Steve Duffield, site director, Wilton Centre

Duffield is the site director for the Wilton Centre, a 75-acre science park in the North East of England with more than 450,000 sq ft of office, laboratory, pilot plant and scale-up space. It is part of a portfolio of nine UK science parks operated the We Are Pioneer Group. Duffield has worked in the science park environment for 25 years, and in his current role for almost 10 years, and has continued to develop his park from facilities to support the chemical and process industries to accommodating and supporting life sciences. Over the past six months his role has widened to undertake the overall management of three other biocity sites in Nottingham and Glasgow.

Ryan McKenzie, associate director economics, Savills

McKenzie is an economist and associate director in the Savills economics team. His background includes 10 years’ experience assessing the economics of large-scale urban renewal projects in Australia and the United Kingdom. He has extensive experience leading the development of economic cases for major project business cases, bespoke economic research and property economics assessment. At the core of many of his economic appraisals are non-market social value assessments that consider the local employment, health, education and wellbeing impacts on these projects. This has formed a key part of how projects are assessed and appraised, including options assessments and the value for money of major projects.

Jane Holt, business development director, University of Southampton Science Park

Holt is the business development director of the University of Southampton Science Park: home to a thriving entrepreneurial community of around 100 game-changing businesses in the fields of science and technology. The park develops and grows the built environment, business support and activities and regional networks to enable businesses to thrive and scale.

Chair: Samantha McClary, editor, EG

McClary has almost 20 years’ experience in real estate and business journalism, covering a wide range of topics. Alongside making sure EG delivers the best, most helpful, most accurate and, of course, most interesting content to EG’s readership across all platforms – print, online and audio – she also plays a leading role in enabling and delivering a more diverse environment for the real estate community through EG’s REWIRE and tech initiatives. A keen chair and regular wearer of too bright trousers, McClary seeks to help keep panel discussions and events lively with audience participation and insightful questioning.

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