An interview with Legal Director Natalie Maye

Since opening our doors in Birmingham three years ago, we have continued to grow our team and presence across the Midlands region. Following our recent move into our new office at One Centenery Way, we reflect on our journey so far.

This week, we asked Natalie Maye, a Legal Director in our Projects, Infrastructure and Construction (PIC) team for her top five reasons to be excited about the future of Birmingham.

1. Birmingham is physically reinventing itself

One of the most exciting things about Birmingham is that its transformation isn’t theoretical. You can literally see it happening across the city, through major regeneration, new infrastructure, changing neighbourhoods and the continued development of the city centre! For someone working in projects, infrastructure and construction, that makes Birmingham an incredibly exciting place to be. These are long-term projects that can fundamentally change how people live, work and move around the city. For TLT, having a growing presence here gives us the opportunity to be close to that transformation and to the businesses, investors and public bodies helping to deliver it.

2. Birmingham is at the heart of the UK’s infrastructure story

Birmingham has long benefited from its central location, but continued investment in rail and transport infrastructure presents an opportunity to turn that geographic advantage into something much bigger. Better connectivity can be a catalyst for regeneration, housing, jobs and investment across the city and wider region – something that is particularly exciting from my perspective, given our work supporting clients in the rail sector and our wider projects, infrastructure and construction expertise. As our Birmingham office grows, there is a real opportunity for us to contribute to the next generation of infrastructure investment in the Midlands.

3. Birmingham can combine its industrial heritage with the industries of the future

Birmingham has proud industrial roots, and rather than consigning that chapter to history, it's been interesting to witness that heritage evolving. The city and wider West Midlands have an opportunity to combine deep expertise in manufacturing and engineering with growth in areas such as advanced technology, life sciences and clean energy. The transition to a lower-carbon economy needs new infrastructure to be financed, consented, built and connected. That creates a natural point of connection between Birmingham’s ambitions and TLT’s strengths across projects, infrastructure, construction and future energy.

4. Its people are one of Birmingham's biggest competitive advantages

Birmingham has an strikingly young and diverse population, alongside a significant university base and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. The real opportunity is in retaining that talent and giving people reasons to build their careers here. That matters to us too. As our Birmingham office grows, we have an opportunity to build a team that reflects the city around us and to offer people the chance to work on major national projects without feeling that they have to move to London to do so. In sectors such as infrastructure and construction, where projects depend on bringing together many different disciplines and perspectives, that depth of talent is a major competitive advantage.

5. Birmingham is increasingly offering the complete package as a city

As well as being business and industry hubs, cities also need to be places where people genuinely want to spend their lives. Birmingham increasingly brings those pieces together: career opportunities and investment are rife, alongside culture, sport, food, green space and a distinctive identity of its own. This will help make the city’s growth more sustainable, because attracting businesses and investment ultimately depends on attracting and keeping people as well. Our investment in Birmingham reflects that same confidence: that the city will continue to grow in importance as a place to do business, build a career and deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious projects.

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