Hanna Afolabi

Fonder, Mood and Space

Afolabi is an entrepreneur who is passionate about the built environment and social value in development. As the founder of Mood and Space, she specialises in helping clients develop community-focused buildings and urban neighbourhoods by embedding social value into their development strategies and processes. Prior to establishing Mood and Space, Afolabi served as development director for Balfour Beatty Investments, where she worked on East Wick and Sweetwater and was responsible for leading the feasibility, business planning, budgeting, design, programming and planning of a mixed-use regeneration project of approximately 1,900 homes on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. In 2019, she founded Black Women in Real Estate, an organisation that empowers Black women in the property industry and creates opportunities to retain and increase diverse talent. Afolabi also serves as vice-chair of the University of Greenwich’s construction, property and surveying practices industry advisory board and is on EG’s diversity & inclusion content advisory panel.

Olajide Alade

Asset manager, Hertsmere Borough Council

Alade is an asset manager with six years’ experience in the property industry. His expertise spans various asset types, including healthcare, office, retail and industrial properties. Alade was part of EG’s Future Leaders programme in 2022 and achieved recognition as a finalist for RICS Young Surveyor of the Year in 2020 and 2021. He was featured in LinkedIn’s #InTogether campaign in 2019. Alongside his professional accomplishments, Alade has a passion for public speaking. Deeply committed to fostering inclusivity within the property industry, Alade strongly believes in representing and serving the community it operates in. He dedicates his time to serving as an APC assessor/chair and takes pleasure in mentoring aspiring surveyors who are embarking on their careers.

Jeremy Bates

EMEA head of occupational markets, Savills

Bates has worked at Savills since 1988 and heads the business space division. Since joining as a graduate, Bates has specialised in all aspects of office agency. He advises major investors and developers on the design, marketing and leasing of schemes, as well as global corporates on matters affecting their real estate portfolio and how they can create best value from this. Bates is an executive director on the board of Savills UK and heads the commercial transactional services teams across Investment, agency and occupier services.

Emily Bohill

Managing partner, Bohill Partners

Bohill is a managing partner at Bohill Partners, which helps real asset investors to build and retain best-in-class teams in Europe. She leads senior searches and complex advisory mandates, as well as managing the relationships with key clients. Before she founded the firm with Alice Fontana in 2008, she ran the European real assets practice at Armstrong International and was a founding member of the Soros-backed search firm Skillcapital. Bohill is a trustee of the Story of Christmas. She is also on the board of Ireland Funds Great Britain, a global philanthropic network established in 1976 to promote and support peace, culture, education and community development throughout Ireland, and Irish-related causes around the world. Bohill is also co-chair of Thornhill Primary School Foundation and founder of Run Kids Run, an initiative to get children running, raising funds for state schools in England.

Sue Brown

Managing director, Real Estate Balance

Brown is managing director for Real Estate Balance, a campaigning organisation working to improve diversity and inclusion in the real estate industry. She has three decades of business, property and economic development experience. Brown joined Real Estate Balance in April 2020 from London First, where she was executive director with responsibility for property, planning, the environment and development since 2016. She started her career in government, serving as a senior adviser in a variety of high-profile roles, before going on to establish her own real estate consultancy. Brown was a driving force behind the launch of MIPIM, the world’s largest real estate investment conference that takes place each year in Cannes. She was the co-founder and co-chair of REWIRE, the network for women in property, and is also an active member of the Women’s Network Forum based at Buckingham Palace.

Kelly Canterford

Founder, Tigrou Consulting

Canterford’s career spanned media, sales and hospitality before qualifying as a chartered surveyor at JLL.  Whilst at JLL, Canterford worked as part of the strategic asset management team and was a founding member of JLL’s LGBTQ+ network, Building Pride. With a growing interest in EDI, Canterford started her business Tigrou Consulting and delivers equality, diversity and inclusion advice and training to companies globally. She is the co-chair of Freehold CIC and chair of ULI’s UK’s REDI committee and a member of the ULI’s executive committee.

John Carter

Commercial director, Aldermore

Carter is commercial director for the commercial real estate team at Aldermore. He is responsible for developing new propositions and enhancing the customer journey to meet growing demand. He has 30 years’ experience in the industry, having previously worked in a number of national roles at Bank of Scotland, CYBG and NAB.

Thai Dang

Senior investment analyst, Captalyst Capital

Dang joined Catalyst in 2022 to analyse investment opportunities for Catalyst’s core-plus fund and work on the portfolio management across Catalyst’s European offices. He previously held positions at JP Morgan & Ellandi. Dang was part of EG’s Future Leaders programme in 2022, is a chartered financial analyst and was awarded an MSc in finance and a BSc in economics from the University of Warwick.

