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.

Rob Perrins

Chief Executive
The Berkeley Group

Rob is Chief Executive of the Berkeley Group, one of Britain’s most successful, sustainable developers. He joined the company in 1994 having qualified as a chartered accountant with Ernst & Young. He was appointed to the Main Board in 2001 and became Chief Executive in 2009.

In 2010, Rob launched a ten year plan for the Berkeley Group called Our Vision. This set out to make the company a modern world class business, blending homes, parks and community facilities to create fantastic places where people love to live. By 2016, under Rob’s management, Berkeley was supporting 30,000 jobs across Britain and contributing £2.6 billion to the UK’s Gross Domestic Product - £32 for every person in the UK.

Rob regularly contributes to public debates about the direction of housing policy and the property market and is a member of the Bank of England’s Residential Property Forum, as well as a council member of Aston University and a Governor of Wellington College.

Torsten Bell

Chief Executive
Resolution Foundation

Torsten is the Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, a think tank that combines analytical rigour with policy prescriptions to improve the living standards of those in Britain on low to middle incomes. He has a background in economic policy, with his current research focuses including inequality, the labour market, tax and benefits, and housing and wealth. Prior to leading the Resolution Foundation, Torsten was Director of Policy for the Labour Party. He has also worked in HM Treasury, as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers during the financial crisis and as a civil servant.

Kate Davies

Chief Executive
Notting Hill Housing Group

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”.

Michael Barrie

Board Director and Head of Fund Management
LGIM Real Assets

Michael is a Board Director for LGIM Real Assets and Head of Fund Management. He is responsible for delivering consistently robust investment performance across the full range of LGIMRA client funds and mandates. Michael is also central to the provision of innovative client solutions, new real estate investment vehicles and market leading property strategies.
Michael joined the business in 2005 having previously been a Director at F&C Investment Management. In 2006 he established the highly successful £3.1bn authorised L&G UK Property Fund and remains the Joint Fund Manager.

The most recent strategic move has been to lead LGIM Real Assets’ £1.8bn investment into institutional Build-to-Rent residential where both a development partnership and a long term holding structure have been created alongside a market leading team of specialists. This remains a significant growth area for the LGIMRA business.

Michael has a degree in Land Economics, a post-graduate diploma in Property Investment, is RICS qualified, FCA approved and is a core member of the LGIM Real Assets Investment Committee.

Ben Page

Chief Executive
Ipsos MORI

Ben Page is Chief Executive of Ipsos MORI. A frequent writer and speaker on trends, leadership and performance management, he has directed thousands of surveys examining consumer trends and citizen behaviour.

From 1987-1992 Ben worked on corporate reputation and consumer research, working for companies like Shell, BAE Systems, Sky TV and IBM. Since 1992 he has worked closely with both Conservative and Labour ministers and senior policy makers across government, leading on work for Downing Street, the Cabinet Office, the Home Office and the Department of Health, as well as a wide range of local authorities and NHS Trusts.

Ben is a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and serves on advisory groups at the Kings Fund, and the Social Market Foundation (SMF), and is a Trustee at the Centre for London and at the Centre for Ageing Better, as well as a patron of Create Streets. He recently served as a commissioner on the Resolution Foundation’s Intergenerational Commission. He is a Council member of the CBI for London. Ben was named one of GQ’s 100 Most Connected Men of 2015.

Steven Norris

Former MP, Minister and Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party and
Chairman, SOHO Estates

Steve has combined a career in politics with a business career in the fields of property, infrastructure and transportation. He is currently Chairman of Soho Estates, London Resort Company Holdings, This Land Cambridgeshire and Driver Group plc. He is a Non-Executive Director of Excel the East London conference and exhibition centre. He has been a member of the Boards of both Transport for London and the London Development Agency. He is on the Board of Cubic Corporation, the developers and managers of the London Oyster card. He chairs the National Infrastructure Planning Association which works with government to improve the planning regime around major projects and advises a number of clients on major schemes.

