Following a period of sustained growth, tp bennett has promoted two directors to its main board, with Katia Polidoro as principal director and Valentina Vescovi as chief commercial officer (CCO), effective 1 April 2023.
These promotions reinforce the practice’s commitment to high quality architecture and interior design combined with commercial acumen and a focus on creating a world class working environment for staff, together with a commitment to sustainability and social impact in the UK and beyond.
Katia Polidoro is an architect and urban designer with twenty-five years’ experience across a wide range of award-winning projects, from architecture and interior design through to large-scale masterplanning and regeneration schemes across the UK and EMEA.
Since joining tp bennett in 2013, Katia has led transformational mixed-use developments including High Street Quarter and Cavalry Barracks in Hounslow, the Rochdale Riverside mixed-use quarter near Manchester, the reimagining of Rackhams department store (an early tp bennett building) in Birmingham, as well as the regeneration of Luton and Camberley town centres. She regularly speaks on the benefits of sustainable retrofit, town centre regeneration and the art of placemaking.
Throughout her career, Katia has consistently championed the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion agenda. An industry mentor herself, she been responsible for establishing and mobilising tp bennett’s successful in-house mentoring programme and supports the practice’s relationships with London Universities, the RIBA and organisations including Women in Property, Real Estate Balance and the Mentoring Circle.
As a member of the architectural NGOs Article 25 (Development & Disaster Relief) and Architecture Sans Frontières UK, Katia has been involved in community and regeneration work overseas.
Katia Polidoro commented,
“As a principal director, I will continue to nurture relationships with clients whilst pursuing new opportunities in the UK and internationally. At this incredibly exciting time for tp bennett, my focus will be to strengthen the practice’s collective portfolio through transformational design that addresses some of the key issues and challenges facing society today. I will continue to champion the practice’s ED&I agenda, and work to improve diverse representation in the built environment.”
Valentina Vescovi is a management professional with over 15 years’ experience in the architecture and interior design industry. Her international experience and multilingual abilities have enabled her to develop expertise in the commercial, legal and financial aspects of prominent international projects.
Since joining tp bennett in 2015, Valentina has held a position of increasing responsibility leading the commercial operations of the Interior Design division. Valentina has a strong track record of delivering ambitious business strategies for profitable growth in dynamic markets, as well as developing and leading high performing teams.
Valentina Vescovi commented,
“As CCO, I will focus on delivering long-term value and sustainable growth for tp bennett, guided by the delivery of excellence to clients, employees and business partners. I have always had an entrepreneurial outlook and will support continued growth in current markets and beyond. I am also a passionate advocate of creating engaging working environments that foster creativity and innovation, inspiring and enabling teams to deliver world-class design.”