CREATING CONNECTIONS... GENERATING OPPORTUNITIES

Stephen Stone

Chief Executive

Crest Nicholson plc

As a chartered architect Stephen Stone started his career working at a number of London based architectural practices before joining Countryside Properties in 1983. In 1995 he joined Crest Nicholson and since this time his experience, knowledge and breadth of understanding of the sector, combined with his visionary design aspirations, has seen him rapidly climb the career ladder. He was appointed to the Board of Crest Nicholson in 1999, subsequently becoming Chief Executive in 2005.

In 2011 he was also appointed to the House Builders Federation (HBF) Board. Throughout this period he has continued to champion Crest Nicholson’s reputation as a driving force in the sector, questioning conventional thinking and positioning the Group decisively to lead in the complex and challenging process of delivering environmentally sensitive, high quality, sustainable communities. He led the relisting of the Group on the London Stock Exchange earlier this year. 

Marc Vlessing

Co-founder & CEO

Pocket

Marc is Co-founder and CEO of Pocket, London’s first private developer that focuses exclusively on delivering intermediate housing for the starter market. Pocket’s award winning housing requires no grant, is secured as affordable in perpetuity and sold outright to people on low to moderate incomes.

Sir Edward Lister

Chairman

Homes & Communities Agency

He has considerable experience of the housing sector. For the last 5 years he has been London’s Deputy Mayor for policy and planning and chief of staff at the Greater London Authority (GLA).

Mary Parsons

Executive Director and Main Board Member

Places for People

Mary is an Executive Director and main Group Board member of Places for People. She is responsible for placemaking and the planning, design and delivery of many major and complex development and regeneration programmes. Her present projects include the promotion of 10,000 homes in Hertfordshire, the regeneration of a former dockyard in North Tyneside, 1500 new homes on the Olympic Park and major regeneration programmes in Sheffield, Birmingham and Bristol. She is also responsible for the Group's joint jv entire activities and is a Trustee and Chair of the Town & Country Planning Association.

Reza Merchant

CEO

The Collective

Reza's journey started while studying at the London School of Economics. Frustrated by the lack of high-quality yet affordable accommodation for young people in London, he decided to tackle this problem by creating his own lettings agency called Share in the City. Over time, this has evolved into The Collective, one of the most innovative and fastest-growing property companies in London. Following a number of smaller scale schemes around London, The Collective launched the world's largest co-living building, The Collective Old Oak, in May 2016, offering 550 rooms. It was fully let by the end of the year. The company currently has a total 2,000 beds in its portfolio and development pipeline, with two new co-living towers currently under development in Canary Wharf and Stratford. Additionally, The Collective is redesigning places of work, creating flexible working spaces that help entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life. In January 2017, a new co-working space opened as an extension of its Old Oak site. Furthermore, an app is currently in development to connect and enhance the co-living and co-working experience. Reza places great value on entrepreneurship, demonstrated through The Collective Growth Fund, and The Collective Foundation, designed to support aspiring entrepreneurs, artists and outstanding students. Reza is focused on reshaping the places where communities come together ; The Collective Growth fund were the main backers behind the successful POP Brixton and through Makeshift (a social enterprise that the Collective co-founded and funded) are already onsite with Peckham Levels, a 90,000sqft car park which is being transformed into a mix of artist studios, makers space, shared workspace and events/cultural space. He strongly believes that life begins at the end of your comfort zone, and achieving your full potential requires you to constantly challenge yourself on a number of different levels. Keeping this at the front of his mind has been instrumental to The Collective's success. Reza was recently listed as one of the Evening Standard's most influential people in London and as one of Property Week's Top Forty under 40. The Collective Old Oak won the Creative Spaces Award in 2016 from Estates Gazette and British GQ listed it as the second best thing in the world in 2016, just behind Drake.

Jennie Daly

UK Land & Planning Director

Taylor Wimpey

Jennie’s professional background is in Planning with over 20 years’ experience in Development Management, planning assessment and development promotion, with particular expertise in managing complex schemes which include significant elements of housing.

As UK Land and Planning Director, Jennie’s role has a direct focus on Taylor Wimpey’s land and planning strategy, with responsibilities for, and oversight of, land acquisition and complex planning matters. Jennie leads Taylor Wimpey’s response to the evolving UK planning system and political engagement across the planning policy arena, oversees Sustainability, Technical and Design, and is responsible for the training and development of land and planning skills within the Group.

In April 2015, Jennie became a non-executive director of Peabody Trust a leading affordable housing provider in Greater London.

Clive Skidmore

Head of Regeneration and Development

Birmingham City Council

Clive Skidmore has been Head of Regeneration and Development at Birmingham City Council since July 2008.

He has led the development of the biggest Council house building programme in the city for 30 years through the Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust (BMHT).

He has built up the programme from a standing start at the beginning of 2009 to a position where the Council currently has over 5,000 homes on site, and is starting 500 new homes for rent and sale a year, a development programme larger than any RSL or private developer in the city.

BMHT was the biggest single housing developer within the City of Birmingham in 2014-15, and since 2009 has built more new homes (over 2,000) than any other Local Authority within the UK. In addition through this work over 300 training apprenticeships have been created and 40 young people supported through a scholarship programme. Finally the programme has also won 7 major national awards for innovation and design.

He has also set up a new vehicle for the delivery of Private Rented Sector homes on Council owned land and the first scheme in the programme will start on site later this year. 

Originally a classicist, he holds a first class combined honours degree from Exeter University and a PhD in Classics. He has also published an academic book on Latin literature.

Duncan Sutherland

Group Regeneration Director

Sigma Capital Plc

Duncan set up Inpartnership Ltd in 2001 which was key in developing the overall Sigma Partnership model, working with local government partners, and has been at the forefront in setting up the successful partnerships currently on the company's books, such as in Solihull, Salford, and Liverpool. Duncan works closely with the government promoting this innovative approach to achieving regeneration and investment. Sigma has also completed on two innovative funds for substantial new private rented sector housing throughout the UK.

Previously, Duncan was Director of City Development for Coventry City Council where he introduced innovations such as Coventry and Warwickshire Partnerships, city centre management, integrated community development and chaired the West Midlands Strategic Sites Working Group. He also achieved city centre projects such as Coventry Canal Basin, Coventry University Science Park, various leisure and retail schemes and was heavily involved in the initial regeneration efforts in Hillfields working closely with the local community. Duncan Sutherland also worked at Inner City Enterprises PLC, and was also the Chief Executive of The EDI Group Ltd, a specialist regeneration/property investment company owned by the City of Edinburgh Council.

Duncan is a Non-­‐ Executive Director on the Board of HS2, a Non Executive Director on Scottish Canals, a member of the Regeneration Investment Organisation Advisory Board (part of UKTI) and a Trustee of the South Bank Sinfonia.

Councillor John Clancy

Leader

Birmingham City Council

John Clancy has been the Leader of Birmingham City Council since December 2015. He is Labour councillor for the Quinton Ward, having earlier represented the Hodge Hill Ward from 2002-2006. Since becoming city council leader, John has forged strong links with Birmingham's business community and is keen to support SMEs across the city while also attracting major investment from larger organisations.

He is the West Midlands Combined Authority portfolio lead member for economic growth – delivery of Strategic Economic Plan (SEP), access to finance for business, Collective Investment Fund (CIF), WMCA growth company, international trade and exports, digital strategy and the arts and cultural activity. John has spearheaded trade missions to China and Qatar, bringing in global capital to ensure Birmingham is a key player in the UK’s post-Brexit economy.

With an overarching emphasis on inclusive growth, the focus is on four key priorities: children, housing, jobs and skills and health. He believes Birmingham and the wider region have entered a golden decade, a period that will culminate in the arrival of High Speed Two in 2026, and is determined to ensure the benefits of economic growth are felt right across the city and in all communities.

John acknowledges that the city council is just one player in the quest for inclusive economic growth  and is keen to work with partners across the city to develop a shared longer-term vision for Birmingham.

Simon Wingate

Housing Director

Bouygues UK/Linkcity

Simon is responsible for leading Bouygues UK’s Midlands housing activities and for developing and delivering its business plan focusing on new build affordable housing, housing refurbishment, mixed tenure housing developments, the care sector and works closely with Linkcity, Bouygues UK’s development business who together are working as developer/contractor on the cities first speculative PRS scheme on Pershore Street.

Robert Noel

Group Chief Executive

Land Securities Group plc

From 1992 to 2002, Rob was a Director of Nelson Bakewell Ltd, the property services group. He joined Great Portland Estates plc, the FTSE 250 REIT, in June 2002 as part of a new management team, and was appointed to the Board in August 2002.

He joined Land Securities Group PLC in January 2010 and was appointed to the Board as Managing Director of its London business responsible for 10 million sq ft of commercial floor space in the capital; and was appointed Group Chief Executive from 1 April 2012. Robert is also a Trustee and Director of LandAid and sits on the policy committee of the British Property Federation. He is a Past Chairman of the Westminster Property Association and formerly a Director of The New West End Company, the central London business improvement district.

Melanie Leech CBE

Chief Executive

BPF

Melanie joined the British Property Federation as Chief Executive in January 2015, following nine years as Director General of the Food and Drink Federation.

Melanie began her working life as a Police Constable in the Metropolitan Police Service. She joined the civil service (HM Customs) in 1988 and subsequently held senior roles in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Office of the Rail Regulator and the Cabinet Office. Her role is to champion UK real estate and to promote a long-term, sustainable partnership between governments and the sector to deliver a high quality built environment, and to create wealth.

Melanie is a Fellow of the RSA and a member of the Battersea. In 2015 she was awarded a CBE for services to the food and drink industry.

Bill Hughes

Head of Real Assets

Legal & General Investment Management

​In January 2015, Bill was promoted to Head of Real Assets - a new role under which the company's direct investment capabilities in property and infrastructure have been brought together as one team for the very first time.