Basil Demeroutis

Managing partner, FORE Partnership

Demeroutis is managing partner of FORE Partnership, the purpose-driven real estate private equity firm that drives social and environmental innovation in the built environment using low-carbon strategies, social impact, placemaking and design. Prior to founding FORE, Demeroutis was a partner at Capricorn Investment Group and was managing partner of a German property fund. He spent 13 years in investment banking in New York and London. Demeroutis is chair of children’s charity the Institute of Imagination, and sits on the board of trustees of the UK Green Building Council.

Rita-Rose Gagné

Chief executive, Hammerson

Gagné joined Hammerson as chief executive in November 2020, bringing extensive experience in real estate investment and global property markets combined with strong strategic, operational leadership and financial management skills. Prior to joining Hammerson, Gagné was at Ivanhoé Cambridge, most recently as president of growth markets, responsible for $7.6bn (£5.9bn) of real estate assets across Asia Pacific and Latin America. Having joined in 2006, Gagné held a variety of positions, including executive vice-president of global strategy, portfolio management and investment funds, tasked with developing, leading and executing the investment strategy in Asia and Latin America. Gagné is a non-executive director of Value Retail.

Pete Gladwell

Group social impact and investment director, Legal & General Capital

Gladwell joined Legal & General in 2007, launching a new generation of property funds focused on liability matching and defined contributions pension schemes, and L&G’s joint venture with PGGM, which total more than £5bn. In 2015, he moved to lead L&G’s investments with the public sector, including the cabinet office, local authorities, NHS, housing associations and universities – which now total more than £4.5bn. Gladwell holds an MA from Brasenose College, Oxford, in computation, the IMC, and is a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and honorary professor at UCL.

Helen Gordon

Chief executive, Grainger

Gordon was appointed chief executive of Grainger in January 2016 from RBS, where she had been global head of real estate Asset management since October 2011. Prior to that, she was director of Legal & General Property, responsible for the Main Life Fund and c.8 smaller funds. She was also group property director of Railtrack and managing director of John Laing Developments. Gordon is senior independent director on the board of Derwent London, a non-executive director of Business LDN and is currently vice-chair and a board director of the European Public Real Estate Association. Gordon is a past president of the British Property Federation and was a member of the government’s Urban Centre Recovery Taskforce for post-Covid recovery. She has held a number of non-executive positions and government appointments, including the board of Covent Garden Market Authority, board of British Waterways and as a trustee for the College of Estate Management.

Dan Hughes

Founder, Alpha Property Insight

Hughes is founder of Alpha Property Insight, which helps the property sector embrace and benefit from innovative thinking and digital transformation. He is also co-founder of Digital Property Risk, which helps property professionals navigate the increasing digital risks that buildings face. Before this, Hughes spent his career working across the built environment and held senior roles in some of the world’s leading data organisations. He led the land and property sector strategy and commercial activity at Ordnance Survey. Hughes also led the proptech transformation strategy at the RICS, and sits on a number of industry panels such as the BPF Technology and Innovation Working Group, the RICS data-handling professional statement working group, the EG tech advisory panel, the Cabinet Office – Geospatial Commission National Land Data Programme Expert Advisory Group, Building Safety Alliance Golden Thread SIG and is founder of the not-for-profit Real Estate Data Foundation.

Vivienne King

Founder and managing director, Impactful Places

King has held leadership positions in real estate for more than 30 years, working across investment development, regeneration and management, joint venture partnerships, strategy development and ESG. She is founder and managing director at Impactful Places and also head of real estate social impact at Good Economy, the UK’s leading independent social impact advisory firm. King’s NED roles include the Greater London Authority’s Property X-Change, where she is its ambassador focusing on regenerating London’s high street communities, chair of the shopkeepers’ campaign for business rates reform and Revo operating board member.

Alice Lamb

Deputy chief executive, LandAid

Lamb is the Deputy chief executive at LandAid, the property industry charity working to end youth homelessness. She leads on fundraising, communications and programmes at the charity, aiming to build long-term, mutually beneficial, strategic relationships with partners across the industry.

Melanie Leech CBE

Chief executive, British Property Federation

Leech joined the British Property Federation as chief executive in January 2015, having previously spent nine years as director general of the Food & Drink Federation. She began her working life as a police constable in the Metropolitan Police Service and subsequently held a number of senior roles in the civil service. Her role is to champion a diverse, successful and sustainable UK real estate sector that is recognised for the positive economic and social benefits it delivers to communities across the country. Leech is a trustee of the property industry charity LandAid and a member of the Council of the University of Essex. She was awarded a CBE in 2015 for services to the food and drink industry.

Sophie Levenson

Partner, Knight Frank

Levenson is a partner in Knight Frank’s Property Asset Management Team. Appointed in 2017, she works with central London landlords to formulate asset management objectives for their portfolios and assets, as well as implement strategies to meet these objectives. Levenson is experienced in development feasibility, leasing, lease advisory and headlease management. Recently, Levenson completed the EG Future Leaders programme, discussing how the property industry should consider different ways to view success and leadership.