Dinner Venue

Claridge's
Mayfair

Champagne Reception

Entertain Guests

3 Course Dinner

Networking in Style

Ivo Graham

Award Winning Entertainer
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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.

Rebecca Warren

Planning Director - Crest Strategic Projects
Crest Nicholson

Rebecca is a Divisional Planning Director within Crest Nicholson’s award winning Strategic Projects Division which is well regarded for its delivery of garden village principles focussing on landscape led developments that put the building of communities and legacy at their heart. Rebecca and her team are involved in garden settlement projects from the Midlands into the SW and SE of England focussed on high quality design involving complex infrastructure and delivery of extensive community facilities.

She draws on an extensive previous career in planning law in which she was a nationally recognised specialist in strategic promotion and applications for residential led schemes including working on a number of garden settlements.

Rebecca has been a member of the HBF for a number of years helping to shape and influence Government thinking and HBF representations to national and regional consultations; she chairs the Midlands HBF Planning forum and sits on the HBF National Planning Committee.

Emma Foster

Planning Director
Spitfire Bespoke Homes

Emma is Planning Director at Spitfire Bespoke Homes Limited, an award winning housebuilder based in the West Midlands and part of IM Group.

Spitfire are a forward thinking, modern, privately-owned property development company specialising in the construction of sustainable, high-quality bespoke residential dwellings.

Since joining the business five years ago, Emma has secured planning permission for a range of housing schemes varying in scale and appearance including Spitfire’s largest developments at Broadway (125 dwellings located within the AONB) and Loxley Road, Stratford upon Avon (135 dwellings). Emma invests a large proportion of her time engaging with key stakeholders and local communities to educate them about the quality of homes Spitfire deliver and address any concerns head on prior to a planning applications being submitted.

Emma is an active committee member of a number of networking groups within the West Midlands including Women in Property and YEP Birmingham.

Adam Willetts

Associate Director
Urban Splash

Adam joined Urban Splash in 2007 and is currently delivering a number of high-profile mixed-use projects including the new 43 acre urban waterside neighbourhood at Port Loop in Birmingham.

An Architect by training Adam is actively involved in all aspects of the development process from acquisition through to completion with significant experience in the sympathetic restoration of historic buildings.

Notable projects include the redevelopment of key buildings at the listed Royal William Yard, Plymouth, which has been recognized on a regional, national and international basis for the design and regeneration of heritage assets. Adam also spent a period of time at Argent as a Project Director working on the Paradise Commercial Regeneration Scheme in the Heart of Birmingham.

Amy Harhoff

Director of Regeneration & Growth
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Amy joined Sandwell as Director of Regeneration and Growth in 2018. Since joining Sandwell Amy has been focused in transforming services, ensuring the strategic position of the borough, delivering inclusive economies and community wealth building. Prior to joining The West Midlands, Amy led the Corporate Affairs Directorate for Transport for Greater Manchester supporting 10 Metropolitan Authorities and the Mayor of Greater Manchester. Amy was part of the senior team who established Transport for the North (the first statutory sub-national transport body in England) and led key policy and delivery activity including the Northern Power House Independent Economic Review and subsequent work to develop the statutory Transport Plan. Amy was also part of the senior team who developed the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority model and initial Mayoral Devolution Deal in 2015, she led key works including the infrastructure investment plan, growth deal and multiportfolio infrastructure investment fund. Amy is proud to have worked on place agendas across England and passionately believes in the potential of areas to exceed their trajectory delivering inclusive economic growth for business and communities.

Karen Hirst

Director
Eric Wright Group

Karen was appointed managing director of Maple Grove Developments in 2018, having joined Eric Wright Group in 2016 as a divisional director and is on the Group Board. She brings 29 years’ property and development experience from both public and private sectors.

Karen delivers the development opportunities, including some of the North West’s major commercial projects. Karen and her team are currently underway with a number of town/city centre schemes including; Burnley, Blackburn and Preston and industrial developments at Deeside and Winsford. Karen is also the lead for the Lancashire Regeneration Property Partnership working with a number of public sector partners to enable their projects to happen.