Joining the business at the end of 2007 as Managing Director of Legal & General Property (LGP), Bill Hughes has overseen the doubling of the company's real estate assets under management, growing to £15.5bn as at the end of 2014.  He has also headed up the establishment of its lending arm.

Before joining L&G, Bill previously held the position of UK Head of Real Estate at the Real Estate Fund Management business of Deutsche Bank.  Prior to that Bill was Deputy Managing Director and Head of Research at Schroder Property Investment Management.

Anne Breen

Head of Real Estate Research & Global Funds

Standard Life Investments

Anne manages the

output of one of Europe’s leading Property Research teams at Standard Life

Investments. The team’s activities include forecasting UK, European, Asian and

North American property markets. Her team also provides strategic input for all

of the 19 funds under management including investment in listed and co-mingled

property vehicles as well as the tactical use of global property derivatives.

Ben Page

Chief Executive

Ipsos MORI

Ben Page is Chief Executive of Ipsos MORI. He joined MORI in 1987 after graduating from Oxford University in 1986, and was one of the leaders of its first management buyout in 2000. A frequent writer and speaker on trends, leadership and performance management, he has directed hundreds of surveys examining consumer trends and citizen behaviour.

Bruce Hare

Chief Executive

Duddingston House Properties

Bruce Hare studied Architecture at Dundee University followed by Planning and Urban Design at Edinburgh University. Worked as an independent Urban Designer on projects throughout the UK before joining Percy Johnson Marshall planning consultancy in 1978. Under his direction the company developed into one of the leading commercial architects practices in the UK, now named JMArchitects. Formed Duddingston House Properties in 2000 and by 2007 had developed out over £500m of property assets throughout the UK. Currently has joint venture projects with Catalyst Capital LLP and Oaktree Capital Management as well as providing development management expertise to major corporate organisations. The creation of value from land and buildings through design has been a central focus to his career – with odd days of salmon fishing in between!

Nicola Barclay

Chief Executive

Homes for Scotland

Becoming Homes for Scotland (HFS) Chief Executive in February 2016, Nicola Barclay has direct responsibility for managing the Executive Team, delivering business strategy and meeting the wide-ranging needs of member companies. With a career spanning over 20 years in the home building industry and stretching over sales, land acquisition and planning, Nicola is ideally placed to take the organisation forward at what is a pivotal time, not only for the organisation, but also for housing in Scotland in general.

Previously HFS Principal Planning Advisor and Director of Planning before becoming Chief Executive, Nicola’s experience also includes working with Scottish Futures Trust as well as with a number of house builders.A graduate of Heriot-Watt University, Nicola became a Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute in 1998 and is an active member of Women in Property.

Nicola currently sits on the Scottish Government’s Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group, and chairs their Home and Place sub-group. She also sits on the Government’s Financial Innovation Advisory Group, as well as sitting on the CITB Scotland Committee, the NHBC Scottish Committee, and the Consumer Code Advisory Forum. 

John Shepherd

Managing Director

Whiteburn Projects

John is a chartered civil engineer, with over 35 years’ experience in construction, development and asset management in London, overseas and Scotland. As Whiteburn’s main shareholder and CEO, he is responsible for setting the group’s strategy, securing finance and laying the foundations for new development projects. John is Chairman of Northern Housing Company Limited, a Dundee-based housing charity (part of the Hillcrest Group) which owns/manages >800 mid-market rental properties in Dundee, Perth and Edinburgh. 

He is also a former chair of the Scottish regional judging panel of the British Council for Offices,is currently on the BCO’s Scottish Committee, and is a member of the Scottish Property Federation.

Allan Watt

Dundee Waterfront Project Director

Dundee City Council

Allan is a Chartered Town Planner and proud to be a Dundonian. He left Carnoustie High school at age 17 and started his first job as a Town Planning Technician with the then City of Dundee District Council where he also gained his Technical Qualifications. He soon went on to study full time at Heriot-Watt University where he gained his Honours Degree in Town and Regional Planning. From 1981 until 1993 he held various posts with Tayside Regional Council including Strategic Planning Officer, Rural Affairs Officer and Transport Planning Officer where he gained Chartered Membership of the Institute of Transport.

He joined Scottish Natural Heritage in 1993 as Regional Planning Officer advising SNH and Magnus Magnusson on key projects such as the new Kincardine Bridge and the proposed new Forth Bridge crossing. Allan then took up post as a Lecturer in Town and Regional Planning at the University of Dundee becoming Director for the Universities Environmental Management Course.

In 1999 Allan commenced a 3 year secondment from Dundee University to COSLA/ Scottish Government, providing key advice to Government Ministers and Senior Civil Servants on a range of rural, area regeneration and social inclusion issues. He also led on the preparation of the Local Government Scotland Act 2003 and associated guidance.

Via the nationally recruited Senior Executive ‘Fast Track’ Programme, Allan was recruited to Scottish Enterprise (SE) in 2002. Where he worked in Glasgow with the SE National Team helping set up Economic Forums across Scotland and then transferred to SE Fife where he became Senior Projects Manager with key involvement in projects such as the Central Fife Economic Recovery Plan, St. Andrews World Class Project and the development of the Edinburgh International Gateway.

From 2007 until August 2010 Allan was Senior Director for Business Infrastructure and Industries with Scottish Enterprise in Tayside. His greatest achievement was in securing £33m of investment by SE in the Dundee Waterfront Project over the next 10 years.

Allan left SE in August 2010 and established his own Consultancy which provides economic development, planning and economic regeneration consultancy services. In November 2010, Allan secured a contract with Dundee City Council to become Dundee Waterfront Project Director which he describes as one of the most exciting and satisfying jobs he could ever have wished for.

Martin McKay

Executive Director of Regeneration

Clyde Gateway

Clyde Gateway is Scotland’s biggest and most ambitious regeneration programme. It is a partnership between Glasgow City Council, South Lanarkshire Council and Scottish Enterprise. Clyde Gateway is leading the way on achieving unparalleled social, economic and physical change across communities over an area of 840 hectares in the east end of Glasgow and South Lanarkshire.

As Executive Director of Regeneration, Martin takes a strategic and executive role across all aspects of Clyde Gateways capital investment programme with a focus on Inward Investment to secure private sector development. With involvement now spanning 10 years Martin has overseen transformational projects in Bridgeton, Dalmarnock and Rutherglen with highlights including the Olympia, Police Scotland and The Albus. Clyde Gateway has won a range of wards for its portfolio of regeneration projects and 2016 saw the launch of Magenta @ Clyde Gateway a major new office location in partnership with Highbridge Properties Plc.

Martin is a Chartered­­­­­­ Architect and Fellow of the RIAS, a former Board Member of Architecture & Design Scotland and Past President of the Glasgow Institute of Architects. 

Duncan Sutherland

Group Regeneration Director

Sigma Capital Plc

Duncan set up Inpartnership Ltd in 2001 which was key in developing the overall Sigma Partnership model, working with local government partners, and has been at the forefront in setting up the successful partnerships currently on the company's books, such as in Solihull, Salford, and Liverpool. Duncan works closely with the government promoting this innovative approach to achieving regeneration and investment. Sigma has also completed on two innovative funds for substantial new private rented sector housing throughout the UK.

Previously, Duncan was Director of City Development for Coventry City Council where he introduced innovations such as Coventry and Warwickshire Partnerships, city centre management, integrated community development and chaired the West Midlands Strategic Sites Working Group. He also achieved city centre projects such as Coventry Canal Basin, Coventry University Science Park, various leisure and retail schemes and was heavily involved in the initial regeneration efforts in Hillfields working closely with the local community. Duncan Sutherland also worked at Inner City Enterprises PLC, and was also the Chief Executive of The EDI Group Ltd, a specialist regeneration/property investment company owned by the City of Edinburgh Council.

Duncan is a Non-­‐ Executive Director on the Board of HS2, a Non Executive Director on Scottish Canals, a member of the Regeneration Investment Organisation Advisory Board (part of UKTI) and a Trustee of the South Bank Sinfonia.

Tom Newman

Investment Manager

Schroder Real Estate Investment Management

Tom joined Schroders as a Real Estate Investment Manager in 2013 focusing on business space acquisition and asset management. His role has developed into running the company’s regional office portfolio which includes investing in various Schroder Real Estate Funds in the regions. A notable acquisition was in 2014 where Schroders, led by Tom, acquired City Tower in Manchester for £132million from Bruntwood.

Tom now also oversees Schroders Regional Office Fund that started in January 2016 with the ambition to grow to £200million by the end of 2017.

David Brown

Chief Executive Officer

Transport for the North

David Brown, Chief Executive of Transport for the North (TfN), is a prominent leader in northern transport, with over 25 years’ experience in both the public and private sectors covering all modes of public transport.

As Chief Executive of TfN, David is responsible for transforming regional connectivity and driving economic growth in the region. He will oversee the development of TfN into a statutory organisation by 2017, bringing together the northern transport authorities to allow the North to speak with a single voice on the big transport decisions which will benefit the region as a whole, driving growth and successfully securing its position as a true Northern Powerhouse.

David joined TfN from his post as Chief Executive/Director General at Merseytravel and Head of Paid Service of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA.) Prior to this David was Director General of South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive.

Karen Hirst

Director

Eric Wright Group

Karen joined Maple Grove Developments part of the Eric Wright Group as a Director in June 2016. Her role is to develop the public/private partnerships across the Eric Wright Group and progress development opportunities.

Karen spent the last 10 years in Salford as Development Director at Salford City Council and Central Salford Regeneration Company. At Salford City Council Karen led the Regeneration, Property, Housing, Planning, Transport and Business and Funding Teams.  The Team delivered a number of major mixed use physical development projects working in partnership with both the public and private sector. >

Current and previous roles:

Maple Grove Developments part of the Eric Wright Group: June 2016 to present.

