Leading the charge for innovation and growth
Southern Ecological Solutions (SES) is proud to announce Andrew Pankhurst’s new role as managing director. His career journey, shaped by a passion for nature, has positioned him to guide SES’s continued growth and success.
A career shaped by passion for nature
Andrew’s journey to leadership at SES was anything but conventional. After graduating with a law degree, he quickly realised that the legal profession wasn’t the right path for him. “I had a strong personal connection to the natural world and wanted a role that allowed me to engage with it more directly,” says Andrew. This led him to retrain as an ecologist, gaining invaluable experience through contracting roles and volunteering.
Over time, Andrew established himself as an ecologist, ultimately stepping into strategic leadership at SES, where he now guides the growth and integration of the business’s ecology, arboriculture, landscape architecture and habitat creation teams while still being a hands-on presence for its client base.
Driving innovation and growth at SES
In his new role, Andrew is committed to further enhancing SES’s service offerings, expanding its reach and driving innovation. “We’ve already built strong, collaborative relationships with our existing clients, and my goal is to continue to enhance the quality and value of our services,” he says. He also has a clear focus on diversifying the company’s portfolio, with plans to expand into emerging sectors such as botany, biodiversity net gain and technological innovations such as unmanned drones.
Andrew is also keen to strengthen SES’s presence within the water and energy sectors: “There’s real potential for growth and exciting projects in these areas, and I’m eager to explore these opportunities while maintaining our established service offering within the planning sector.”
A vision for the future
Looking ahead, Andrew is particularly excited about SES’s ability to meet the evolving challenges of the business, particularly in the face of regulatory uncertainty and increasing pressures that the industry faces. He says: “I am driven by the opportunity to expand into new markets and to innovate the services and solutions we offer, keeping SES at the forefront of the services it offers to the market.”
Within his leadership role, Andrew has expressed the importance of SES’s continued commitment to being a truly great place to work: “I’m passionate about creating an environment where our team feels inspired, supported and empowered to achieve its full potential. Watching individuals grow, develop their careers and flourish within SES is one of the most rewarding aspects of leadership, and I’m excited to help shape a future where opportunity and ambition go hand in hand for our team.”
As Andrew embarks on this exciting new chapter at SES, his leadership promises to shape the future of the company with a focus on sustainability, innovation and a people-first culture.
If you’d like to work alongside Andrew and the team at SES, visit our careers page here.
Join our team