Michael Auger

Managing director – South region, Muse

Auger rejoined Muse in January 2009 as regional director covering the south of the UK, and was appointed to the company’s senior leadership team in 2019.  He formerly worked for Muse’s predecessor company, Amec Developments, from 2004-2006. In addition to his wider leadership role, Auger has specific responsibility for overall management of the company’s mixed-use development portfolio across the southern region. This portfolio comprises projects totalling in excess of £2.5bn GDV that will deliver in excess of 5,500 homes, including major schemes in London Zones 2-4. Outside London, Auger has oversight of major residential lead mixed-use projects in Bristol, Plymouth, Slough and Horsham. He is also on the board of the English Cities Fund and Waterside Places. He has considerable experience of large-scale placemaking development encompassing a number of property sectors.  He has also worked on the outline planning masterplan for Stratford City and the pre-cursor to the Olympic Park. Prior to rejoining Muse, Auger spent two years at St Modwen with responsibility for a portfolio of three residential and retail-led town centre redevelopment projects in London and Farnborough.

Dan Batterton

Head of residential, Legal & General Investment Management

Dan Batterton is Head of Residential at LGIM Real Assets. Launching the Build to Rent strategy in 2016 the portfolio has grown to over £3.0bn and just under 10,000 apartments in development or in operation spread across the UK. The portfolio is expected to grow to £5bn within 3 years, recently expanding to include Purpose Built Student Accommodation. 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, development, sustainability and operational strategy for the Residential sector. He leads the specialist Residential team at L&G that is delivering 1,000 new BTR homes per year.

Richard Beckingsale

Head of regeneration, Gowling WLG

Richard is head of the firm’s Regeneration team – one of the biggest dedicated development and regeneration teams in the UK – and enables his private and public sector clients to successfully deliver major residential and mixed-use regeneration projects.  He also co-leads the firm’s Build to Rent sub-sector working with landowners, developers and investors – Build to Rent forms part of a range of residential asset classes which are delivered under our Living banner allowing us to share best practice.

Anna Blandford

Assistant director of regeneration and economic development, London Borough of Haringey

Blandford is passionate about placemaking, working with local communities and on the delivery of social housing and sustainable design. She has more than 10 years’ experience as a senior leader in development and the delivery of major schemes, and in harnessing and recognising the strengths of the places and communities that she works with. Blandford is currently assistant director of regeneration and economic development at the London Borough of Haringey, leading on Opportunity Haringey, the borough’s new inclusive economy framework, and vital placemaking programmes in Tottenham and Wood Green. She was previously head of development at Haringey, responsible for its housing delivery programme, overseeing the council’s ambitious commitment to build 3,000 high-quality council homes by 2031. Blandford’s leadership saw more than 2,000 new council homes get underway on sites in every ward across the borough. To deliver these new homes, she established a high-performing, national award-winning team. She is also a cinephile and film-maker and believes in the importance of sharing stories to understand ourselves and others. She has run a number of film projects with communities and young people to help enable them to share their own stories through film.

Theresa Brewer

Development director, Landsec

Brewer has more than 10 years of experience working across some of London’s most significant large scale mixed-use redevelopment schemes. Since joining Landsec in 2019, Brewer has worked on the business’s £1bn O2 Centre regeneration – London Borough of Camden’s biggest planning application since King’s Cross. This scheme will see 1,800 new homes created and the transformation of a car park into a new public park. Previously, Brewer spent more than seven years at Berkeley Group, where she worked on its flagship regeneration schemes including Kidbrooke Village and Plumstead West Thamesmead, on which it partnered with Peabody.

Tim Burke

Deputy editor, EG

Burke joined EG as deputy editor in July 2019, before which he was property editor at Financial News, a Dow Jones publication. Earlier in his career, he wrote for and edited magazines covering capital markets and businesses across developed and emerging economies, including titles at The Economist Group and Thomson Reuters.