Director at Salford City Council: February 2011 to June 2016.

Director at Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, prior to the transfer to Salford City Council: September 2006 to February 2011.

Infrastructure in North Wales at the Welsh Assembly Government (formerly Welsh Development Agency – Investment and Area Development Director) where she undertook regeneration projects in Wrexham, Bangor and Caernarfon: September 2001 to September 2006. of the Easter Group where Karen managed and developed a multi-million pound property portfolio in North Wales and North West England: November 1996 to September 2001.

Development Agency – various surveying roles in Cardiff and North Wales and last role was a Senior Surveyor: July 1991 to November 1996.

Ken Bishop

Director - UK Development

JLL

Ken’s early career started in Local Government before joining Bernard Thorpe in Manchester becoming an Equity Partner in 1987 before the merger which created DTZ. He joined JLL as a Development Director in January 2016. 

Ken's activities focus primarily on the development of major City Centre sites. From an original focus on office development his experience now includes all aspects of mixed use development including Residential, Hotels and Multi Story Car Parks.

Ken has advised on some of the UK Regions most significant commercial developments. In Manchester City Centre he was sole development advisor on three speculative office developments completed in the last 12 months – 101 Embankment; One New Bailey and Two St Peter’s Square. Previous advice has included 3 Hardman St, Spinningfields and pre-let acquisitions for the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Civil Justice Centre. In Birmingham he advised on the city’s largest pre-let of at Brindley Place. In total Ken has advised on new developments amounting to nearly 10 million sq ft. 

He is currently Lead Director for Noma for Hermes/Co-operative Group a scheme of 4 million sq ft in Manchester City Centre and the proposed development Airport City on behalf of Manchester Airports Group. 

Tom Bloxham MBE

Chairman

Urban Splash

The least qualified board member. Tom sold fire extinguishers door to door, studied a degree in politics, and ran a market stall down Affleck's Arcade. He made more money sub-letting the space than selling his posters. That's how it started.

As well as steering Urban Splash through the many ups and recent downs of business, Tom chairs the Manchester International Festival and is a trustee of The Tate, Manchester United Foundation and is also Chancellor of The University of Manchester. Tom was awarded an MBE for services to architecture and urban regeneration in 1999. 

Simon Preece

Commercial Director

Bristol Airport

An experienced retailer with over 25 years experience in operational and commercial roles on the UK High Street, including a number of positions within the WH Smith Group.

Since joining Bristol Airport in 2005, Simon has been responsible for a number of major retail developments and has introduced a range of new national and international brands. He is also responsible for the commercial aspects of the airport’s car park business, property, advertising and ground transportation, including; car rental, bus and coach services and taxi provision. 

Simon heads a commercial team with experience of high street and airport retailing, airport terminal and car park operations, property and public transport. He is responsible for commercial strategy and development, negotiations with business partners and the day-to-day performance of Bristol

Airport’s commercial operations.

Mayor Marvin Rees

Mayor of Bristol

Bristol City Council (Keynote)

Born and brought up in Bristol, Marvin started his career working for faith based youth charities which led him to set up his own enterprise in 2012, the City Leadership Programme, which invests in the personal development of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

He joined the BBC as a broadcast journalist and covered stories of Jamaican women in the drugs trade to tensions between communities in his home city. Eventually he moved on to explore another deep passion of his as he joined the Heaven and Earth Team at Religion and Ethics in Manchester. He also worked on the initial effort to organise the response of faith-based organisations to former President Bill Clinton's Welfare Reform Bill, and sat on the National Executive of the Jubilee 2000 USA campaign for debt relief for the world's poorest countries.

Marvin started working with the NHS in 2008 managing the Delivering Race Equality in Mental Healthcare action plan for Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. Then planned and supported the development of strategic collaborations between city and regional partners and Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust.

He took part in the Yale World Fellows Program, the University's signature global leadership development initiative and completed a Master’s Degree in global economic development at Eastern University in the USA. He also joined the Labour Party’s Future Candidates Programme in 2011, learning from recognised leaders the skills and qualities necessary to be a strong and committed representative.

In May 2016 he was elected the second Mayor of Bristol. 

Tony Pidgley CBE

Chairman

The Berkeley Group

He left school at 15 to form his own company in haulage and plant hire. At 19, he sold his business to Crest Homes and became a Building Director, before leaving to form Berkeley Homes in 1975. The company enjoyed rapid growth, floated on the Unlisted Securities Market in 1984, and then gained a full listing in 1985 as the Berkeley Group plc.

Tony has gained a national reputation for his pioneering approach to building homes and creating successful places. His judgement of the markets, willingness to put his personal capital at risk, and his drive and commercial flair have made Berkeley one of Britain's best residential developers. In 2011, Berkeley was ranked Britain's Most Admired Company across all sectors and is the only housebuilder to win the Queen's Award for Sustainable Development twice.

Tony is now part of Lord Heseltine's Thames Estuary Growth Commission. His expertise has been used to advise the recent Estate Regeneration Advisory Panel, the Mayor on the Outer London Commission and the Government on the disposal of public sector land. He is also a trustee of Open City London, a charity that champions architecture education, and President of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In 2016, he was nominated New Londoner of the Year in recognition of his contribution to housebuilding across the capital.

Jo Davis

Regional Senior Director

GVA

Jo Davis is Regional Senior Director in the Bristol office of property adviser, GVA. Heading up the Planning, Development and Regeneration team across the South West and Wales, her twenty years’ experience in the industry has seen her involved in the planning of many of the region’s most prominent regeneration projects, residential housing developments, and complex brownfield site developments, working alongside companies and organisations such as HCA, St Modwen, Change Real Estate, Skanska, Goodmans, Royal London, Linden Homes, and Barratt Homes.

Jo is a firm believer in taking the holistic view to achieving commercially deliverable and sustainable development. Aware of both the opportunities and obstacles to effective delivery, she has an extensive understanding of what is achievable in this emerging market.  

Paul Isaacs

Managing Director

Generator South West

Having initially spent 16 years in banking, Paul has over 20 years experience in residential and mixed-use development, especially in the assessment of planning risk, and has a reputation for being a trouble shooter and problem solver.  Combining the unique experience of both banking and property development, Paul also takes on Law of Property Act/Fixed Charge Receivership appointments.

Paul is

founder and Managing Director of Generator, comprising specialist developer, funding partner and advisor.  Paul founded the Group in January 2006 and is responsible for its overall direction and business development. Prior to this, in 2002 Paul was appointed as Managing Director of Cathedral Group Plc.  His first task was to deconsolidate Cathedral from its then parent company Mount Anvil. Alongside a hand-picked first class team, and after 3 years at the helm,Paul secured a highly profitable pipeline of projects with a GDV in excess of £275m.  One of which was the funding and delivery of the highly acclaimed pilot PPP project Canary South with the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA). 

This complicated mixed-use project included the delivery of a new state of the art Fire Station, 175 apartments and ancillary retail with a GDV in excess of £50m. In 1997 Paul was headhunted to join Frogmore responsible for Residential Joint Venture activity.   As Director, Paul was involved with several large, London based trophy residential developments: Paddington Basin (GDV £100m+); County Hall (GDV £132m) and Butlers Wharf (GDV £165m).

Cllr Paul Smith

Cabinet Member for Homes and Communities

Bristol City Council

Paul Smith is the Cabinet member for Homes and Communities for Bristol City Council. Paul was re-elected to the council in May 2016 following a 17 year break. Paul has worked in the housing association sector for almost 30 years and has also been the Chief Executive of two national charities. Paul's housing experience has included working at director level within a midlands based housing association, more recently as Head of Intelligence and Insight for Aster Group which manages 28,000 homes across the south of England and two spells with the National Housing Federation.

Paul is a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce and the Institute of Consulting and runs his own market intelligence and governance company.

Richard Cherry

CEO, Partnerships

Countryside Properties

Appointed CEO of our Partnerships Divisions in the South and the North in January 2015 having previously been Deputy Chairman and Group New Business Director since 2005 and Head of Division of the Group's Partnerships business.

He also has substantial experience in the development of major mixed-use, mixed-tenure communities. 

He is Chairman of the Executive Committee and a member of the Health & Safety Committee and the Environment & Quality Committee.

David Lunts

Executive Director of Housing & Land

GLA

​David Lunts is Executive Director of Housing and Land at the GLA where he leads the work to establish the housing functions that devolved from the HCA and LDA to the Mayor of London in April 2012.  From 2008 until May 2011 he was the Executive Director for London at the Homes and Communities Agency.  He was previously Executive Director for Policy & Partnerships at the GLA, with responsibility for planning, regeneration, environmental and social policy.  Before moving to the GLA in 2005, he was Director of Urban Policy at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.  He began his housing and regeneration career in Manchester which included the leadership of the City Challenge renewal of Hulme in the early 1990's.  David moved to London in 1996 to run the Urban Villages Forum, a widely supported membership not-for-profit group, and became the founding chief executive of the Prince's Foundation in 1998.  He was also a member of Lord Rogers' Urban Task Force.

Peter Pereira Gray

Managing Director Investment Division

Wellcome Trust

Peter Pereira Gray is a Managing Director in the Investment Division of The Wellcome Trust. Peter is working with a team managing the £18 billion multi asset global investment portfolio, reporting to the Chief Investment Officer. Peter is also a member of the Investment Committee.

Peter is the Chairman of the farming & land management business, Farmcare Ltd, as well as the UK Marina, Boatyard and Boat Storage organisation Premier Marinas Ltd. Peter is also a Main Board Director of VeroGroup, a newly formed student housing joint venture with Goldman Sachs.