Charles Maudsley

Principal, Alma Real Estate Consultancy

Maudsley is principal at Alma Real Estate Consultancy and strategic real Estate adviser to Bridgepoint Group. He also advises Ringley Group and various banks and Investors on real estate strategies. He is a non-executive director and board nember of Federated Hermes PUT. From 2010-19 he was the main board director for British Land, with responsibility for the retail and residential portfolios. Prior to this, Maudsley was co-head of LaSalle IM Europe and board member of the Global IM business. This followed a role as head of real estate for AXA UK.

James Raynor

Chief executive, Grosvenor Property UK

Raynor has overall responsibility for Grosvenor Property UK. He joined Grosvenor’s Paris team in 2004, where he led its international fund management activity. He was then appointed chief executive of Grosvenor Property Europe in 2013 before his appointment to GPUK in 2020. Prior to this, Raynor was the senior director of European real estate at Royal Bank of Scotland in Paris and a non-executive director of Nordisk Renting in Sweden. Raynor is a board member of INREV and the Westminster Property Association and sits on the BPF’s policy committee.

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.

Jonathan Seal

Chief executive, Regal London

Seal started his career as a trainee solicitor with Lovell White Durrant in 1997, qualifying into the corporate finance department and specialising in M&A and private equity. He subsequently moved away from the law into investment banking and then went on to spend 20-plus years in private equity, latterly as a partner at Nova Capital, managing its European secondary business. Seal joined Regal London in 2016 as a non-executive director to spearhead its strategic growth plans and subsequently moved into a full-time role. Seal is also a non-executive director of Modulous, an early stage proptech company.

David Sleath

Chief executive, SEGRO

Sleath was appointed chief executive of SEGRO in April 2011, having been finance director since 1 January, 2006. Previously, he was finance director of Wagon, the international automotive engineering group, from 1999 to 2005. From 1982 to 1999 he worked for Arthur Andersen, latterly as a partner and head of audit and assurance for the Midlands. He is currently president and a board member of the British Property Federation, and a board member of the European Public Real Estate Association.

Sophie Stewart

Partner, DLA Piper

Stewart is a partner in DLA Piper’s real estate group, specialising in planning, infrastructure and compulsory purchase. She acts for a range of clients in both the public and private sector. Her particular practice focuses on complex development and regeneration projects that are backed by CPO. Stewart works closely with the wider real estate team to provide clients with pro-active, outcomes-based advice, which is both practical and commercially focused. Prior to joining DLAP, Stewart spent time as a legislative draftsman and advisory lawyer for the Welsh government and a period in-house as the planning lawyer for a unitary authority. She is also a non-executive director of a community interest company which focuses on building resilience in both individuals and the community it serves, to drive placemaking through empowerment and local ownership of a severely deprived area.

Christy Whyte

Head of commercial strategy, Knight Frank

Whyte joined Knight Frank in 2010. She helps shape the direction of its commercial business and drive forward its strategic priorities while also leading on the UK business’s employee engagement programme, KFX. KFX is a UK-wide initiative which creates an inclusive environment helping to strengthen culture, where people across all levels of the business are engaged and can help shape its future through enhancing connectivity and collaboration. Prior to this, Whyte was a PA/office manager in the commercial capital markets department. She is passionate about creating environments which allow teams and individuals to flourish, encouraging everyone to bring new and different perspectives into decision-making and helping the business positively shape and grow. 

Dominic Wilson

Founder & managing partner, Vectr7

Vectr7 is an early stage venture firm that follows the founders who forge a path in order to make a meaningful difference. Its core mission is backing the tech companies addressing the climate emergency and its impact on the environment, the communities and the social fabric of tomorrow.  Prior to founding Vectr7, Wilson was co-founder & managing general partner of Pi Labs. Wilson has been instrumental in building the European proptech/climatetech ecosystem and also serves as mentor/investment partner for the Carbon13 and Amazon Climate-KIC sustainability programs. He is a trustee for Centre for London; a not-for-profit thinktank to help London use social innovation to create a fairer, more inclusive and sustainable city.

John Woodman

Chairman, Hollis

Woodman is the chairman at Hollis. He joined the company in 1991 and became senior partner in 1994. The business incorporated and became an EOT last year and Hollis is now a director. His focus is on three key areas of the business: driving the creation and delivery of the firm’s overall aims and objectives; leading the director group; and developing relationships with new and existing clients. Beyond Hollis, Woodman is an active member of the wider property industry, particularly with the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors where he is the immediate past master and sits on the Court of the Company. He was the first chairman of the Building Surveying Faculty of the RICS. He is a BPF and IPF member, and a keen supporter of LandAid.