Prior to joining Maple Grove Karen spent 10 years in Salford as Development Director for Salford City Council and Regeneration Company. Karen and her team delivered a number of significant mixed use development projects with the private sector, such as; Salford Central, Greengate and MediaCityUK.

James Whittaker

Group Development Director
Peel L&P

James is a Chartered Surveyor and joined the Peel group in 1995 after working for 2 years with Healey & Baker (Cushman & Wakefield) in London. Initially he joined as a Lettings Manager for The Trafford Centre the UK’s most prestigious shopping centre.

In 2000 James joined the Development team and has been responsible for the delivery of many different and diverse developments.

In 2008 he was appointed Director of Development. The division is currently involved in over £30 billion of regeneration projects in the UK and overseas. He was awarded Property Week’s North West Property Personality of the year in 2009.

James Heather

Development Director
U+I

James was appointed by U+I in March 2017 to deliver the transformational £1.4bn+ regeneration of Manchester city centre’s Mayfield.

An adoptive Mancunian, he is proud to be leading a passionate team dedicated to delivering an incredible place to live, work and play.

Previously a partner with Argent, James was responsible for the delivery of both No1 St Peter’s Square in Manchester and elements of Brindleyplace in Birmingham. In his spare time he enjoys motor sports and watching rugby.

Shelagh McNerney

Independent Consultant

Shelagh is an independent consultant working with a small group of diverse clients across the built environment including the award winning “5Plus Architects”.

She brings people together across multi-disciplinary teams to deliver complex investment plans, city growth narratives & real investment. With a track record translating strategy into delivery on the ground and navigating public and private sectors, she helps build effective institutional partnerships.

Shelagh trained as a town planner, at the Bartlett School Architecture & Planning in the mid 80’s! She has 30+ years extensive leadership experience & a proven track record across planning, regeneration, architecture, construction & development. This has straddled multiple disciplines & senior roles in the public sector (Chester, Bolton, Manchester & Salford City Councils) also with10 years in the private sector working with construction companies, developers, landowners, architects, and think tanks.

She is actively involved in contemporary debate about the built environment & city growth in the United Kingdom. She is a creative & fervent advocate for quality in architecture and the wider built environment that impacts all our lives.

John Hughes

Managing Director
ASK Real Estate

John has almost 20 years’ development experience, the majority of which has been gained during his time at Ask, delivering highly complex, city centre office, leisure and retail projects.

John joined the Board and became a shareholder in 2008 and works closely with some of Ask’s key strategic partners including Manchester City Council, Salford City Council and Network Rail. He leads on the company’s flagship schemes in Manchester, including Greengate Embankment, Manchester Central and First Street.

John took Ask into joint venture with Carillion and Tristan Capital Partners alongside Network Rail and Salford City Council to deliver the 600,000 sq ft mixed-use scheme at Embankment in the City Centre, the first office phase of 165,000 sq ft which was completed in December 2016 and is fully let to Swinton Insurance. He is a regular contributor to property-related seminars, events and round table discussions including North West Business Insider, Estates Gazette and Place Northwest.

Guy Grainger

Chief Executive EMEA
JLL

• Guy Grainger is EMEA Chief Executive at NYSE-listed global real estate services company JLL. Overseeing over 12,000 employees across 80 offices, he sits on the Global Executive Board and is also the global Executive sponsor for Marketing. Previously JLL’s UK CEO and with a background advising retail companies on their real estate strategy, he has worked closely with Britain’s biggest businesses and the world’s largest retailers. Guy is also Chair of the Circular Economy Taskforce at responsible business organisation Business in the Community; is Junior Vice President at the British Property Federation; and is an established media commentator on the built and natural environment. He is an alumnus of the London Business School Senior Executive Programme, and amateur triathlete in spare time.