Peter is a Life Member and past Chairman of the Investment Property Forum, a past founding and advisory board member and member of the Management Board of INREV. He is a member of both the Bank of England Commercial and Residential Property Forums, and a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.  Peter is an Advisory Board member for Composition Capital Partners, and an honorary vice president of Cambridge University Land Society. He is a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an Advisory Board member and Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Continuing Professional Development.

Kate Davies

Chief Executive

Notting Hill Housing

Kate Davies joined Notting Hill Housing as Chief Executive in 2004. Notting Hill Housing is one of the biggest housing associations in London, established in 1963 and now managing over 30,000 homes.

She was previously Chief Executive of Servite Houses and Director of Housing in Brighton and Hove. She has experience in local government and the private and voluntary sectors.

Kate has two degrees and qualifications in housing management (MCIH) and housing association development.

Kate has lived in London since she was an undergraduate and is an avid fashion blogger on “Fabrickated”.

Cllr Peter John OBE

Leader of the Council

Southwark Council

Peter John became a councillor in Southwark in 2002, Leader of the Labour Group in 2004 and became Leader of the Council following the local elections in 2010.

Under Peter’s leadership Southwark has become known for its’ progressive policies on regeneration, council house building and public health. Southwark is currently building 1500 new council homes to be completed by 2018; and is progressing major regeneration projects at the Elephant and Castle, Walworth, Canada Water and the Old Kent Road.

Southwark recently introduced free swimming and gym use for all residents at the council’s leisure centres.

Peter is the Deputy Chair of London Councils and Executive Member with responsibility for Business, Skills and Brexit. He has been a member of the London Enterprise Panel since 2013.

He has recently been chairing the government’s Area Review of Further Education in central London.

Peter was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List 2016.

Richard Probert

Project Director - Snowhill

Ballymore Group

Richard is the Commercial Sales and Lettings Manager, Ballymore UK and Project Director, Snowhill, Birmingham.  His role encompasses development management, sales, lettings and investment disposal work on various commercial projects / sites in London and UK wide; but mainly on site assembly, third party agreements, development delivery, and the leasing and funding of Snowhill in Birmingham.  Richard has also led negotiations with US Government on US Embassy acquisition at Nine Elms. He is involved in transaction / deal management with Banks, International and UK Funds, Institutions, Propcos, investors and owner/occupiers to include CRI, Union, Hammerson, Hines, Waitrose, Radisson Blue, and responsibility for leasing deals with KPMG, Barclays, DWF, WLG &Co and HS2 at Snowhill. Previous roles include being National Director at Jones Lang LaSalle.

Aileen Wiswell MBE

Regional Lead, Western Region & Wales

Government Property Unit | Cabinet Office

Aileen has had a long career in the civil service covering over 36 years in a variety of roles and departments. Joining the Government Property Unit in 2011, she is currently the Regional Lead for the Western Region and Wales where she has responsibility for strategic development of the Cross Government Hubs programme. She also works across all government departments helping to drive savings through rationalisation of the mandated civil estate in order to achieve a fit for purpose estate that is best value and contributes to growth.  Aileen received an MBE in 2010 for her contribution to charities and is currently a trustee with a local academy and the Irish Community Care Merseyside.

Chris Perkins

Head of Business Space

M&G Real Estate

Chris manages the Business Space Team and is responsible for the UK Investment Management Community. During the past 10 years, his focus has been primarily offices and industrials with considerable volumes of buying and selling through several economic cycles. Prior to this he has held various roles across fund, investment and asset management teams at M&G Real Estate, including 10 years as a Fund Manager. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and a committee member of the Investment Property Forum (IPF). Chris is also a member of M&G Real Estate’s Property Investment Committee and of the Credit Committee for M&G Fixed Income and Real Estate Debt Team.

Stephen Walker

Deputy Head of Asset Management - UK

Aberdeen Asset Management PLC

Stephen is Deputy Head of Asset Management for the UK property team at Aberdeen Asset Management. He oversees a team of asset managers based in Edinburgh and London with responsibility for cross-sector assets on a UK wide basis.  Stephen also directly manages a portfolio of assets on behalf of various clients.  He has spent 11 years at Aberdeen, carrying out Fund and Asset Management positions, and has wide-ranging investment and strategic asset management experience gained in both private practice and client side positions.  Stephen is a member of Aberdeen’s Property Investment Committee (EMEA) and also focusses on innovation and technology within the Commercial Real Estate sector.

Colette O’Shea

Managing Director, London Portfolio

Land Securities

Colette joined Land Securities in 2003 and was Head of Development, London Portfolio, before being appointed its Managing Director in April 2014. 

Colette has over 20 years’ property experience in London, operating in investment, asset management, and development.

In her current role, Colette has responsibility for Land Securities’ £8 billion London Portfolio, comprising some 6 million sq ft of London offices, leisure, retail and residential property, both in development and asset management.  Colette has lead the London business through a 3 million sq ft development programme in the City and West End, including the transformation of Victoria.

Colette is immediate past President of the British Council for Offices, and a non-executive director of Genesis Housing Association.

Jonathan Emery

Managing Director, Development

Lendlease

​Jonathan is responsible for the Development business across Europe, including the successful delivery of the major £5 billion urban regeneration portfolio encompassing Elephant and Castle, Stratford and Deptford.  His mandate also includes investments in a large retail portfolio, including Touchwood at Solihull and Peterborough in the UK, and the growth of the Lendlease property business across the UK and European markets.

Jonathan is regarded as a prominent global expert in the field of urban growth and regeneration, helping local and national government address issues of urban densification and global competition for capital, talent and tourism.  Jonathan brings commercial and strategic acumen in building public sector policy and partnerships that enable the delivery of complex large scale projects across timeframes that cover numerous economic and market cycles.  He is passionate about building the next generation of "Urbanists" and creating liveable towns and cities that are fit for the future.

Prior to joining Lendlease, Jonathan has held a number of senior roles, notably overseeing Hammerson's development activity across the UK, working on projects in regional conurbations such as Reading, Bristol, Aberdeen and Leicester.

Patrick Nelson

Executive Vice President of Real Estate

WeWork

Patrick Nelson is Executive Vice President of Real Estate at WeWork.  He currently heads WeWork’s European real estate expansion. He holds a MBA from Columbia University and is originally from London WeWork is now the fastest growing tenant in the world. 

WeWork provides entrepreneurs and small-medium businesses with beautiful, amenities-filled, amazingly designed workspace, as well as personalized support, business services, benefits, infrastructure, and the flexibility they need to succeed. The WeWork workspaces are made to take care of everything else while allowing our members do what they love.

WeWork’s mission is to build a global community that empowers anyone with an idea to take the entrepreneurial leap. Our team is a group of risk-taking, entrepreneurial spirits who instill the idea of working better together in everything that we do.

Jacob Loftus

Chief Executive

General Projects

Jacob Loftus is CEO of General Projects, a developer that creates experiential, innovative and dynamic buildings, designed around the needs of the new economy. With a focus on the changing nature of the home and the workplace, General Projects collaborates with architects, designers, creatives and tech experts to deliver environments that inspire people and connect communities.

Philip Barnes

Group Land & Planning Director

Barratt PLC

Philip is the Group Land and Planning Director at Barratt Developments PLC.  Barratt is the UK's largest housebuilder with brands including Barratt Homes, David Wilson Homes, and Wilson Bowden Developments. He represents the group on land acquisition and the promotion of land through the planning process.  He is a Fellow of the Royal Town Planning Institute and a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Prior to joining Barratt he was a Director (specialising in Housing) for the leading economics and planning consultancy Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners.

Steve Daw

Group Director

NPS Group

NPS Group is a national organisation delivering a comprehensive and flexible range of property services to both public and private sector clients across the UK. Steve Daw joined the Group in 2007 as Managing Director of NPS South West, a joint venture partnership between Devon County Council and the NPS Group.  Following further promotions, Steve was appointed Group Director of Operations in late 2014.  He has a national responsibility for the leadership and performance of the Group’s senior operations directors and the delivery of the commercial performance of the Group’s businesses. 

Prior to joining NPS Steve spent 25 years working in local government; his last position as Head of Strategic Planning for Devon County Council.

Jessica Bowles

Director of Strategy

Bruntwood

Jessica joined the business in April 2016, a new role to support the company’s ambitions for long term growth.  Previously Jessica worked at Manchester City Council as head of City Policy.  Most recently she developed the 10 year Manchester Strategy ‘Our Manchester’ with partners across the city, lead work on the Northern Powerhouse with Richard Leese and other city leaders across the North and took a central role in the devolution agenda.  Before coming to Manchester Jessica spent 15 years in Whitehall in a diverse range of roles related to transport and local government.

Danielle Sheppard

Associate Investment Director

Barwood Capital

Danielle specialises in the asset management, investment and development of property 

throughout the UK.  She is a qualified Chartered Surveyor with 20 years’ 

experience in the sector and was previously a Regional Director at Lambert 

Smith Hampton.  Danielle is responsible for the asset management, 

Robin Dobson

Director of Retail Development

Hammerson

Robin trained as a Chartered Surveyor before working on the delivery of city offices prior to joining Hammerson in 1997. Robin has been involved in the delivery of all Hammerson and Joint Venture retail led mixed use city regeneration projects, including The Oracle, Reading; Bullring, Birmingham and Highcross, Leicester. Robin was responsible for the delivery of Cabot Circus, a £500m mixed use regeneration project in Bristol and Union Square, a £300m retail regeneration scheme in Aberdeen, whilst working with Hammerson France to deliver Terrasses du Port, the €450 million retail led redevelopment of the Marseille docks which opened in 2014.

Robin leads the development team and is responsible for bringing forward the future retail regeneration schemes together with retail/asset extensions.  Projects currently on site include Victoria Gate, Leeds, a retail and leisure arcade which forms part of the wider Victoria estate of 500,000 sq ft, which opened on 20 October 2016 and Watermark, Southampton, a catering and leisure project which opened at the end of 2016. Robin also has responsibility for bringing forward pipeline Joint Venture development projects in Croydon and Brent Cross in London. Robin sits on the CR Board for Hammerson and is a member of the BPF and FRICS.