Patricia Brown MBE

 Vice-chair development committee, British Property Federation

Brown has been in leadership roles since the mid-1990s, and at the heart of many of the initiatives that have been part of the successful urban evolution of London and beyond. She was part of the capital’s inaugural inward investment agency before leading Central London Partnership, the cross-sector partnership focused on maintaining the capital’s position as a global world city. Placing the combination of economic and social vibrancy at the centre of its groundbreaking work – including the establishment of the BIDs movement in the UK – helped to achieve a more people-centred, liveable, city. Through her consultancy, Central, Brown has continued this focus of inter-disciplinary dot-connecting, advising civic and business leaders on positive urban change and development; building the vision, collaborations, strategies and partnerships to achieve this. Building positive public-private partnerships has defined Brown’s work and she has led the British Property Federation’s work on this area for some years. Her latest initiative, London 3.0, aims to refocus on the contemporary challenges and updated solutions for London. She is the non-executive chair of South Kensington Estates and other current board positions include Historic England’s London and national advisory committees and GWR’s Strategic Advisory Board.

Fay Cannings

Senior inward investment manager, Waltham Forest Council

Cannings has more than 20 years’ experience in urban regeneration, community investment and leading small business programmes, both in the public and private sector. She joined Waltham Forest in June 2021 as town centre lead in the north of the borough in the regeneration team, before joining Jonathan Martin to support the next phase of growth with the inward investment service in the borough. Cannings worked for a property developer in community investment earlier in her career on major regeneration projects and also has a range of experience working on government-funded projects in employment, skills and business growth. She has a wealth of experience working with creative communities, partnership development and cultural programming.

Jenny Colville

Head of ESG & sustainability, Landsec

In her role as Head of ESG and Sustainability, Jennie is responsible for ensuring that Landsec’s places are managed, designed and developed in a way that doesn’t harm the environment, has the support of the communities which they serve and delivers a fair return to investors. Since joining Landsec in 2021, Jennie has overseen the transformation of Landsec’s sustainability strategy, setting out a roadmap which allows the business to focus on the issues where it can have the greatest impact. Jennie has also launched a £135m net zero transition investment plan which will decarbonise Landsec’s existing assets, as well as creating a Sustainable Development Toolkit to ensure that sustainability is embedded in the way Landsec designs and develops new places. Most recently, Jennie led on the creation of Landsec Futures, a £20 million fund designed to enhance social mobility within the real estate industry. Jennie draws on 20 years of experience working with companies to translate ESG opportunities and challenges into practical actions and business priorities. During her career, she has supported over 500 small and medium sized businesses to improve their environmental performance and secured £2.5 million to deliver a grant scheme for businesses in the low carbon sector. 

John Cotton

Leader, Birmingham City Council

Councillor John Cotton was elected as the Leader of Birmingham City Council in May 2023, alongside Cllr Sharon Thompson as Deputy Leader, pledging to “work with and for every single community to deliver the service improvements our citizens deserve.” Cllr Cotton previously served as the Council’s Cabinet Member for Social Justice, Community Safety & Equalities, and was responsible for leading the city’s response to the cost-of-living crisis, tackling social and economic injustice and building stronger safer communities. John has previously held Cabinet portfolios covering adult social care, public health and housing, which also reflect his passionate interest in tackling the root causes of poverty and disadvantage. As Leader, John has pledged to continue his to improve the lives and life chances of the people of Birmingham and help our communities through the continuing cost-of-living crisis. A member of both the Labour and Co-operative parties, he was first elected to Birmingham City Council in 1999 and represents the Glebe Farm and Tile Cross Ward in the east of the city. John was born and raised in Birmingham. Over the course of a varied career, he has worked in private industry, in the office of a Labour MP, in the voluntary sector and as a freelance public affairs consultant. John is also National Chair of Labour Housing Group, the Labour Party’s official affiliated organisation dedicated to developing housing policy to addresses the shortage of decent affordable housing across the UK.