Emma Long

Head of Corporate Strategy,
Legal & General Real Assets

Emma Long is Head of Corporate Strategy, supporting the businesses growth ambitions through strategy development and execution and identifying trends with strategic implications for Real Assets. Emma has previously been responsible for capital raising across a range of investment solutions, including our flagship open ended core and long lease funds and the recently launched UK Build to Rent Fund.

Emma joined Legal & General in 2010 from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at the UK Mission to the UN and the British Consulate-General in New York. Emma graduated from the University of Reading and holds a BA in Politics and International Relations. She also holds an AMBA accredited MSc in Management from the University of Warwick and CFA Level 1.

Roelof Opperman

Principal and Co-Lead
Fifth Wall

Roelof Opperman is a Principal and Co-Lead of the PropTech Investment Group at Fifth Wall, a Los Angeles-based venture capital fund focused on the Built World.

Roelof focuses on technology and innovations within the multi-family, office, and hospitality real estate asset classes. He led Fifth Wall’s investments in Lyric, Eden, Appear Here, Hippo, Industrious, Loggi, Recharge, Lime, and Aurora Solar.

Previously, Roelof worked at Norwest Venture Partners, Evercore Partners, Goldman Sachs, and Bridgewater Associates.
Roelof is originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, from Emory University. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Andrew Thompson

CTO
Appear Here

Andrew is CTO at Appear Here, the leading marketplace for renting retail space. The company’s mission is to create a world where anyone with an idea can find space to make it happen. With offices in London, Paris and New York, Appear Here’s community has grown to over 200,000 brands. Andrew oversees product development, engineering and data science at Appear Here. Prior to Appear Here Andrew built the Caffè Nero app as VP Engineering at Yoyo Wallet, he advises startups and VCs and has founded his own startup in the data science space.

Dr Rick Robinson

Digital Property and Cities Leader
Arup

Dr. Rick Robinson is the Leader of Arup’s Digital Property and Cities business. He advises cities, infrastructure operators, property developers and investors on the use of technology to improve buildings, infrastructure, places, communities and business and organisational performance. Previously, he was Director of Technology for Amey, where he was responsible for driving advances in digital technology into public services and infrastructure that are used by about 1 in 4 people in the UK every day, and before that he was Executive Architect for Smarter Cities for IBM. Rick collaborates with a network of technology entrepreneurs, Universities and social institutions to explore innovations in digital technology, and has advised the UK Government and United Nations on their impact on the built environment, economy, communities and society. Rick is a Fellow of the British Computer Society, a Fellow of the RSA, a member of the Academy of Urbanism, a member of the Boards of Innovation Birmingham and Innovation West Midlands. He founded and chairs the Birmingham Smart City Alliance. Rick writes about his work at http://theurbantechnologist.com/ and you can connect with him on Twitter as @dr_rick.

Ron Persaud

Co-Founder
Change Real Estate

Ron Persaud is director of Bristol based developer Change Real Estate, which he founded with business partner Jonathan Bloomer. Ron has been in the real estate business for 30 years, where he has specialised in acquiring land and buildings, usually off market to create mixed use schemes throughout the UK. Change Real Estate is active in its home city, with the £180million regeneration scheme at Redcliff Quarter currently being built out. The development will include a 22 storey residential tower – the tallest in the city. Other developments in Bristol include the Old Brewery site in Southville where a planning application for a mixed-use development is due for submission before the end of the year. Close to completion is the renovation back to their original residential use of an iconic row of Georgian townhouses at Redcliffe Parade.

Prior to forming Change Real Estate, Ron was CEO of the Cuckfield Group. Here he obtained planning consent for over 4,000,000 sq ft with a gross development value in excess of £400m, and had joint ventures with Morgan Grenfell, Deutsche Bank, Tritax, Raven Group, Persimmon Group, JJ Gallagher, Anglo Irish and RBS.

Jane Gallifent

Director of Development & Sales
Aster Group

Jane Gallifent is the Director of Development and Sales at Aster Group bringing 30 years of experience in delivering new, affordable homes across the South East and West. Jane leads a team responsible for a large development programme from S106 opportunities, JVs, land acquisition, regeneration options and delivery of small rural sites. She’s been with Aster for two years and saw the business deliver its most successful programme to date last year, delivering 1156 new homes.