Barry White

Chief Executive

Scottish Futures Trust

Barry leads the executive team in delivering its remit of improving value for money in infrastructure investment and asset management in Scotland.  Currently heading programmes investing in Scottish infrastructure across road, health, and education projects, SFT is also deploying innovative financing techniques, including TIF (Tax Incremental Finance) and GAM (Growth Accelerator Model), to support economic investment in Scottish cities and wider communities and to deliver new approaches to provide affordable homes. Barry’s team leads on the implementation of the ‘World Class 2020’ programme – Scotland’s digital vision as well as collaborating throughout the public sector to ensure that buildings occupied, owned and put on the market are managed effectively.  Barry has more than 20 years infrastructure experience and was previously the Managing Director of the UK arm of a major European infrastructure investor and developer. He also has served in the Army which he joined after graduating in civil engineering from Edinburgh University.

Nicola Barclay

Chief Executive

Homes for Scotland

Becoming Homes for Scotland (HFS) Chief Executive in February 2016, Nicola Barclay has direct responsibility for managing the Executive Team, delivering business strategy and meeting the wide-ranging needs of member companies. With a career spanning over 20 years in the home building industry and stretching over sales, land acquisition and planning, Nicola is ideally placed to take the organisation forward at what is a pivotal time, not only for the organisation, but also for housing in Scotland in general.

Previously HFS Principal Planning Advisor and Director of Planning before becoming Chief Executive, Nicola’s experience also includes working with Scottish Futures Trust as well as with a number of house builders.A graduate of Heriot-Watt University, Nicola became a Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute in 1998 and is an active member of Women in Property.

Nicola currently sits on the Scottish Government’s Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group, and chairs their Home and Place sub-group. She also sits on the Government’s Financial Innovation Advisory Group, as well as sitting on the CITB Scotland Committee, the NHBC Scottish Committee, and the Consumer Code Advisory Forum. 

Colin Rae

Group Development Director

Places for People

After gaining a BSc in Quantity Surveying Colin began his career as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor developing through Project Management and in recent years into Development Management. During his 30 years in the Scottish Development and Construction industry he has worked with various firms including Gibson & Simpson Surveyors, Millar Brown Associates, Woolwich Homes Ltd, The EDI Group and most recently Places for People.

Colin’s current responsibilities include managing the Places for People Group’s development and construction teams in England and Scotland delivering mixed tenure projects to the Group organisations, including Places for People Homes, Places for People Scotland and Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association. Most recently he managed the bid and delivery process for the National Housing Trust Initiative of 2 projects totalling 188 units and the is currently negotiating a further project through this initiative.

With a particular interest in high quality design and mixed use/tenure developments this team has delivered many successful residential projects across the UK. Colin is also a Board Member of the Scottish housebuilding representative body, Homes for Scotland.

John Hamilton

CEO

Winchburgh Developments Ltd

John is a Chartered QS and Development Manager specialising in large scale housing/mixed use development. In his early career he practiced as a surveyor on Glasgow's urban renewal programme and in the initial phases of the SECC. He also gained extensive experience on the delivery of estates property for the Ministry of Defence and the oil industry.

He later worked for a period of ten years with project management specialists MPM Adams on major mixed use residential, healthcare and retail developments throughout the UK. He subsequently worked for Miller Homes Scotland as Technical Director, initially in Edinburgh and latterly in the Glasgow Region. He is now Winchburgh Developments Ltd’s CEO and is responsible for implementing the project masterplan for the delivery of high volume housing, retail, commercial and associated transportation uses in partnership with national UK house builders and commercial developers.

Gerry More

PRS BTR Champion

Homes for Scotland

Gerry More was appointed in October 2014 to this key strategic role with responsibility for taking forward the recommendations of the  Scottish Government supported research work aimed at attracting new sources of investment into specifically designed build-to-rent homes to help expand Scotland’s growing Private Rented Sector (PRS).

A current Board member and former Chair of Homes for Scotland, Gerry has been closely involved in the project since its inception in 2013 having led the Steering Group which commissioned the research undertaken by experts in housing finance from the Cambridge Centre for Housing & Planning Research and LSE London.

His extensive sector and cross-border credentials, gained over the course of a career spanning more than 25 years, means he has the network of contacts and established relationships to make a significant impact in his role.

A qualified chartered accountant by profession, Gerry is also currently consultant and non-executive director to a number of property related companies and funders involved in home building, student accommodation, open space management and timber frame supply.  Previous career highlights include Chief Executive Officer at stock market listed residential mezzanine funding provider Wolsey Residential Finance plc and a main Board director at CALA Group.  

Pauline Mills

Land & Planning Director

Taylor Wimpey East Scotland

Pauline started her career at Kirkcaldy District Council in 1987 as a graphics technician and left in 1997 as senior planner. She then joined Wimpey Homes in 1997 as Land Manager, before moving to Miller Homes as Land Director in 2004.  She returned to Taylor Wimpey in 2008 to her current role of Land and Planning Director.

As part of the regional board of the East of Scotland business, Pauline is responsible for managing Taylor Wimpey East Scotland’s land assets across the region.  This involves buying, selling and trading land to ensure the asset levels and required selling outlets are delivered as per budget. She is a chartered town planner and a member of the RTPI.

Ian Gilzean

Chief Architect

Scottish Government

Following graduation from Edinburgh University School of Architecture in 1982, Ian worked in architectural practice for a number of public sector organisations (including the London Boroughs of Ealing and Haringey) as well as in private practice. He has also worked in community design units in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh and Drumchapel, Glasgow. Between 1994 and 1999, he worked for the Scottish Arts Council on its Capital Arts Programme funded by the National Lottery. Ian joined the then Scottish Executive in 1999 as a Senior Architect in the Chief Architect's Office, became a Principal Architect and Head of the Architecture Policy Unit in March 2002 and became Chief Architect in 2006.

Ian works within Planning and Architecture Division and has responsibility for the development and implementation of ‘Creating Places’ the Scottish Government's policy on architecture and place. He advises Scottish Ministers on architecture, place-making and the built environment and liaises with other Directorates in the Scottish Government, the architecture profession and external agencies. Ian has been heavily involved in the housing and community engagement themes of the Planning Review process over the past year. Ian has been involved in architecture education for over 25 years and is currently a Visiting Professor at the Department of Architecture at the University of Strathclyde. He also works as an External Examiner for the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and has been an External Examiner at the Canterbury School of Architecture. In early 2015 Ian spent a 3 month secondment at the Melbourne School of Design at Melbourne University as a Visiting Fellow working on an initiative to develop a Housing Expo for Melbourne.

Michaela Sullivan

Group Land Manager

CALA Group Ltd

Michaela oversees the land and planning functions for CALA Group across the eight regional businesses in Scotland and Central and Southern England. She joined CALA Group in 2014 from Forth Ports where she spent 8 years as Head of Planning bringing forward waterfront regeneration, energy generation and port development projects. She has also been the Assistant Chief Planner for Scotland and a Management Consultant at PWC.

Michaela is a graduate of Oxford and Liverpool Universities and has an MBA from Manchester Business School. She has been a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute since 1992 and has recently joined the Board of PAS. 

Elaine Scott

Housing Development and Regeneration Manager

City of Edinburgh Council

Elaine has worked for the City of Edinburgh Council since 1998. She has played a key role in the development of the Council’s strategy for developing new affordable homes.

She has managed a number of major investment programmes for the Council,  including the Affordable Housing Investment Programme, the National Housing Trust and the Council’s own house building programme (21st Century Homes for Edinburgh). In 2016, the Council announced plans to expand its house building programme from 3,000 to 8,000 homes and a proposal to establish a company to own and manage housing for market rent.  

Richard Slipper

Senior Director Planning, Development & Regeneration

GVA

Richard Slipper has worked in 3 local authorities and he then led on larger projects for a commercial property advisory firm in London and Edinburgh.  He joined GVA in 2003 and is Senior Director with the Planning, Development and Regeneration team in Scotland working in public authorities and in consultancy.

Richard has recently handled residential planning projects totalling more than 5,000 units, including large build to rent elements, retail projects totalling more than 200,000 sq metres and various mixed use, infrastructure and energy projects Richard has been a consultant advisor to Scottish Government on infrastructure and development issues and to Historic Scotland and Scottish Futures Trust on redevelopment of sites with heritage challenges. He has contributed to planning reform debates and retail and town centre issues in Scotland. He has spent 3 years as a business advisory board member for PAS (planning aid) and helped to form the Edinburgh Planning Concordat and sits on the Edinburgh Development Forum.

Richard is a contributor to the Scottish Property Federation and provides advice to Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Developer Group and he gives occasional urban development lectures at Heriot Watt University.

Tracey Menzies

Real Estate Partner

Brodies

Tracey has over twenty years’ experience across a full range of real estate disciplines and is also head of Brodies’ Housebuilding group. Brodies’ real estate practice comprises 26 partners, and over 100 lawyers who focus purely on the real estate investment and development market in Scotland. Tracey specialises in commercial and residential land acquisition and development work, with particular focus on development construction and funding. Tracey’s clients include Bancon Group, Mactaggart & Mickel, Andrew’s Homes and Knight Property Group and she has been involved in substantial strategic land and developments across Scotland. She is regularly sought out by house builders and landowners to negotiate and implement complex option arrangements and promotion agreements.

Tracey is listed in the Legal 500 independent legal directory as a lawyer who is commended for her “ability to mix a strong commercial thrust with pragmatism and the personal skills needed to do property deals” and displaying “excellent awareness of the market”. She has proved herself popular with clients for her ability to focus on and explain key issues.

