Binoy Panicker, AICP, principal urban planner with Ayres since 2021, has been promoted to senior director of planning and infrastructure.

Panicker, who has been based in Ayres’ Tampa, Fla. office, will now also serve from the firm’s growing North Carolina location, supporting Ayres’ efforts to broaden its regional footprint and advance new business initiatives in the North Carolina market. In this elevated leadership role, Panicker will bring a multidisciplinary perspective to the region and help position Ayres for long-term success across the state.

Drawing on his deep experience in urban planning and multidisciplinary infrastructure integration, Panicker will guide strategic direction and coordinate service-line efforts as Ayres expands its capabilities in North Carolina, one of the nation’s fastest-growing states. This appointment underscores Ayres’ commitment to the North Carolina market, giving clients and partners direct access to a leader equipped to shape strategy and coordinate resources across the company.

“Binoy is exactly the leader we want representing Ayres in North Carolina,” says Disa Wahlstrand, PE, LEED AP, Ayres’ vice president of Engineering Services. “He brings a rare combination of planning expertise, market instincts, and a deep understanding of how Ayres works across service lines. Clients respond to him. Teams rally around him. He knows how to build a growth trajectory from the ground up – and he does it with thoughtfulness and integrity.”

With a proven record of developing new markets and forging strong client relationships, Panicker will build on that success to accelerate Ayres’ expansion and deepen client impact in North Carolina. He will collaborate across service lines to integrate Ayres’ transportation, engineering services, water resources, environmental, MEP, and development services expertise from other offices into North Carolina project delivery and drive local growth – while coordinating closely with our established geospatial resources already in place – in a region eager to advance critical and innovative work.

Panicker played a significant role in shaping Ayres’ growth across Florida, a connection he will continue to carry into his new responsibilities. He will remain involved with Florida clients and projects while also applying his experience and best practices as he leads growth across North Carolina and the broader Southeast. As part of this work, he will help deepen collaboration and bring on new talent into Ayres’ emerging service areas.

Panicker holds a Master of Arts in Urban Design from Oxford Brookes University and a Bachelor of Architecture from Kerala University and is a certified planner. He previously held senior leadership roles at multidisciplinary firms, leading the design and delivery of large and small planning, design, and engineering projects. He currently serves as chair of the University of South Florida Urban & Regional Planning Department’s Academic Advisory Board and is a thought leader who regularly shares award-winning project experiences and practices at state and national conferences.

Ayres leadership looks forward to the expanded impact Panicker will bring as he helps shape the future of the firm’s presence in North Carolina and the Southeast.