Dan Batterton

Fund Manager - Build to Rent
Legal & General Investment Management Real Estate

Dan Batterton is Fund Manager for the £1.5bn Build to Rent Fund at LGIM Real Assets responsible for the design and execution of fund strategy.

Dan has over 20+ years’ experience in the property sector and his exceptional understanding of portfolio strategy have been utilised to design L&G’s long-term acquisition and operational strategy for the sector. He leads the specialist BTR team at L&G that is currently delivering 3,500 new BTR homes.

Joining Legal & General in February 2007 as Business Development Manager, Dan’s responsibility was to create new fund ideas and identify areas of business growth within LGP.

Previously Dan was an Associate Director at IPD Ltd where he was responsible for the UK portfolio analysis service to a collection of major institutions. He spent 9 years at IPD analysing drivers of historic fund performance and discussing strategies that will influence future returns. Whilst at IPD he also developed IRIS, IPD’s forward looking income and risk analysis service.

Robin Dobson

UK Director of Development and Project Management
Hammerson

Having trained as a Civil Engineer and then Chartered Surveyor, Robin leads the development team and is responsible for bringing forward future regeneration schemes together with retail/asset extensions. Completed projects include The Oracle, Reading; Bullring, Birmingham; Highcross, Leicester; Cabot Circus, Bristol; Union Square, Aberdeen; Victoria Gate, Leeds and Watermark, Southampton.

He also worked with Hammerson France to deliver Terrasses du Port, a €450m retail led redevelopment of the Marseille docks which opened in 2014.

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 and Investment Committee at Hammerson and is a member of the BPF and FRICS.

Rachel Bell

Divisional Director and Head of Business Development
Stride Treglown

Rachel’s almost 20 years with Stride Treglown, the South West’s largest architectural practice has seen her work extensively with Public and Private sector clients across a range of projects including aviation, defence, retail and residential schemes. She recently completed a year’s term as Chair of Women in Property’s South West branch and is a prominent advocate for increasing diversity in construction and property as vital to the sector’s future success.

Danielle Gillespie

General Manager
Homes England - North West

Danielle has over 10 years’ experience in the housing sector. An economics graduate, Danielle has previously worked for a market renewal pathfinder, in private consultancy and for a major housing association. She currently heads up Homes England’s operations in the North West which include around £300m of interventions supporting over 60% of all new homes built in the region. Danielle has supported the development and delivery of a number of Homes England activities including the 2011-15 Affordable Homes Programme and initiatives to tackle empty homes.

Tim Heatley

CEO
Capital & Centric

Tim is co-founder of Capital&Centric. In just five years since it started they’ve completed over 750,000 sq ft of development, they spend £1m a week on regeneration activity and have won 15 awards for design and regeneration.

Some of their projects in Manchester include the £30m conversion of Crusader Mills in Piccadilly and the £200m Kampus Project and the recently completed Foundry a 50,000 sq ft creative workspace in Salford.

Having completed 5 developments last year alone the pipeline of projects Manchester stands at £330m. Projects in Liverpool include Littlewoods Film Studios, and the recently completed Bunker, Tempest and Hangar projects. The total development pipeline is in excess of £500m.

Graeme Scott

Development Director
Trafford Housing Trust

The primary focus of Graeme’s role is the delivery of our development programme, which will see £450m invested over the next 4 years to build 2000 new homes across the North West. This puts him at the helm of end-to-end development, from finding land opportunities to ultimately selling homes. During his 13 years working with the Trust, Graeme has played a pivotal role in our evolution and managed everything from ensuring compliancy with the Decent Homes Standard to establishing our development function.
His biggest challenge to date has been successfully steering the Old Trafford Masterplan initiative. This required demolition of four out-of-date tower blocks and construction of over 300 new homes, including Limelight, our flagship Extra Care health and community hub. As somebody who’s passionate about delivering high quality homes, Graeme is particularly proud of our partnership with L&Q which aims to create affordable housing.