Sir Howard Bernstein

Chief Executive

Manchester City Council

Sir Howard Bernstein has been Chief Executive of Manchester City Council since 1998 and was knighted for his services in 2003. 

He has driven Manchester’s regeneration, through strong public/private sector partnerships. 

Key achievements include aleading role in: renewal of the centre following the 1996 terrorist bombing; securing Manchester as Host City for the highly successful 2002 Commonwealth Games; introduction of Metrolink and its on-going expansion across the conurbation;  establishment of Manchester Airport plc in the mid-1980’s and its recent expansion; public sector reform, including the establishment of GM Combined Authority.

In 2014 he led negotiations with Government to secure a historic and groundbreaking Devolution Agreement for Greater Manchester. He also led the development of a Memorandum of Understanding between GM local authorities, NHS England and the GM CCGs to secure the devolution of health and social care funding in Greater Manchester.

External appointments include Deputy Chair of the HS2 Growth Task Force; Non-Executive Chair of Manchester Academic Health Science Centre.

Philip Leech

Property Director

Urban & Civic plc

Formally Chief Executive of Terrace Hill Group plc before its merger with Urban&Civic.  Philip is Group Property Director of Urban&Civic with responsibility for the company’s commercial property and developments portfolio. 

Based predominantly across its two northern offices, in 2014 Philip championed the acquisition of two key strategic sites in Manchester and their subsequent promotion and development for a mix of residential, retail and hotel floorspace.  Philip is also leading Urban&Civic’s focus on consumer facing leisure developments in key regional growth locations..

Leon Guyett

Development Director

Ask Real Estate

Leon joined the Ask team in 2006 from Whitbread plc and has over 20 years’ experience in real estate. Since joining Ask, Leon took responsibility for completing the leisure development at Leopold Square in Sheffield, agreeing all of the lettings, overseeing the asset management of the Grade 2 listed scheme prior to agreeing the sale of the investment to Threadneedle. At Knowsley Place, Bury, Leon completed transactions with Six Town Housing for a new head office and with Whitbread for a 115 bed Premier Inn hotel. He also headed up the Eden Square project in Urmston, with responsibility for the development, lettings and asset management. Phase 1 comprises a Sainsbury’s supermarket, 600 space car park, library, 64 apartments and additional retail units. Phase 2 of the scheme completed in October 2012 following the majority of the retail space being pre-let with the investment of both phases being sold in 2014. At First Street, Leon is responsible for the lettings strategy on all retail and leisure elements of this mixed use scheme. 

More recently, Leon is heading up the Ask:PATRIZIA UK joint venture at Gateshead Quays.  This is a partnership with Gateshead Council with all stakeholders aiming to create a vibrant and exciting mixed use scheme on a landmark site adjacent to the River Tyne.  Leon also heads up Ask's leisure scheme in Macclesfield town centre having won the development competition set by Cheshire East Council.  Proposals include a six screen cinema and restaurant set around high quality public realm.

Shelagh McNerney

Head of Development

Salford City Council

Shelagh joined Salford City Council in May 2015 following 10 years in the private sector. Her role is to help the Council and its many partners to deliver development, investment and regeneration across the City and maximise the benefits of growth. Her interests lie particularly in making the connections between agencies and investors so that development is the very best quality and achieves the very best impacts for residents and businesses for the long term. This is at the heart of place making and beyond single professional disciplines.

Shelagh was born and bred in Liverpool and left the City

in 1983 to become a town planner! In the mid 1980’s Shelagh left the Bartlett School of Architecture & Planning, University College London and joined Cheshire County Council. Since then, her career has included leading large-scale regeneration and investment programmes in Manchester City Council - particularly to the North and East of the City. She has since spent a decade in the private sector as a Director in large & small architecture & planning practices. She has led complex strategic planning work and is equally at home with the construction details for new homes, schools and infrastructure. Shelagh has worked with 100’s of public and private sector clients and led innovative work at the North West Construction Hub working with construction companies to deliver changes in working practices.

Most recently she worked at the Think Tank “ResPublica” where she was a contributing author and researcher making the case for investment in her home city Liverpool. 

Paul Thandi

Group Chief Executive

NEC Group

Paul became CEO in October 2006 and has rebuilt the company’s brands and reputation, created a new senior management team and transformed the Group into a data-led organisation which has included the launch and evolution of The Ticket Factory, now a challenger brand to Ticketmaster. 

Prior to joining the NEC Group Paul had 20 years’ experience in the media industry; he was previously an executive director at CMP Information (CMPi), a multimedia trading division in exhibitions, conferences, digital, information products and online communities and operating company of UBM. Towards the end of his time at CMPi, Paul led the acquisition and merger strategy and managed the full strategic, financial and operational control of the company’s exhibition and publishing portfolio. He was also responsible for high-profile acquisitions which included the purchase of The Barbour Group.

Paul is Chairman of Glide Utilities Ltd., a business that aggregates bills payments to the private landlord and student market primarily and represents the NEC Group on the board of Marketing Birmingham. He also heads up the Midlands Growth Engine Steering Group, set up to inform the Government of capability, resources and plans for the West Midlands Combined Authority. He is Chair of Birmingham and Solihull Employment and Skills Board, and Chair of the Birmingham Sports Commission. He is also Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands Lieutenancy.

Dr Colin J Clinton

Regional Project Manager, Midlands Engine Investment Hub

Department for International Trade

Colin started his civil engineering career working in the public sector on major Inner City infrastructure projects and Urban Regeneration schemes for Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, West Midlands County Council and the City of Birmingham for a sustained period from 1971 to 1988. Colin joined Arup in 1988 in their Birmingham office. He managed several projects across Midlands UK, and into Continental Europe. In 1994 he was Senior Project Manager for the first Japanese investment by Toyota into their Car Plant in Derbyshire. In 2002, Colin was appointed a Director of Arup, and in 2004 became the youngest President of the Institution of Civil Engineers. In January 2010 he was appointed Director of Business Development East Asia Region (EAR) based in Hong Kong. From June 2011, and in addition to his BD role, he was Project Director for the Rose Rock International Finance Centre (RRIFC) in Tianjin, Northern China. Throughout 2013 and 2014 Dr Clinton developed relationships with some of China’s largest construction and investment firms. In April 2015 he returned from China to the UK and was based in Arup’s Liverpool Office. In Sept 2015 Colin accepted an invitation by UK Gov’t for a part time secondment role as Head of China Business in UKTI Regeneration and Investment Organisation (RIO). He accompanied the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to China for the Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD). From January 2016 Colin has been based in Birmingham supporting the inward investment strategy for Birmingham, WMCA and the Midlands Engine. He directed the production of the ME investment Pitchbook and help launch it at MIPIM in Mar 2016. He joined DIT full time in Jan 2017 as Regional Project Manager within the Midlands Engine Investment Hub.

Mark Rogers

Chief Executive

Birmingham City Council

Mark graduated from Oxford in 1983 with a degree in Modern History and embarked upon working life by becoming a volunteer care assistant in a residential special school. In 1985 moved he into his first teaching role, having completed a one year post graduate certificate in education (to teach pupils with Special Educational Needs) at Leeds Polytechnic. He subsequently worked in special schools in the East Midlands and North West, becoming a head teacher in Tameside in 1994.

In 2001, Mark

was seconded to be the Head of Specialist Services in Tameside, working on the Authority's first inclusion strategy. Having quickly developed an appetite for local government, Mark was appointed as Assistant Director, Children &

Young People, for Stockport Council in 2003 where, in due course, he was given oversight of the Council’s 'Every Child Matters - Change for Children’ programme. 

In March 2006, Mark joined Solihull Council’s Corporate Leadership Team, having been appointed to the post of Director of Children’s Services. This role provided the unmissable opportunity to take forward the Council’s trailblazing work as a Children’s Trust Pathfinder, developing a fully fledged Children & Young People’s Partnership for improving outcomes. 

Mark, as joint DCS and Chief Executive from 2007, had the pleasure of guiding the Council successfully through a number of major inspections and, latterly, has helped position the council as a national leader and enthusiastic participant in sector-led improvement.

During his time at Solihull, the council introduced a highly regarded integrated transformation and organisational development programme that, through the application of Lean Thinking, put citizens and digital innovation at the heart of the drive for greater quality and value. 

In December 2013 Mark was appointed to the role of Chief Executive and Director of Economy at Birmingham City Council and took up role in March 2014. These combined roles are designed to have maximum impact on the three priorities of prosperity, fairness and democracy, ensuring Birmingham continues to live up to its status as Britain’s 2^nd city. 

Finally, Mark still maintains his commitment to children’s services as the Society of Local Authority Chief Executive’s lead for this area, a role that involved being a deputy chair of the Social Work Reform Board up to 2012, becoming co-chair of the new national Children’s Health and Wellbeing Partnership in 2013, and jointly founding the Children’s Improvement Board (2010-13) which set the framework for sector led improvement in children’s services. 

Mark is President of SOLACE for 2013-14.

Rob Groves

Regional Director

Argent

Rob Groves, Senior Project Director with Argent has over 30 years of planning, design and construction experience. Prior to joining Argent in 2007 he was an Equity Partner at a large multi-disciplinary consulting engineer practice. His experience includes mixed use residential, commercial, industrial schemes as well as major public sector infrastructure.

Rob has led schemes from feasibility through to planning, compulsory purchase, which includes expert witness work, detailed design and construction.

Currently Rob is responsible for the Paradise Circus project which is a joint venture with Birmingham City Council for a new commercial led mixed use development of up to 2 million sq/ft in Birmingham City centre.