Adele Gritten

Chief executive, Local Partnerships

Adele joined Local Partnerships as chief executive in November 2022, having spent the previous two and a half years as Head of Economic Development and Commercial Investments at South Cambridgeshire District Council. Highlights in that role included oversight of £43M of COVID-19 grant funding and a five year investment strategy including the Council’s Investment Partnerships. Adele also oversaw Enterprise Zone development, High Street and Market Town development, Growth Coaching and Business Support for regional businesses. An experienced Board level executive, Adele is currently serving a four year term as a non-executive director of S4C, the Welsh language Public Service Broadcaster. She was appointed by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport into the role in January 2021. For over 20 years Adele has worked in senior management roles for a range of research and strategy consultancies including YouGov, where she oversaw the commercial consulting arm of the business. Adele has also served as European managing director for research firm Lieberman Research Worldwide, and as UK managing director of Future Thinking, now a Savanta owned company. Adele holds an MA in Social and Political Science from the University of Cambridge.

Lord Richard Harrington

Politician and businessman

Lord Harrington of Watford is a British politician and businessman. He published a report on foreign direct investment into the UK for HM Treasury in November 2023. He was appointed to the Lords in 2022, becoming a joint minister of state at the Home Office and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities with responsibility for the resettlement of Ukrainian refugees. Harrington retired as MP for Watford in 2019, having first been elected in 2010. As an MP he held a number of ministerial roles, including as business and industry minister and pensions minister. Prior to being elected, he built a substantial business career in hotels and leisure, as well as wealth management, property and investing in start-ups.  He is on the board of the Royal Albert Hall and Nesta, a large not-for-profit that invests in companies with a social purpose.  

Kellie Hatton

Partner & co-head of development, Shoosmiths

Kellie is a real estate partner and heads up Shoosmiths’ Development practice. She has 20 years’ experience of advising on large development projects, acting for both private and public sector clients. She has considerable experience acting on the site assembly, funding, construction and disposal of a broad range of assets, including residential, industrial and mixed-use schemes. Shoosmiths was named ‘UK Law Firm of the Year – Large sized firm’ at the British Legal Awards 2023.

Ingrid Hooley

Director of place, Local Partnerships

Hooley has more than 30 years’ experience in public sector strategy, policy and delivery in urban and rural placemaking, housing and regeneration. Passionate about making a difference to people and places, she started work in the late 1980s in Yorkshire with the Department of Trade and Industry, moving on to regional development agencies in Yorkshire and London, then local authorities in London and the East Midlands. In her roles she has focused on making a positive difference to people and where they live. She sees working in public and private partnerships as key to creating positive change to places. Hooley has extensive experience in delivery and planning of strategic growth, complex programme management, place shaping, master-planning and infrastructure investment in national, regional and local government.

David Joyce

Director of placemaking & housing, Haringey Council

Joyce is Haringey Council’s director of Placemaking & Housing. With more than 20 years’ placemaking experience, he’s passionate about creating spaces and places where people can lead happy and healthy lives. Joyce leads a multi award-winning housing delivery team that is on track to build 3,000 council homes by 2031, with 2,000 homes already under way or completed. He’s also responsible for the council’s housing and property portfolio, including a stock of 21,000 council homes and a wide range of commercial and community properties. His placemaking team has reframed how regeneration takes place in Haringey, putting the community at the heart of any local change through co-production and co-design.

Simon Kaye

Director of policy, Reform think tank

Kaye joined Reform as director of policy in April 2022 and led the Reimagining Whitehall programme for its 18 months. In 2023, he launched the Reform Scholars programme, and in 2024 he developed and led the Reimagining the Local State programme. Kaye hold a PhD in political theory and through his work with think tanks he has explored the democratic systems, government reform, political economy, localism and the way that knowledge affects policy. He has written major reports on community power, self-governanc, and reform strategies for both local and central government. At Reform he has authored work on the pathologies of the Whitehall system, the future of levelling up, policy ideas for transforming “left behind” neighbourhoods, and why central government should seek to “devolve by default”.

