Strongman is chief executive of Oxford University Development, a joint venture between Oxford University and Legal & General set up to build innovation districts and subsidised accommodation for graduate students and the university workforce. She was previously managing partner of Argent LLP in London, where she spent 12 years executing a range of asset, development and business planning projects. Highlights included leading the asset management of King’s Cross, developing Coal Drops Yard, and setting up a build-to-rent portfolio with JV partner Related. Strongman was instrumental in building the business from 40 people to a team of 200 over a 10-year period. Before joining Argent, Strongman worked in the planning and economic development team of Arup, worked for DTZ in Scotland, and lived in Japan for 18 months, where she studied Japanese and conducted research at the Japan Productivity Centre as a Daiwa scholar.