25 years in built environment marketing strategically
advising leading firms.

A woman with short curly hair smiling and sitting on a green armchair beside a large potted plant with long green leaves.

I'm Ayo Abbas, founder of Abbas Marketing, a marketing and business development consultancy for architecture, engineering and construction firms.
I've spent 25 years in and around this sector, in-house and independently. I set up Abbas Marketing because I kept seeing the same thing: good firms, doing great work, losing out because they hadn't got clear on where they wanted to compete, how to talk about it and who to.
Since 2020 I've worked with five of the top ten UK engineering consultancies, as well as growing practices, mid-sized firms and specialist consultants. What they tend to share is ambition, and a recognition that what got them here won't necessarily get them where they want to go next.

Clients.

Who I work with.

My clients are directors, partners and senior marketing leaders at architecture, engineering and construction firms, large and small. They don’t tend to be starting from scratch. They want someone who understands where they are, can suggest realistic ways to unlock work, and will tell them what they actually need to hear.

Many of them are at a point where the market has shifted around them. Frameworks that used to deliver are running their course. Procurement is changing. And in truth, the phone isn't ringing with referrals the way it used to. They know they need to be more deliberate about where they focus and how they show up.

I also work with marketing teams and built environment professionals through training and masterclasses. This helps them build the skills and confidence to make marketing part of how the firm operates and people want to do rather than something that happens when someone has a spare hour.

How I work.

I start by understanding your situation properly before recommending anything. That usually means a discovery workshop with your team, and often conversations with your clients too. Clients frequently see strengths that firms can't see in themselves, and that's worth knowing before you decide what to change.

From there we get clear on the ground you want to own. This isn’t at the exclusion of everything else, but gives your team focus and the market a reason to think of you first for the right things. That clarity tends to change how people feel about business development, as well as how they do it because they’re more confident.

Depending on what you need, I offer strategic consultancy, advisory support, training and speaking. Some clients want a focused piece of work. Others want ongoing support while they implement. For teams, I run practical programmes built around what works in this sector, with tools people will actually use.

Meshing strategy with the practicalities of getting things done is the thing clients mention most.

Awards.

Digital Woman of the Year 2022 - Overall Winner

Archiboo Shortlist 2022 - Cundall Best Consultant website

- Digital Woman of the Year 2022, overall winner
- Property Marketing Awards 2022, shortlisted
- Archiboo Awards 2022, shortlisted
- The Hustle Awards, shortlisted
- Wandsworth Women's Enterprise Awards 2023, runner up

Who I am.

My career includes senior roles and project work with Arup, WSP, Mace, Ramboll, AECOM and Buro Happold. Before founding Abbas Marketing I led marketing for one of Mace's fastest growing divisions, where revenue doubled from £31m to £61m in three years. What I learned there about having a clear BD focus, and knowing which rooms you need to be in, still shapes how I work.

I also spent my first 18 months at Mace as public sector marketing lead, covering public estates, research, education, arts and culture, and healthcare. That built on earlier work at Arup and Conisbee. At Conisbee I drafted all bids and proposals, including targeting and winning places on local and national government frameworks, so I understand how public sector clients buy and what they are looking for.

Working inside large firms, often with specialist teams operating like a small business within a big one, taught me a lot about being nimble, making the case for marketing to people who are sceptical of it, and finding the angles that get traction.

I am a Non-Executive Director at ReLondon and Make An Impact CIC, and I host The Built Environment Marketing Show, now past its 100th episode. I was named Digital Woman of the Year in 2022, inducted into the Architizer Trailblazer Hall of Fame, have judged the Architizer A+ Awards for the past three years, and was a RIBA Awards juror in 2023 and 2025.

I'm based in South West London and work with firms across the UK and internationally, in person and remotely. I hold a postgraduate diploma from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and a BA (Honours) in Marketing.

"Ayo is a true integrated marketing and communications talent. She is adept at strategy, fluent in the built environment sector and can be relied upon to build effective campaigns."