Fatima Khan-Shah

Inclusivity champion, West Yorkshire Combined Authority

Fatima is known regionally and nationally for leading complex change and transformation programmes across systems and geographies. She was recently appointed to a shared role across the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership and the Combined Authority as the West Yorkshire’s first ever Inclusivity Champion, as part of the Mayor’s pledge to achieve greater equality across the region. As part of her role Fatima works closely with regional leaders and the communities they serve, providing expert advice on inclusion and addressing regional disparities including social, economic and health. Fatima has a reputation as an advocate for Public and Carer Involvement, Compassionate Leadership and Diversity and Inclusion. She was recently named in the 2021 HSJ top 50 most influential Health leaders from an Ethnic Minority. Fatima is currently leading several agenda’s in West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership which have been multi award winning and recognised nationally; leading to changes in legislation and government policy these include Diversity, Long Term Conditions, Personalisation and Carer Support. In addition to her numerous roles, Fatima is also a podcaster and blogger focusing on authentic leadership, EDI, and Public Carer Involvement. She also has several roles nationally, as a member on the NHS Assembly, the King’s Fund General Council. Fatima is also a Non Executive Director at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.  She has previously held roles with NHS England, Kirklees CCGs, Kirklees Council, Health Education England and Healthwatch

Katie Le May

Regional property director, Network Rail

Katie joined Network Rail in April 2020 and works in the North West & Central region – the ‘Backbone of Britain’. The busy mixed-use West Coast Main Line is the economic spine linking London, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester. Katie is responsible for the property and development strategy for one of the largest regions in Network Rail, this includes Euston, the strategic partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester and the creation of a wider freight strategy. Katie also works with teams on upgrading and innovating the managed stations across the NW&C estate to improve the passenger experience and make them community centric. Katie joined Network Rail from Scottish Cannels as Estate and Commercial Director. Prior to this role Katie worked in fund management in Sydney for the Allco Finance Group and for Deutsche Bank in Melbourne. Katie started her career as a development survey and joined Gazeley now GLP) as European Development Director, where she developed her knowledge in infrastructure and logistics.

Simon Kaye

Director of policy, Reform think tank

Kaye joined Reform as director of policy in April 2022 and led the Reimagining Whitehall programme for its 18 months. In 2023, he launched the Reform Scholars programme, and in 2024 he developed and led the Reimagining the Local State programme. Kaye hold a PhD in political theory and through his work with think tanks he has explored the democratic systems, government reform, political economy, localism and the way that knowledge affects policy. He has written major reports on community power, self-governanc, and reform strategies for both local and central government. At Reform he has authored work on the pathologies of the Whitehall system, the future of levelling up, policy ideas for transforming “left behind” neighbourhoods, and why central government should seek to “devolve by default”.

Pui-Guan Man

News editor, EG

As EG’s news editor, Pui-Guan Man oversees the news output for the website and magazine, working closely with its talented and dynamic team of writers to deliver the latest insights on trends affecting a wide range of commercial real estate sectors in the UK. An award-winning journalist, she was recognised as one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work in 2020 and was shortlisted for a BSME Talent award in 2021.

Andy Martin

Non-executive chairman and senior adviser

Martin is based in London and has worked in the European property sector for more than 35 years. He started his career at Richard Ellis (now CBRE) and later became a senior partner at Strutt & Parker, where he was also the head of the commercial real estate division. After Strutt & Parker merged with BNP Paribas Real Estate in 2017, Martin became the UK chief executive of BNP Paribas Real Estate and was a member of its European board. He retired from BNP Real Estate at the end of 2020. Martin holds several advisory and board positions. He is a trustee of the Urban Land Institute and the former chairman of the ULI’s UK council. He is also a retained adviser to Stifel Nicolaus Europe, a US investment bank, and he is a member of the advisory board of Hodes Weill & Associates, a leading US placement agent. He has also served as a director of the Investment Property Forum from 2001-2009, during which time he was chairman from 2004-2005.

