SGP kick starts 2026 with a series of promotions across the business

Stephen George + Partners (SGP) is strengthening its focus on growth in 2026 with five internal promotions, strengthening the practice’s sector expertise and management structure as well as consolidating specialist areas such as BIM, digital illustration and practical AI applications.

James Smith

James Smith has been promoted to Studio Director, reinforcing his pivotal role in developing industrial and logistics masterplanning schemes for industry-leading clients, and offering a wide range of experience and creativity to deliver value on all projects.

Richard Smyth, Partner, explains: “As a thought leader in design and the I&L industry, James is a driving force in shaping the future of industrial architecture. His excellent project management, people management and leadership skills make him an expert at developing and maintaining strategic working relationships with clients and their respective supply-chains. His communication style and approach have helped him to develop the Longbridge studio into a vibrant and healthy working environment, driving forward design quality and continual improvement.”

Babor Qureshi

A member of SGP’s Healthcare team, Babor Qureshi has been promoted to Associate, continuing to manage the design team and contract administration, fostering strong and collaborative relationships with clients, and delivering projects from inception through to practical completion.

Says Steve Batson, Studio Director and SGP’s healthcare team lead: “Babor’s promotion to Associate is thoroughly deserved. He has made a major impact since joining SGP, bringing strong technical expertise, deep healthcare knowledge, and real drive to help move the sector forward as our team and client base continues to grow.”

Qasim Ali

Passionate about visualisation, Qasim Ali has been promoted to Principal Architectural Illustrator, creating architectural CGIs for projects across all sectors, using his skills to tell a story and evoke an emotional response to the buildings being showcased.

James Blood, Digital Director, observes: “Qasim’s promotion reflects his ownership of the discipline and a step-change in capability and output quality. He has led significant improvements in tools and workflows, particularly in the use of AI, and he has taken partial ownership of commercial operations, strengthening how the team delivers and scales. In his new role, Qasim will continue to focus on creative output, tooling, and the commercial model, as well as raising the bar to compete with and disrupt major competitors and support SGP’s ambitions for growth.

Marcus Gregory-Smith

Promoted to the position of Principal Architect, Marcus Gregory-Smith works directly with Prologis, a major and long-standing SGP client. In addition to being responsible for front-end masterplanning, concept development, visualisation, client engagement and preparing planning application packages, Marcus is active in SGP’s ArchViz Matrix group which aims to advance SGP’s visualisation capabilities.

Commenting on Marcus’s promotion, Studio Director, Tariq Khan said: “Marcus’s promotion to Principal Architect is a reflection of his outstanding commitment, leadership, and consistently high-quality work. He has proven himself time and again as a reliable project lead, an effective mentor, and a trusted client liaison. His contributions, particularly on high-profile projects like Marks & Spencer’s Distribution Centre, Northamptonshire and Project Snow (DC11 & DC12), Daventry, demonstrate an ability to manage complex project demands. I have every confidence that Marcus will continue to thrive in this new role and help drive the practice forward.”

Prashanth Manohara

Prashanth Manohara has been promoted to Information Manager and BIM Coordinator as a recognition of his increased capability, ownership, and consistent delivery performance across all aspects of Information Management, BIM Coordination, and BIM support.

Joe Marlow, Associate: Senior Information Manager and BIM Coordinator, explains; “Prashanth has developed strongly and consistently since joining SGP. He has taken clear ownership of project delivery, confidently representing the team in design team / contractor meetings and leading BIM kick-off meetings. He has led and successfully presented Lead Appointed Party (LAP) case studies and contributed to ISO 19650 audit preparation activities, helping support a successful surveillance/recertification outcome. Prashanth consistently delivers to deadline and takes pride in quality, actively identifying and driving efficiencies in our BIM Coordination service delivery and improving how the team approaches QA and reporting.”