Colette McCormack

Partner
Winckworth Sherwood

Caroline Simpson

Corporate Director for Place
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

Caroline Simpson has worked in regeneration for over twenty years developing strong partnerships across the public and private sector. As the Corporate Director for Place at Stockport MBC she is currently responsible for a growth and place agenda and in particular leading a major £1bn transformation programme to redevelop the town centre. As well as leadership of development, regeneration, planning and transport she is also leading the delivery and reform of frontline place management services. She also has responsibility for the delivery of the Public Health agenda within Stockport and promoting active communities across the Borough.

Previous roles include:

Executive Director of Economic Growth and Prosperity for Cheshire East Council with responsibility for an ambitious economic growth agenda, leading place–based services and corporate property & development functions.

Other roles include the Development Director for a Housing Association; 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 with a particular focus on work and skills.

Nathan Cornish

Group Director
Urban Splash

Nathan has been with Urban Splash since 2002.

Nathan has been responsible for the delivery of some of Urban Splash’s iconic regeneration schemes at Fort Dunlop, Rotunda and its ‘upside down’ houses in Salford.

Whilst still retaining responsibility for high profile developments at the Royal William Yard in Plymouth, and New Islington, Manchester his role now also includes overseeing the groups £100m Investment portfolio. He also oversees the majority of the Groups Investment and land acquisitions / disposals.

In 2016, Nathan led the bid team that won a developer competition to develop Icknield Port Loop in Birmingham, a 43 acre mixed use site. The company’s largest land acquisition to date.

Now based in Manchester, Nathan is from Nottingham and keen follower of Nottingham Forest and Sale Rugby Club.

Steve Modrić

Senior Strategy & Markets Manager
Homes England

Steve Modric is the Homes England’s head of strategy for the North West. He has extensive experience of housing and local government working both in London and Manchester in operational delivery and policy roles. Steve supported the establishment of the agency as a member of the Government led transition team leading up to the HCA’s launch in 2008. In his current role, Steve supports the development and implementation of new programmes and initiatives working both nationally and regionally.

Rick de Blaby

Executive Chairman
Get Living

Rick is focused on growing Get Living’s platform and creating new neighbourhoods across the UK that capture Get Living’s vision to change the way we live and rent in cities.

Rick has over 38 years’ experience in development and investment in both the residential and commercial sectors, with a particular interest in regeneration and design. Prior to Get Living, Rick was CEO of United House Group and prior to that, CEO of MEPC.

Rick is Non-Executive Chairman of Miller Developments, Non-Executive Director of Altitude Real Estate, Non-Executive Director of Curo Housing Association and Chairman of the Kinetic Foundation Charity.

Ciara Allan

Chief Financial Officer
ilke Homes

As Chief Financial Officer, Ciara leads on ilke Homes’ financial strategy and compliance, risks and IT functions. Her role goes beyond the normal remit of financial support, with the in-house legal counsel also reporting into her. Day-to-day, Ciara is responsible for financial forecasting and planning, back office finance functions, Business Partnering across departments, whilst also being tasked with the important role of signing off all legal documentation. Ciara acts as ilke Homes’ Company Secretary and won Finance Leader within an International Company at the Yorkshire Finance Leaders 2018 awards.

Ciara has over 12 years’ experience in the manufacturing industry. Before joining ilke Homes, she was Finance Director & Company Secretary at one of the UK’s leading metal and steel distributors and stockholders, Kloeckner Metal UK. During her time at Kloeckner, Ciara was responsible for statutory and legal reporting, site support, overhead reviews, treasury, credit control and cash flow forecasting. Ciara also oversaw IT and the financial planning and analysis teams.

In 2014, Ciara was interim Finance Director at UK Coal Surface Mines Ltd, where she helped prepare one of the UK’s most historic industries for insolvency.