Jonathan Martin

Director of inward investment & higher education academic relationships, Waltham Forest Council

Martin is a chartered surveyor of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and fellow of the Chartered Management Institute. He has worked for national government agencies, private consultancy and local government, playing key property-based roles, supporting the regeneration of places in London and the wider South East. He leads the focus on securing new Inward Investment, with initiatives attracting growth sectors that include regeneration, housing, business workspace, higher education, and employment & skills – to help provide new homes, jobs, commercial floorspace and now higher education with facilities to support this inclusive growth in town centres and high streets.

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, she seeks to help keep panel discussions and events lively with audience participation and insightful questioning

Tim Newns

Managing director of levelling up, Office for Investment

Newns is the managing director for levelling up at the Office for Investment, a joint unit that sits between Downing Street and the Department for Business & Trade. He is overseeing the office’s regional expansion, as well as seeking to increase transformational investment across the whole of the UK, contributing to government’s levelling up agenda. Previous to the Office for Investment, Newns was chief executive of MIDAS, Manchester’s Inward Investment Agency, for 11 years, where he oversaw the attraction of more than £6bn of investment and 50,000 jobs, making Manchester the leading destination for foreign direct investment in the UK outside London and top 10 globally.

Julie Nugent

Chief executive, Coventry City Council

Nugent started her role as chief executive of Coventry City Council in June 2023. Over the past 20 years, she has shown a strong track record in attracting and delivering investment to support businesses, people and communities. Nugent has worked at a senior level across various organisations at a national, regional, and local level – including senior roles in government, the voluntary and education sectors. Most recently, Nugent was executive director for economy, skills, and communities at the West Midlands Combined Authority, where she was responsible for delivery across economic development, employment and skills, health and communities. She played a critical role in negotiating two devolution deals that resulted in more funding being released to the West Midlands region. This included leading the investment of more than £500m into training and employment support programmes that have helped thousands of local people get the skills and support they needed to secure jobs. Nugent has also led large-scale transformation programmes, overseeing the delivery of improved services to businesses and people.

Jenny Offord

Head of Meridian Water Regeneration, Enfield Council

As one of London’s largest regeneration areas, Meridian Water aims to deliver 10,000 homes and 6,000 jobs across distinct neighbourhoods with two new parks and infrastructure. Offord was an EG Future Leader in 2021, The Planner Woman of Influence in 2022 and Bisnow Women Leading Real Estate 2023.

Riah Patel

Director, CBRE

Patel is a director in the living valuation team at CBRE. She has 10 years of operational real estate experience. Her focus is on providing valuation and advisory advice to key industry players from investors to lenders who are active in the PBSA, co-living and build-to-rent sectors, across the UK and Ireland.

Jackie Sadek

Director, Urban Strategy. Co-author Broken Homes

Sadek has more than 35 years’ experience in property, specialising in public-private sector partnerships, working with local authorities and investors. A former specialist adviser to government on urban regeneration, she now runs Urban Strategy, an urban regeneration consultancy. She was part of the Grimsey Review team on the future of the high street and an honorary Fellow of the Association of Chief Estates Surveyors. Sadek is the co-author of Broken Homes, a book on the housing crisis written with former EG editor Peter Bill, which was published in October 2020. She is chair of the UK Innovation Corridor, a bottom-up partnership of more than 15 local authorities, six universities and hundreds of innovation and science companies in the London-Stansted-Cambridge sub region.