Cath Green, former Marketing Director, Mace
"Ayo listened and understood our requirements, challenged us when needed, and put forward a comprehensive and achievable plan. She made me excited about where the business can go and what I can personally achieve."

Stefanie Stead, Partner, Stead and Co
“Ayo worked with me to launch my executive search and recruitment agency Curio. She created a marketing plan and content strategy relevant to my architectural target audience. I’ve had positive feedback from industry peers. Her work has given me a wider social media presence, generated new clients and given me a business development approach where inbound opportunities come to me directly."

—Hazel Whittaker, Director, Curio
“Ayo's ability to put our product in an industry context and dwell on our emerging value proposition. Our discussions around processes and changes happening in the market have had a direct effect on our ability to communicate our product to our target audience, thus supporting our sales and investment operation."

—Noam Naveh, CEO and Co-founder, Stylib
“Ayo worked with us on the copy for our new industrial-focused website. She was able to listen to what we wanted and work with us to create short succinct text that encapsulates the key messages we want to get across to our clients.”

Hasan Dikme, Managing Director, Stonna Limited

Featured in.

Trade press and bylines.

- Building Design, opinion piece on the state of the architectural profession, 2024
- The Executive Magazine, on whether marketing experience is being devalued by AI, 2026
- American Institute of Architects, quoted on positioning, email marketing and AI's impact on SEO, 2025
- The Times, on why the construction industry model is broken, 2021
- EG Magazine, comment piece on crisis communications, 2021
- PSM The Professionals, on sustainability communications skills

Podcasts and webinars.

- Business of Architecture, episode 197, "Creating an Impactful Marketing Campaign” with Rion Willard

- AEC Marketeer, episode 75, "Exploring Alternative Marketing Models with Ayo Abbas", and “UK–US AEC Marketing, Part 1 with Ayo Abbas”

- Being Freelance, full interview

- Architecture Social, "Ayo Abbas Spills the Tea on the Top 5 Architecture Marketing Mistakes", with Stephen Drew

- The Marketing Meetup, webinar “Going Fractional or Freelance” with Luan Wise and Steve Folland

Speaking and institutional.

-RIBA Awards juror, 2025

- Architizer Trailblazer Hall of Fame

- Architizer A+ Awards jury member

- Architizer Future Fest, Ayo Abbas speaker on architectural storytelling

- UK Construction Week, speaker

- Changing the Face of Architecture, Women in Architecture

- ITV News, Music in Offices City of Women 2024

A smiling woman standing outdoors in front of a modern building with balconies, wearing a patterned dress.

A newspaper article titled "The Times" with an image of a smiling woman in a patterned dress, a crest with a lion and a unicorn at the top, and a quote about diversity in boardrooms.

Four women are standing on a city street, being interviewed by a woman holding a microphone with a windsock, during a news segment for ITV News in London.

Smiling woman with short black hair in a navy blue polka dot shirt, outdoor setting with a blurred background, on a website page about sustainability communication skills.

Let’s figure out your next marketing steps together

BOOK AN INTRO CALL WITH AYO

Frequently asked questions

Agencies are generally set up to produce things. I'm set up to work out what's worth producing and why. If it isn't going to grow your business, I don't see the point in you paying for it. Once the direction is clear I'm happy to work alongside whoever executes it, including your own team.
Having worked with 5 of the UK's top 10 engineering firms and countless other firms in the industry, I understand your unique challenges - long sales cycles, complex procurement processes, and technical audiences. I speak your language and know how to translate technical expertise into compelling client-focused messaging that wins work.
From practices of up to ten or so up to global consultancies. What matters more than size is whether there's someone senior who wants to make a decision about direction. My sweet spot is companies with £5K-£20k marketing budgets who want board-level strategic advice. I also provide strategic guidance to smaller practice who need clear direction on growth.
By what happens to the business, rather than by likes and impressions. Doubling a consultancy's turnover from £31m to £61m. More of the right meetings, more proposals, and getting in front of a specific target list rather than everyone.
Yes. I sit on boards as a Non-Executive Director and I'm comfortable at director level, contributing to business decisions rather than just marketing ones.