Sarah Middleton

Chief Executive

Black Country Consortium Ltd

Sarah is the Chief Executive of Black Country Consortium Limited (BCC) and has been since its incorporation in 2006. Sarah joined the Consortium Partnership in October 1999 and has been central in developing the Black Country Sub-Regional partnership, its 30 year vision, Economic Strategy and Spatial Strategy, including joint approaches on Planning, Investment, Economic Intelligence and the Black Country Education and Skills Strategy. Sarah qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG and previous roles include Deputy Chief Executive for East Mercia Chamber of Commerce (including responsibilities as General Manager for

Business Link Walsall) and Chief Executive of Walsall City Challenge. 

Kevin Bourner

General Manager for South West

Homes & Communities Agency

Kevin is a chartered planning and development surveyor by profession and is the General Manager for the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) leading the team covering the South West of England. Kevin has worked in development for over 20 years and has overseen large development programmes and regeneration projects across the south and south west of England. The HCA’s role is to help drive new housing supply and has invested over £300 million across the region in the last 3 years through its loan and grant products to facilitate the delivery of thousands of new homes. The HCA also has a large land portfolio which it de-risks through a range of interventions including securing planning consents, the provision of infrastructure and other enabling works before disposing into the market. Kevin is also an APC assessor for the Planning & Development division of the RICS.

Dr Patricia Greer

Interim Chief Executive

West of England Local Enterprise Partnership

Dr Patricia Greer has been West of England LEP interim Chief Executive since 1 July.  Previously she has held a range of senior private and central and local public sector positions, including as Chief of Corporate Affairs for the Law Society, Cabinet Office Director, Local Government Strategic Director, Deputy Director of the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit and nearly 10 years with leading management consultancies.  Most recently Patricia has been leading the West of England devolution team for Bristol City Council.  Patricia started her career leading a research programme at the University of Bath and has published extensively on the topics of performance management, accountability and civil service culture change.  Her Phd was published as a book, ‘Transforming Central Government’, 1994.  

Cllr Paul Smith

Cabinet Member for Homes and Communities

Bristol City Council

Paul Smith is the Cabinet member for Homes and Communities for Bristol City Council. Paul was re-elected to the council in May 2016 following a 17 year break. Paul has worked in the housing association sector for almost 30 years and has also been the Chief Executive of two national charities. Paul's housing experience has included working at director level within a midlands based housing association, more recently as Head of Intelligence and Insight for Aster Group which manages 28,000 homes across the south of England and two spells with the National Housing Federation.

Paul is a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce and the Institute of Consulting and runs his own market intelligence and governance company.

Stuart Hatton

Managing Director

Umberslade

Stuart heads up Umberslade, a leading, family-owned property development, management and investment business, which has overall responsibility for Bristol’s Wapping Wharf regeneration project. One of the most significant developments in the city, Wapping Wharf is a new harbourside community featuring high quality homes, as well as independent restaurants, cafes and shops. Already known as Bristol’s new foodie quarter, Wapping Wharf has created a new connection between south Bristol and the city centre via Gaol Ferry Steps, and, when complete, will include over 600 apartments. Founded over 20 years ago, Umberslade has a track record of supporting the independent retail sector and many years of combined knowledge across the residential, industrial, retail and commercial sectors. The firm plans to retain a long-term interest in Wapping Wharf.

Richard Pearce

Director

TCN UK

Richard set up TCN UK in 2006 and has grown the business into a national property investment and development company specialising in creative regeneration, with a portfolio value in excess of £60 million. He is a recognized industry specialist in property acquisition and development with a particular focus on innovative regeneration. Prior to TCN UK, he worked for Shaftesbury PLC, DTZ (now Cushman Wakefield), Capital & Counties PLC and Europa Capital.

Jamie Ratcliff

Associate Director, Housing

Greater London Authority

Jamie is an Assistant Director at the Greater London Authority, tasked with tackling London’s housing crisis, Sadiq Khan’s first priority as Mayor of London. He is also a member representative on the Local Pension Board for the London Pension Fund Authority and an Associate of Centre for London.

He has over ten years experience at a senior level in housing development, having worked at the Homes and Communities Agency, in Local Government and for a large UK bank. He has established and overseen housing investment programmes and the development, adoption and implementation of statutory strategies. This has given him broad experience in housing supply, affordable housing delivery, management standards in the private rented sector, rough sleeping services and the environmental retrofit of London’s homes.

Jamie is the author, in a personal capacity, of two recent reports recommending radical action to build the homes Londoners need - Mass-delivery of Manufactured Homes for Rent and In no uncertain terms. Jamie holds a Law degree and a Masters in Public Administration as part of which he examined whether the modern Olympic Games had left cash cows, white elephants or successful economic, environmental and social legacies.

Graeme Craig

Director of Commercial Development

Transport for London

Graeme joined TfL from Capita in 2004, initially to run the London Congestion Charging scheme. Since 2012, Graeme has been responsible for commercialising TfL’s asset base across the capital. This means Graeme manages one of the largest and most valuable property portfolios in London. TfL owns 5,700 acres of land and has over 400 development opportunities. TfL operates from 435 stations, and has 1,000 retail units and 61 car parks. Alongside property, Graeme is responsible for TfL’s advertising estate and sponsorship contacts, both the largest of their type in the world.

Chris Grigg

Chief Executive

British Land

Chris Grigg joined British Land as Chief Executive in January 2009. He was Chief Executive of Barclays Commercial Bank until November 2008, having joined the bank in 2005 as Group Treasurer. Prior to Barclays, he held a broad range of leadership positions at Goldman Sachs, where his career spanned 20 years. Chris is a Non-Executive Director of BAE Systems plc, past President and member of the British Property Federation, and is an Executive Board member of the European Public Real Estate Association.

Sherin Aminossehe

Chief Operating Officer

Government Property Unit

Sherin Aminossehe is current Head of the Government Property Unit (GPU), and Head of the Government Property Profession, a network of 2,000 members with responsibility for property-related activities across the Civil Service. Established in 2010 as part of the Cabinet Office, GPU has oversight over all government land and property, working across the Civil Service to create an effective and efficient government estate, disposing of surplus property in a way that maximises financial return, boosts growth and creates new homes. As Chief Operating Officer of GPU, Sherin established the now national One Public Estate (OPE) initiative with the Local Government Association, bringing together local and central government assets for the first time. She is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and member of the Royal institute of British Architects (RIBA). In her previous career as an architect, Sherin was a Vice President of the global design firm HOK, leading large master planning, rationalisation and regeneration projects across the world from Jeddah, to St. Petersburg, to Bolton.

Gary Ennis

Managing Director for London & Southern Region

Barratt Developments plc

Gary joined the

Barratt Group in 1995 and was appointed Managing Director of Barratt North London in July 2003. In January 2006 he became Regional Managing Director of our Southern Region, and in December 2016 he was appointed as Regional Managing Director of the new London and Southern Region.

Cllr Robert Davis MBE DL

Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for the Built Environment

Westminster City Council

Cllr Robert Davis has served as a Councillor on Westminster City Council since 1982 and is currently the longest serving member of the Council.  He is Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for the Built Environment with specific responsibility for Planning, the Mayoralty and Special Events. Cllr Davis also chairs the principal Planning Application Committees.

Cllr Davis was Lord Mayor of Westminster in 1996-1997 and currently serves as a rota Deputy Lord Mayor. He is also a Deputy Lieutenant for Greater London.

He also chairs the London Mayors' Association and the Board of the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park as well as being a Trustee of Mousetrap Theatre Project, the Savoy Educational Trust and the Sir Simon Milton Foundation set up in the name of his late civil partner Sir Simon Milton (former Deputy Mayor of London). In 2014 he was voted "Conservative Councillor of the Year" in a national newspaper.

He was educated at Gonville & Caius College Cambridge and at Wolfson College Cambridge before training as a Solicitor at the College of Law in Lancaster Gate.  Cllr Davis is a solicitor and recently retired as a partner in Freeman Box, where he specialised in property law.  

Victoria Hills

CEO

Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation

Victoria is a chartered town planner with 20 years post-graduate experience, working in local government (Wycombe District Council), consultancy (Steer Davies Gleave) and most latterly at the Greater London Authority. Working for the Mayor of London, Victoria spent seven years working in the Mayor’s Transport Team, and then a further three years in the Mayor’s 2012 City Operations Team, as Head of Programme, before returning to the GLA’s Transport Team as Head of Transport in autumn 2012 to drive forward delivery of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, Infrastructure Plan and transport manifesto commitments. In autumn 2014 Victoria was seconded to set up the Mayor’s second Mayoral Development Corporation, Old Oak and Park Royal (OPDC) where in April 2015 she took up the position of Interim Chief Executive Officer, and was permanently appointed in June 2015. This exciting role sees Victoria utilising her planning, transport and programme management expertise to drive forward the transformation of Old Oak and Park Royal, London’s largest opportunity area and what will become the UK’s largest regeneration project. Her brief includes seeking to maximise the benefits of the significant rail investment at Old Oak, most notably the High Speed 2, Great West Coast Main Line and Crossrail super-hub stations, to oversee development of an exemplary masterplan for a world-class place and to drive forward the preparation of a comprehensive and coordinated delivery and growth strategy for Old Oak and Park Royal. 

Alison Nimmo

Chief Executive

The Crown Estate

Alison Nimmo is Chief Executive of The Crown Estate which has a capital value of over £11.5 billion. The Estate’s assets range from prime real estate in London’s West End, to around 50% of the UK’s foreshore and almost the entire seabed around the UK, to regional retail, farmland and forestry.  In the last financial year it returned over £285m in profits to the Treasury.

Alison was previously Director of Design and Regeneration at the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), for five years.  She led on the overall design, planning and early delivery of most of the venues and the parklands for London's multi-award winning Olympic Park.  

Her previous roles have included: a central role in the London 2012 bid team and interim Director who led the establishment of the ODA; Chief Executive of Sheffield One, a seminal city centre regeneration programme; and Project Director of Manchester Millennium Ltd, the taskforce responsible for spearheading the regeneration of Manchester city centre following the terrorist bombing in 1996. 