Laura Shoaf CBE

Chief executive, West Midlands Combined Authority

Shoaf was appointed chief executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority in November 2021. Having previously led Transport for West Midlands, she has expanded her focus to include driving inclusive economic growth, increasing skills provision, regenerating land and housing, enhancing the environment and improving transport connectivity across the region. A recognised expert who has advised on national policy, Shoaf secured and oversaw the delivery of a £4bn transport investment package for the region. She was the first female chair of the Urban Transit Group and during her term supported the transport industry on its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, she was appointed by the Department for Transport as one of the UK’s first Violence Against Women and Girls Transport champions, and is tasked with working with passenger groups to identify areas for improvement across the country. Shoaf has a demonstrated track record of success in delivering change, most recently highlighted in securing the region’s Trailblazer Deeper Devolution Deal, which will see a seismic shift in power and influence from Westminster to the West Midlands.   

Julie Simms

Partner, joint head of the National Public Sector Real Estate Team and Liverpool managing partner, DWF LLP

Julie co-leads the UK National Public Sector Real Estate Team and advises on large development and regeneration projects including capital projects, forward funding and income strip deals. Julie acts for Homes England, Royal Borough of Greenwich, London Borough of Newham, Money & Pensions Service, The Insolvency Service and local authorities such as Wigan Council, Swansea Council,Conwy County Borough Council, Wirral Council and Guildford Borough Council.

Tom Stannard

Chief executive, Salford City Council

Stannard is a UK local government professional and chief executive of Salford City Council. From 2018-2021 he was Wakefield Council’s corporate director of regeneration and economic growth, a key member of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in one of the fastest-growing economies within the Leeds City Region. His previous roles include director of economy and skills at Oldham Council, and deputy chief executive of the UK Learning and Work Institute. He has also held senior leadership roles in Blackburn with Darwen (Lancashire), the London Borough of Hounslow, and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea councils.

David Travis

Head of Manchester, Tritax Symmetry

Travis is head of the Manchester office of Tritax Symmetry, the logistics development arm of Tritax Big Box REIT, a FTSE 250 company. He has over 16 years’ experience in full-cycle property development, acquisition, strategic land promotion, property regeneration and asset/investment management across all major real estate asset classes. Over the past few years he has led the delivery of some of the largest property development and regeneration schemes throughout the UK. Prior to joining Tritax Symmetry, Travis held roles with Harworth Group, Hargreaves Land, HS2 and Town Centre Securities.

Adam Walker

Co-founder, Foundry

Walker and co-founder LGIM Real Assets established Foundry in 2022 as an operating platform which repurposes LGIM assets focused on the micro enterprise sectors. Walker’s experience in the regeneration sector started in 2012 with workspace-focused schemes including retail, F&B and flex. His passion comes from witnessing his parents running their SME from home in 1990s, and he is driven to curate space for people like his parents, including micro enterprises, untethered home-workers and isolated entrepreneurs.

Nick Walkley

Principal and UK president, Avison Young

Walkley is principal and UK president at global real estate advisory firm Avison Young. Prior to joining Avison Young in 2021, he led Homes England, the UK government’s land, development and housing investment body, where he was responsible for the delivery of major development programmes, national affordable housing projects and government-backed investment initiatives. Walkley has served as chief executive of two London local authorities, with a focus on building high-performing teams during periods of adversity and austerity. As a seasoned leader, he is passionate about fostering strong organisational culture driven by clear values and targets. In all his roles, Walkley has championed the power of urban regeneration and public-private partnership to improve peoples’ everyday lives.  An advocate for the dynamism and vitality of cities, Walkley is a firm believer that the best way to get to know a city is through is through its restaurants, bars and live music venues.

Mark Williams

Executive director, RivingtonHark

Mark Williams is co-founder of RivingtonHark, the UK’s specialist town and city centre regeneration company. With over £1bn projects under management, RivingtonHark uniquely splits its work 50% for the public sector and 50% where it co-invests with global funds. Williams leads the investment and strategy side of the business. He is a former chair of the government’s Retail Property Taskforce and past president of Revo. Prior to RivingtonHark he led the fundraising for Liverpool One and advised Nuveen on the creation of the Birmingham Alliance, as well as acting for occupiers such as M&S and Safeway in corporate takeover situations.