Nigel Rawlings

CEO
Rise Homes Ltd (formerly Housing Capital Trust)

Nigel has considerable property, construction and plc experience. His previous board roles include Assura plc, a listed property development and investment company operating in the healthcare sector and The Westbury Property Fund (now Stobart Group). He is currently on the Board of Rowlinson Holdings Ltd.

Since 2012 Nigel has run his own residential development business, Housing Capital Trust, which has delivered several large-scale and very successful residential Build to Rent projects such as Tribe apartments (192 units in Ancoats completed in 2015 and sold to Grainger in late 2017) and Maritime Apartments (318 units in Barrow-in-Furness completed in 2016). Rise Homes is currently on site at the former Stagecoach site on Princess Parkway (92 low rise apartments bespoke for rent) and the former Sorting Office on the station approach in Stockport (117 spacious apartments bespoke for rent plus 12,500 sq ft of flexible workspace).

Suzanne Benson

Regional Managing Partner - Manchester
Trowers & Hamlins LLP

Suzanne is the head of Trowers & Hamlins’ Manchester office and leads the north west Real Estate practice. She specialises in the development of home ownership products working with Homes England in relation to its grant funded sale products, including the shared ownership lease and most recently the £9 billion Help to Buy programme.

Suzanne also sits on the MHCLG joint advisory committee set up to promote the development of the Build to Rent sector. On a wider basis, Suzanne advises clients on large scale property projects, including public private partnerships and regeneration schemes, Suzanne is also the partner in charge of our Residential Sales team in Manchester. Suzanne is named as a Leading Individual in both Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500. She is also an editorial panel member for ThinkHouse a web based resource to promote knowledge sharing in the housing industry as well as being a business representative on MCC’s Our Manchester Forum. Suzanne has also recently taken on the role of Co-Chair for Pro-Manchester’s Property and Regeneration Committee.

Craig White

Director of Content
U+I

Craig joined U+I in 2019 to oversee content, with a focus on helping to bring our sites to life through localised opportunities and community-led projects. Prior to joining U+I, from 2014 onwards, he led the Retail division at Argent, directing and managing the leasing of 500,000 sq. ft. of retail, restaurant and leisure space across the King’s Cross scheme, hand picking brands and operators, with a special focus on the Coal Drops Yard project. Prior to King’s Cross, from 2008, Craig was responsible for strategic retail business development at The Crown Estate for both its Regent Street & St James’s Portfolios.

Debbie Jackson

Interim Executive Director - Development, Enterprise and Environment
Greater London Authority

Debbie is the Interim Executive Director for Development, Enterprise and Environment at the Greater London Authority. The Department plays a leading role in delivering the Mayor’s Good Growth agenda for the Mayor through the planning, regeneration and economic development, transport, environment, skills, growth and infrastructure and European funding functions. Debbie is also the Senior Responsible Owner for the London Economic Action Partnership, London’s Local Enterprise Partnership.

Formerly Debbie was the Assistant Director for Regeneration and Economic Development at the GLA, responsible for delivering innovative programmes for social and physical infrastructure, London’s skill base and London’s civic economy, the Economic Development, Food and Local Industrial Strategies and the Mayor’s work to support businesses and an economy that works for all Londoners.

Debbie has worked in London’s public sector – formerly Westminster and Lambeth local authorities and the London Development Agency – for 21 years.

David Atkins

Chief Executive
Hammerson

David Atkins has been Chief Executive of Hammerson since 2009. A Chartered Surveyor, he joined the Company in 1998 from international property adviser DTZ (now Cushman & Wakefield). He became an Executive Director of Hammerson in January 2007. He is a Non-Executive Director of Whitbread Group Plc, a past President of Revo (formerly BCSC), a Director and Trustee of the Reading Real Estate Foundation, a member of the British Property Federation Policy Committee and former Chairman of the European Public Real Estate Association (EPRA).

