Mark Farmer

Founding Director & CEO
Cast Consultancy

Mark has nearly 30 years of experience in the construction and real estate sectors and has become a recognised commentator and thought leader on a variety of issues. He has been at the forefront of emerging UK residential market segments such as Build to Rent and Later Living. He is also playing a leading role in the progressive modernisation of the construction industry. Mark is a member of the RICS, Vice Chairman of the ULI UK Residential Council, a member of the BPF Build to Rent sub-committee and co-chairman of Constructing Excellence. Mark authored the October 2016 UK Government Review of the Construction Labour Market Model entitled ‘Modernise or Die’.

Tony Pidgley CBE

Chairman
The Berkeley Group

Tony Pidgley CBE is Chairman of the Berkeley Group. He left school at 15 to form his own company in haulage and plant hire. At 19, he sold his business to Crest Homes and became a Building Director, before leaving to form Berkeley in 1976. Under his leadership the business has grown to become a FTSE 100 company and builds more than 4,000 homes a year. At Berkeley, Tony has led some of the country’s most challenging and celebrated regeneration programmes, including the reinvention of the Royal Arsenal munitions site in Woolwich, and the revival of Hackney’s Woodberry Down estate. He has pioneered a holistic approach to placemaking and is passionate about working in partnership with local people to create welcoming communities that inspire civic pride and enhance wellbeing. Tony has advised successive Governments on regeneration, housing and developing public land. He was a member of Lord Heseltine's Estate Regeneration Advisory Panel, the Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission and the Mayor’s Outer London Commission. He was the longest serving President in the history of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry and was awarded a CBE in 2013 for “services to the housing sector and the community.

Gareth Bradford

Director of Housing & Regeneration
West Midlands Combined Authority

Gareth is Director of Housing and Regeneration for the West Midlands Combined Authority where he oversees over £600m+ of devolved housing and land funds across an area covering 19 local councils and 3 local enterprise partnerships. He leads the development and implementation of the region’s ambitious housing and regeneration strategy including its goal of delivering over 215,000 new homes by 2031 and for the region to lead nationally in design quality, advanced methods of construction, brownfield remediation and town centre regeneration. He runs a directorate responsible for policy and delivery on town centre regeneration, brownfield development, employment land, land assembly and remediation, affordable housing, one public estate, design, housing supply and securing unprecedented new investment from the public and private sector into real estate.

From 2010 to 2017, Gareth worked in a variety of roles in Central Government. For nearly 3 years he was a policy adviser to the Prime Minister at No10 Downing Street during the Coalition and Conservative-led governments. During his time in Government, Gareth led a cross-Whitehall division responsible for securing regeneration and housing on the back of major infrastructure (eg HS2) and led work on town centres and coastal communities. In 2012 he led the Government’s flagship neighbourhood planning policy through Parliament as part of the Localism Act.

Gareth Blacker

General Manager, Infrastructure & Complex Projects
Homes England

Gareth is a chartered surveyor with over 25 years’ experience specialising in development and development finance. He is responsible for delivering Homes England’s commercial investment programmes, including the Home Building Fund and Estate Regeneration Programme. He has led Homes England’s involvement on a number of high profile complex real estate projects including development finance at East Village, Greenwich Peninsula, Wood Wharf and Earls Court Village. He has expertise in delivering funding structures including senior debt, mezzanine finance and club deals with other private sector lenders. He has been involved in PRS schemes across the country, including Liverpool, Manchester, London and Birmingham. He is the Director of English Cities Fund, a joint venture between HCA, Legal & General and Muse specialising in regeneration projects. Gareth has worked for English Partnerships and the London Development Agency, and was involved in major development projects, including the Olympics, Wembley regeneration and the Royal Docks.

Cllr Darren Rodwell

Leader
London Borough of Barking & Dagenham

Darren has been Leader of Barking and Dagenham since 2014. He has served as Deputy Chair of London Councils, having been Executive Member for City Development and now as the Executive Member for Housing and Planning. In his current role he has promoted inward investment in the capital via Opportunity London and prioritised the delivery of affordable housing, addressing fire safety, tackling homelessness and reducing the use of temporary accommodation. 

Darren is also a member of the Homes for Londoners Board, Arts Council England, the Arts Council for London and the Create London Board and, since May 2023 Chair of the LGA Local Infrastructure and Net Zero Board. He was awarded LGIU Leader of the Year Award in 2019. In 2021, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Education by Coventry University in recognition of his efforts to expand educational opportunities in Barking and Dagenham.

Eamonn Boylan

Chief Executive
Greater Manchester Combined Authority

Eamonn Boylan was appointed Chief Executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority in January 2017. He played a key role in the development of the Housing Market Renewal Programme, the Northern Way Growth Strategy and, through his work with the Core Cities Group and the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities, in the emerging policy framework for city regions. Eamonn takes the lead role on Investment and on Planning and Housing for the AGMA Wider Leadership Team.

Dr Patricia Greer

Chief Executive
West of England Combined Authority and Local Enterprise Partnership

Dr Patricia Greer is the Chief Executive of the West of England Combined Authority and Local Enterprise Partnership. She led the region’s devolution programme from March 2015 through to the establishment of the Combined Authority in 2017. Previously she held a range of senior private, central and local public sector positions including as a Director at the Cabinet Office with five years in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, and as a Strategic Director in Local Government. Patricia’s early career included nearly 10 years with leading management consultancies. She studied at the University of Bath and completed a PhD which was published as a book, ‘Transforming Central Government’, 1994.

Felicie Krikler

Director
Assael Architecture

Félicie is an experienced architect specialising in urban regeneration. From large, mixed-use and masterplanning projects to thinking of the smallest details of urban living, Félicie is instrumental on leading the design of many of Assael’s key projects. She is also leading on design-based research initiatives including designing housing for older generations, collaborating with the RIBA and other practices to develop a social value toolkit for architects, and growing the new landscape division at Assael. She is also a keen artist and tries to sketch as much as possible for work and pleasure!

Karen Cooksley

Karen is highly regarded within specialist planning, advising clients on the full spectrum of planning and environmental issues they face, including devising strategies for obtaining planning permissions and other consents, viability, environmental impact assessment, s106 agreements and CIL, compulsory purchase and highways matters. She has particular expertise in relation to mixed use developments, tall buildings, urban extensions, waterside schemes and the optimisation of consents to increase financial value for clients. She works for leading developers, private rented sector operator and management companies, national housebuilders, registered providers, local authorities and funders. The majority of her projects are in London – she is currently working on several tall building projects, advising on the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station and other major schemes in the Vauxhall opportunity area and securing office to residential conversions under permitted development rights. She and her team also work across the country – they have recently obtained permission for the £5.5 billion Liverpool Waters scheme and are advising on new settlements in Cambridgeshire, Devon and Kent.