In conversation with Tom Cherrill and Iman Mohamed, Grayling Planning & Infrastructure

This month, we caught up with Tom Cherrill, Account Director, and Iman Mohamed, Account Executive, from Grayling Planning & Infrastructure (P&I) – one of PREACH Inclusion’s corporate partners. Grayling’s P&I team provides communication and stakeholder engagement services that support the UK’s energy transition, major economic development projects and infrastructure delivery.

In this conversation, Tom and Iman reflect on their career journeys so far, from early influences and unexpected opportunities to their experiences working across complex infrastructure schemes and diverse communities. With different lived experiences but shared values, they speak candidly about everything from social mobility to public engagement, inclusive consultation and internal representation in the built environment sector.

Grab a cuppa and dive in!

Tom Cherrill and Iman Mohamed.

Tom – experiencing social mobility

For both Tom and Iman, education was a gateway into unfamiliar but transformative spaces. Born and raised in Maidstone, Kent, Tom’s first experience of social mobility came from within his own household – though he didn’t realise it at the time. His stepdad, who worked in a garage by day, attended college in the evenings to retrain as an electrician. It left a lasting impression.

“There was something inspiring about seeing my stepdad return to education and see his efforts directly improve his, and therefore our, standard of life.” – Tom

That influence laid the foundation for an internship in Year 12 with the Civil Service, secured through the Social Mobility Foundation. “It was like a door had swung open.” Tom recalls. “No one in my family had gone to university. I didn’t even know jobs like that existed.”

Tom later became the first in his family and friendship circle to attend university, stepping into a completely unknown space.

He went on to study Philosophy and Politics at Brighton University, pulled in by the big questions of free will and purpose.

Iman – curious about the world

Growing up in West London, Iman attended a local state school where her early interest in politics began to take shape. But it wasn’t until her A-Level Politics classes that she noticed something was missing.

“It was very Western-centric… I was more interested in international perspectives – what was happening in the world around us.” – Iman

A talk on International Relations opened her eyes to a broader, more globally conscious framework, which led her to study the subject at the London School of Economics (LSE). Here she was exposed to a more holistic style of teaching, exploring narratives from Africa and Asia, and topics like genocide and displacement.

Though university was always the plan for Iman, the experience was still a shift. Coming from a state school, she admits she wasn’t familiar with things like ‘Spring Week’: “Those kinds of insights aren’t always accessible if you’re from certain backgrounds.” - Iman

LSE’s highly competitive environment also pushed her out of her comfort zone. “You can’t just float by… It forced me to look for internships early and made me realise just how many roles are out there – even ones I didn’t know existed.” In her third year, she landed an internship in Public Affairs and discovered an interest in this field.

Tom – Building experience in real time

For Tom, entering the planning world was never part of the plan – it started with a decision made during the COVID-19 lockdown.

“I was working in a restaurant during ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ and it was the worst month of my life!” – Tom joked.

That turning point led to a surprising opportunity: Tom asked a regular customer, who happened to be an architect, for an internship and he agreed.

“My work there allowed me to learn more about the world of planning, preparing reports specifically on the London Plan. I’d never thought about it before but found it fascinating.” – Tom

He went on to work at an agency in Surbiton, Kingston, where being closely involved with the Managing Director gave him invaluable experience and a broader view of the sector. “It gave me real insight, not just into projects, but into how an agency runs.” – Tom

In August 2022, Tom joined Grayling. Now, in his day-to-day work, he manages budgets, liaises with clients, and drives complex consultation processes across planning and infrastructure.

“You realise how many decisions shape our towns and cities that most people don’t even know are happening – it’s a motivating part of what we do.” – Tom

Iman – work with purpose

For Iman, her career foundations were laid in years of volunteering, something she had done while growing up. After her first year of university, she interned with the Prisoners’ Education Trust, a virtual experience due to the pandemic. Here she supported research on how prison learners were being excluded from distance education. “There’s such a strong link between education and reducing reoffending, it made me want to do more work rooted in systems and change.” – Iman

Following her year abroad in Italy, she took on a Public Affairs internship with a corporate agency. “It was very different – broad, fast-paced, and I realised I really enjoyed that kind of work.” Shortly before joining Grayling, she worked with Detention Action UK, a charity advocating for people in the asylum system.