Hammerson create vibrant, continually evolving spaces, in and around thriving European cities, with a focus on flagship retail destinations and premium outlets. As of 31^st December 2018, our portfolio of high-quality venues had a value of £9.9 billion and includes 21 flagship destinations, 13 convenient retail parks and investments in 20 premium outlet villages, through our partnership with Value Retail and the VIA Outlets joint venture. Key retail venues include, Bullring & Grand Central, Birmingham; Bicester Village, Oxfordshire; Freeport Lisboa Fashion Outlet, Lisbon; Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin; and Les Terrasses du Port, Marseille. We manage over 2,000 brand relationships and during trading hours, over 80,000 people visit our shopping centres hourly across our flagship destinations in the UK, France & Ireland.

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.

Savannah de Savary

Founder and CEO
Built-ID

Savannah de Savary is the Founder and CEO of Built-ID. After graduating from the University of Oxford in 2013, Savannah joined Thor Equities, where she managed NYC real estate development projects. In June 2015 she founded Built-ID, a proptech platform that showcases the built environment projects of today and transforms community engagement to better shape the projects of tomorrow.

Savannah won “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” at the Property Awards and was voted Property Week’s ‘Power 100: Top 20 Ones to Watch’ and one of the Top 20 Proptech influencers in a poll by the UK Proptech Association. She is also a regular columnist for Property Week. Built-ID enables property developers to invest in communities, not just their bricks and mortar. Through a digital platform, residents can influence the built environment projects that matter to them, and be rewarded for their engagement with real donations to local charities within their community.

Simon Dudley

Senior Independent Director & Acting Chair
Homes England

Simon is currently Leader of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. He also has a strong commercial background having previously worked as Executive Director of Global Capital Markets at Arcapita Ltd and Managing Director at Citigroup Global Markets Limited.

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.

Andrew Dobson

Managing Director of Crest Strategic Projects
Crest Nicholson

Andrew joined Crest Nicholson in 2013 as Development Director for Crest Strategic Projects and became Managing Director in November 2016.

Andrew manages a multi-disciplinary team, securing strategic opportunities and driving those opportunities through to the delivery of successful communities, of which a number are founded on Garden Village principles. Andrew is the custodian for ensuring Crest’s development principles and place making vision is adhered to and delivered. Andrew firmly believes in the importance of legacy and how development must sit alongside and enhance communities. Andrew has delivered long term stewardship models and has been instrumental in setting up two successful Community Interest Companies. Responsibilities have also included the delivery of key community assets such as schools, local centres and community buildings.

Andrew has over 20 years of development experience and has worked in multiple development markets including the UK, United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong. Andrew has a successful track record in managing teams in the planning and delivery of large scale developments that are designed with place making and legacy at their heart.

Outside of work Andrew is a keen rugby follower and enjoys attempting triathlons.

Karen Cooksley

Partner
Winckworth Sherwood

Karen is a leading member of Winckworth Sherwood’s multi-disciplinary Private Rented Sector group. She heads the Firm’s highly regarded specialist planning team, advising clients on the full spectrum of planning and environmental issues they face, including devising strategies for obtaining planning permissions and other consents, viability, environmental impact assessment, s106 agreements and CIL, compulsory purchase and highways matters. She has particular expertise in relation to mixed use developments, tall buildings, urban extensions, waterside schemes and the optimisation of consents to increase financial value for clients. She works for leading developers, private rented sector operator and management companies, national housebuilders, registered providers, local authorities and funders. The majority of her projects are in London – she is currently working on several tall building projects, advising on the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station and other major schemes in the Vauxhall opportunity area and securing office to residential conversions under permitted development rights. She and her team also work across the country – they have recently obtained permission for the £5.5 billion Liverpool Waters scheme and are advising on new settlements in Cambridgeshire, Devon and Kent.

Lesley Metcalf

Regional Head of Development
Sovereign Housing

Lesley has 20 years experience of developing residential developments for housing associations, the last 17 years being at Sovereign Housing. Managing a Regional team of 15 development professionals across the southwest she oversees a program of circa 700 affordable homes per annum. She has been involved in the delivery of much needed affordable homes on many key developments in the region including Hanham Hall, Wapping Wharf and Bristol Harbourside.