Sir Richard Leese

Leader
Manchester City Council

David Partridge

Managing Partner
Argent

David joined Argent in 1990, he was appointed Joint Chief Executive in 2006 and Managing Partner of the new Argent LLP in 2012 and is Joint CEO of the new Argent Related Partnership. He has overall responsibility for all Argent business, including structuring and establishing financial and management programmes. He oversees the sourcing, master planning, building design, financing and legal aspects for all projects.

David is President of the British Council

for Offices and sits on the Policy Committee of the British Property Federation and on the Advisory Board for the UKTI’s Regeneration Investment Organisation (RIO). He was one of the founding members and now ex-Chairman of both the Piccadilly Partnership in Manchester and the King’s Cross and St Pancras Business Partnership Ltd and is ex-Chairman of CityCo in Manchester.

David read architecture at Cambridge and is

a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects and has served on a number of RIBA practice committees.

In May 2015, David was awarded NW Insider

Property Personality of the Year, and in April 2014, David jointly won the Property Week Personality of the Year Award with Roger Madelin.

George Downing

Chairman
Downing Property Group

Lynda Shillaw

Divisional Chief Executive for Property
Manchester Airports Group

Lynda Shillaw joined Manchester Airports Group (MAG) as Divisional Chief Executive Officer for Property in June 2014.

Lynda joined from Scottish Widows Investment Partnership where she held the role of Director of Real Estate. The role at MAG reports to Group CEO Charlie Cornish, and oversees the group’s £571m property division across its four airports. The existing portfolio also includes the £800m Airport City development at Manchester Airport.

Graduating in 1986 with a degree in Accountancy and Finance, Lynda has had a strong 20+ year career in the property industry, where she has headed Co-operative Estates plus roles at Lloyds Banking Group and BT where she worked for 18 years.

She has also held executive positions as a pension fund Trustee, an Environment Commissioner, a member of AGMA’s Business Leadership Council and a BT Regional Director. She is a Chartered Management Accountant with a degree in Accounting and Finance.