Alison is a chartered surveyor and town planner by profession and was awarded a CBE for services to urban regeneration in 2004.  She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Civil Engineers, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and has an Honorary Degree from Sheffield Hallam University.  Alison is a non-executive director of the Berkeley Group and a trustee of the UK Green Building Council. In July 2016, Alison was awarded an Outstanding Alumni Award from University of Manchester.

Barra Mac Ruairí

Strategic Director of Place

Bristol City Council

Barra Mac Ruairí is the Strategic Director of Place and a member of the senior leadership team of Bristol City Council. He is an Urbanist, both an Architect and a City Planner. He has a strong track record in urban development, and uses his creative skills to tackle the complex problems of making sustainable places. Barra leads for the Council on the spatial, infrastructural, economic, cultural, physical and sustainable development of Bristol. The Place Directorate has four divisions; property, transport, planning and economy. He joined Bristol City Council in April 2014. 

Prior to Bristol, Barra was the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Culture at the City of Bradford for over 6 years. He was instrumental in the re-making of the City of Bradford and the council’s modernisation. Notable successes were

the Council Change and Modernisation Programme, the Leeds Bradford Super Connected Cities Digital Programme, the Energy and Climate Change Programme, the City Deal, City Park, Red Bridge, Canal Road Urban Village JV, Property Reform Programme, Producer City Strategy, Bradford’s Growth Zone, Get Bradford Working Programme and the securing of the Westfield Scheme.

Regional Development Agency Yorkshire Forward and Head of the Regional Centre of Excellence. Before Leeds he worked for Urban Splash Ltd. in Manchester and in Liverpool as an Architect.

George Cardale

Head of Residential Development

Savills

George Cardale is Head of Residential Development Sales for Savills UK Ltd, specialising in 

the sales and marketing of new build and refurbished property. George is based 

in Bristol but spends time in London and the rest of the UK. His clients 

He has 20 years experience of selling property, specialising for the last 15 years in the sales and marketing of New and Refurbished properties. George is an expert in advising clients on the most effective mix, size and type of accommodation in order to maximise values. He also has considerable experience in property marketing, specifically selling new build and refurbished property off plan.

Robert Rankin

Associate Director

ICG-Longbow

Robert joined ICG-Longbow in 2015 as an Associate Director. Before joining, he spent seven years at IVG UK and prior to that, he worked at ISG, Kajima Corporation and Gardiner & Theobald. Robert graduated from Glasgow Caledonian University with a BSc (Hons) in Quantity Surveying before gaining an MBA in Construction and Real Estate from the University of Reading. He has also gained a post-graduate diploma in Project Management.

David Newton

Chief Executive

Kersfield

Kersfield is a residential development company with offices in London and Bath. 

Kersfield has a current development program of £100m, most of which is in Bristol and Bath. We specialise in luxury new build housing and the conversion of listed buildings into large lateral apartments, aimed at down-sizers. 

Prior to setting up Kersfield 4 years ago I had been developing luxury residential in prime central London and large mixed use developments in regional cities.

Over the last 25 years I have developed over £500m of real estate, either on my own, or in joint ventures.

Jo Davis

Regional Senior Director

GVA

Jo Davis is Regional Senior Director in the Bristol office of property adviser, GVA. Heading up the Planning, Development and Regeneration team across the South West and Wales, her twenty years’ experience in the industry has seen her involved in the planning of many of the region’s most prominent regeneration projects, residential housing developments, and complex brownfield site developments, working alongside companies and organisations such as HCA, St Modwen, Change Real Estate, Skanska, Goodmans, Royal London, Linden Homes, and Barratt Homes.

Jo is a firm believer in taking the holistic view to achieving commercially deliverable and sustainable development. Aware of both the opportunities and obstacles to effective delivery, she has an extensive understanding of what is achievable in this emerging market.  

Cllr Judith Blake

Leader

Leeds City Council

Cllr Judith Blake was elected as the first ever female Leader of Leeds City Council in May 2015.  She represents Middleton & Belle Isle in Leeds. She is also the Council’s Executive Board Member for Economy and Culture and is playing a key role in attracting major national and international inward investment in to Leeds. 

In July 2016 Cllr Blake was announced as Chair of the Core Cities Group. The Group represents the Councils of England’s eight largest city economies outside London, along with Glasgow and Cardiff. She is also Vice Chair of the LGA’s Environment, Economy, Housing & Transport Board.

Cllr Blake has been an elected member since 1996. Her time as a Councillor has seen her have responsibility for a wide range of portfolios including Planning, Education and Leisure.  Cllr Blake currently chairs the Council’s Executive Board and has also served as a board member for NHS Leeds and the West Yorkshire Police Authority.  

In her role as Executive Member for Children’s and Families’ Cllr Blake

helped Children’s Services achieve an Ofsted rating of ‘good overall’ with a rating of ‘outstanding’ for Leadership and Management, only 4 other authorities have an ‘outstanding’ rating within their report. 

Jennie Daly

UK Land & Planning Director

Taylor Wimpey Plc

Jennie’s professional background is in Planning with over 20 years’ experience in Development Management, planning assessment and development promotion, with particular expertise in managing complex schemes which include significant elements of housing. 

As UK Land and Planning Director, Jennie’s role has a direct focus on Taylor Wimpey’s land and planning strategy, with responsibilities for, and oversight of, land acquisition and complex planning matters. Jennie leads Taylor Wimpey’s response to the evolving UK planning system and political engagement across the planning policy arena, oversees Sustainability, Technical and Design, and is responsible for the training and development of land and planning skills within the Group. 

In April 2015, Jennie became a non-executive director of Peabody Trust a leading affordable housing provider in Greater London.

Jonathan Morgan

Managing Director

Morgans City Living

Jonathan Morgan is the Managing Director of Morgans, the leading city living agency in Leeds. The business has been at the forefront of the urban revolution in the city for nearly 20 years, working with individual landlords, private developers, housing associations and institutions. The firm specialises in residential sales, property management and development advice and looks after the biggest portfolio of apartments in the city centre. Jonathan comments regularly on Leeds, residential property and buy-to let in the local and national media, where he takes the straightforward Yorkshire approach and is a great believer in local charity. He is a Trustee of Leeds Community Foundation and a Director of two community

enterprises in St George’s Crypt Independent Living and Gipton Fire Station Community Enterprise. He was a joint founder of The Crypt Factor, which has so far raised £500,000 for charity and, having handed over the reigns of that event, is on the hunt for a new one.

Well versed in getting involved in things which are absolutely none of his business, Jonathan is a big believer in civic life and responsibilities and a strong advocate for Leeds. 

David Hodgson

Regional Head of Strategic Development

Commercial Estates Group (CEG)

Over the last 12 years, David has managed CEG's northern Development Team, building a portfolio of more than 20 sites, our £350million proposals for South Bank, Leeds, a significant Manchester City Centre development site and our £400 million Kirkstall Forge development where we recently opened a new railway station and are on site delivering a new commercial, retail, leisure and residential community.

The team has created a strategic land portfolio capable of delivering in the region of 60,000 new homes and recently secured planning permissions for our residential sites across Harrogate Borough and a resolution for the former paper mill site in Oughtibridge, Sheffield.

Prior to CEG, David worked for private family wealth firms delivering development throughout Scotland and the North of England and also Miller Developments where he focused on commercial development.

Caroline Simpson

Corporate Director for Place

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

Caroline Simpson is Corporate Director for Place at Stockport MBC where she is responsible for a wide agenda including economic growth, regeneration and frontline place-based services.

Previous roles include:

Executive Director of Economic Growth and Prosperity for Cheshire East Council with responsibility for Place–Based services alongside a corporate property and development functions.  Caroline joined Cheshire East Council in 2009 as Head of Development for Cheshire East Council leading an ambitious economic growth agenda.

Other roles include the Development Director for a Housing Association and Head of Regeneration and Partnerships for Northwest Development Agency and regeneration based roles at Advantage West Midlands.   Her career started in Liverpool delivering community-based regeneration projects.

David Glover

Director

Peel Holdings (Management) Limited

David spent the first 10 years of his career with Interserve Plc in the UK and overseas and joined Peel in London as a Regional Construction Manager in 1988. He was then promoted to Head of Construction in 1992 and in 2002 joined the Peel Board as Construction Director and in 2014 became Peel’s Operations Director. 

Most notable construction projects are intu Trafford Centre, Peel’s airport assets and most recently MediaCityUK.

Will Lewis

Founder

OBI Property

Will is a founding director of OBI Property, and specialises in advising landlords and occupiers as part of OBI’s Transactions and Asset Management Team.

Will has advised a number of property companies and institutions on the implementation of tailored disposal strategies that have proved successful in the city centre and regional markets, winning recognition

through a string of regional and national awards. He also advises a variety of occupier clients on a national basis and has a strong track record for delivering successful business relocations, with occupier clients including AO.com, Zuto, NCC Group and Rentalcars.com.

Since its formation in 2010, OBI has gone from strength to strength and now employs 20 people at its headquarters in Mosley Street, Manchester. It provides full national and international coverage for clients, with the application of the “OBI Difference,” utilising OBI’s building consultancy and workplace consultancy teams hand in hand with its transactional advisory work, being a strong selling point.   

Jessica Bowles

Director of Strategy

Bruntwood

Jessica joined the business in April 2016, a new role to support the company’s ambitions for long term growth.  Previously Jessica worked at Manchester City Council as head of City Policy.  Most recently she developed the 10 year Manchester Strategy ‘Our Manchester’ with partners across the city, lead work on the Northern Powerhouse with Richard Leese and other city leaders across the North and took a central role in the devolution agenda.  Before coming to Manchester Jessica spent 15 years in Whitehall in a diverse range of roles related to transport and local government.