalal has taken on a key role as the business’ AI Lead, driving the exploration and adoption of AI tools and practices to enhance efficiency, insight and service delivery across the organisation. 

DANNY WOOD has been promoted to the position of Associate Director within the Thames Valley Cost Management team. Bringing extensive experience and knowledge from his previous role, he’s strengthened programme management capability within the team. A strong strategic thinker with excellent emotional intelligence, Danny excels in building and maintaining client relationships, resolving challenges and creating new opportunities. He’s led the development of a P3O structure and contributed significantly to a key client's Target Operating Model. Danny’s also a committed leader and mentor, supporting the development of colleagues and fostering a positive and collaborative team culture. 

ANDREW FEAR has been promoted to the position of Associate Director within the Manchester team. Andrew joined McBains in July 2024 and was promoted to Senior Project Manager in July 2025. With over 25 years of industry experience, he brings strong operational insight and extensive expertise from both contracting and consultancy environments. He’s demonstrated excellent leadership, building and managing effective teams and developing strong relationships with client stakeholders. His commercial awareness and ability to balance service delivery with business objectives have been key to his success. 

In addition to the above, we're also delighted to acknowledge and reward the growth and development of several other key staff members who will be assuming new roles within the business. These promotions reflect the evolving responsibilities of these individuals, together with the growth in their experience and capabilities, whilst facilitating their continued career development within McBains:

• Thanos Ganniaris – promoted to Senior Monitoring & Evaluation Project Manager, Greece
• Loukas Giannakopoulos – promoted to Principal Project Manager, Greece
• Alkis Sioulas – promoted to Senior Project Manager, Greece
• Raul Sanz Diaz – promoted to Senior Architect, London
• Trang Giang – promoted to Senior Architectural Technologist, London
• Theo Williamson – promoted to Principal Structural Engineer, London
• Javier Perez Clemente – promoted to Principal Technician, London
• Eleonora Sisinna – promoted to Principal Architect, London
• Mattis James – promoted to Senior Project Manager, Thames Valley
• Joe Randall-Davies – promoted to Assistant Quantity Surveyor,  Thames Valley

All of the individuals listed above exhibit the traits we look for in a McBains employee: being thoroughly professional, trustworthy, respectful and willing to support their colleagues and the wider business. Above all, they all demonstrate a passion for 'finding the better way'.