“Currently there is no statutory limit to how long people can be held in detention centres. I supported them with their ongoing campaign to end indefinite detention in the UK, as well as working with a group to create a charter on how to genuinely value lived experience in the process – it was intense, but it mattered.” – Iman

After graduating, Iman knew she didn’t want to go too niche. “I was looking for breadth, for something where I could bring my interest in sustainability, my connection to communities, and grow my skills. That’s what drew me to Grayling.” She joined in October 2024 and has spent the last eight months working across a range of projects with diverse communities at the centre.

Tom – rapid growth and leading interesting projects

As we reflected on Tom’s rapid progression from Senior Account Executive to Account Director in just two and half years, there was a realisation for Tom of what an achievement this was. In that time, Tom has worked on a range of infrastructure projects, while being trusted to lead.

“It’s been a ride… there’s been a real mix of work and a shared effort, both from me and the team, to create space for growth.” – Tom

One of his early standout projects was Anglesey Freeport, where Tom was tasked with mobilising support for Anglesey’s application to become a freeport. After a dynamic four-month campaign, the Anglesey bidding consortium welcomed the then Prime Minister, the First Minister of Wales, and the Secretary of State for Wales to Holyhead port, where the politicians announced that Anglesey was to become one of the first Welsh freeports. For the work on this campaign, Grayling won the 2024 Consultancy Campaign of the Year award at the PRCA Polimonitor Awards.

But the defining work was on the Eastern Green Link 3 and Eastern Green Link 4 energy infrastructure schemes, the proposals for which run for over 100km onshore through three county councils. “It’s the biggest project I’ve ever worked on – we had eight in-person events and 17 webinars in four weeks. Getting that consultation over the line was a huge effort. It taught me so much on compliance, engagement, and even how to explain the idea of connecting four gigawatts of electricity in simple language.” – Tom

Another recent highlight was proposals for the redevelopment of Kingston University’s faculty buildings. “It’s been interesting because we’ve been able to consult not just with local communities, but also with internal stakeholders – staff, students, people who’ll actually use the space. It brings a very human side to the engagement process.” – Tom

Engaging with diverse communities

For both Tom and Iman, engaging with diverse communities isn’t just a requirement of their roles, it’s fundamental to how they approach their work.

Based in South London, Iman’s work on the London Power Tunnels 2 (LPT2) project has involved adapting messaging across different age groups and communities.

“You get such a mix of people, especially across London. Tone really matters – what works for one group won’t necessarily resonate with another.” - Iman

On Grayling’s Willesden and Kensal Green Connection project, Iman has helped lead initiatives that go beyond traditional consultation, such as organising school engagement sessions to inspire future workforces and community litter picks to build relationships locally.

For Tom, broadening participation is central to addressing structural imbalances in the planning process.

“If you look at who typically responds to consultations, it tends to be older people and that can sometimes align with NIMBY-ism… But we’ve got an acute housing crisis. We need to engage the parts of society that stand to gain the most, especially young people and renters. That kind of inclusive engagement could be what unlocks the support we need to move things forward.” – Tom

Promoting DE&I within Grayling and the wider built environment sector

Grayling has launched six new Employee Resource Groups from diverse backgrounds, experiences, races, sexualities and neurodivergent traits. These groups cover LGBT+, Parenting, Wellbeing and Mental Health, People of Colour, Faith and a Women’s Network.

Iman is an active member of the People of Colour Network, which plays a key role in fostering cultural visibility and belonging across the company.

“To celebrate the end of Ramadan, we organised an Eid food celebration in the London office.” - Iman

Alongside in-person celebrations, the group shared a message in the company’s weekly internal newsletter marking the beginning of Ramadan – part of a wider effort to highlight cultural and religious milestones throughout the year and raise awareness across the organisation.

Final reflections

With their careers at different stages, Tom and Iman offered advice to each other.

“The busy times don’t last. You have to go through it and come out the other side. The rollercoaster does go up and down. When you’re in the thick of it, it can feel overwhelming but those moments pass. And actually, once it’s quiet again, you find yourself missing the pace.” – Tom

Iman, reflecting on her early career journey, highlights how recognition fuels momentum.

“Praise and feedback from your account leads goes such a long way. Tom’s already great at that, just saying ‘thanks for all your hard work’ makes a real difference. It makes you want to give even more.” – Iman

Thank you, Tom and Iman for sharing your career journeys with us.