Richard Cowell

Assistant Director Development
Birmingham City Council

As a Built Environment professional Richard has over 15 years experience in urban planning, regeneration, property and economic development. Working at the largest local authority in the UK Richard has, since 2010, held key positions leading the formulation and subsequent delivery of the City’s ambitious growth agenda including one of the UK’s most significant city transformation projects, Birmingham’s Big City Plan.

Richard’s senior leadership, strategic decision making and technical expertise have underpinned accelerated development and investment activity across Birmingham. As a senior Director, Richard leads multidisciplinary teams of 75 professional staff and manages an annual capital budget of £50 million and £5 million revenue. His day to day responsibilities include acting as the deputy Chief Planning Officer overseeing the development planning process; developing and implementing financial models to support infrastructure investment in the City such as the Enterprise Zone and in maximising growth associated with HS2; supporting SMEs to grow and accelerate with financial instruments such as grant and Ioan finance and setting the framework for design and conservation across the City.

His work includes leading complex development projects, including the £1.5bn Birmingham Smithfield redevelopment scheme; and working with the private sector and other public agencies to create effective partnerships and enduring collaborative working relationships. He is active in advancing knowledge and understanding of urban planning, regeneration and infrastructure delivery through guest lectures at Universities, regular presentations at regional, national and international events and as a mentor to a number of graduates.

Ruth Cooke

Chief Executive
Midland Heart

Ruth has been CEO of Midland Heart since 2012 and was previously Finance Director. Ruth is passionate about Midland Heart’s work to deliver a range of homes and services across the Midlands that enable people to live independently. Midland Heart owns and manages 33,000 homes and is dedicated to providing quality, affordable homes combined with excellent services to over 70,000 customers including support services for homeless people and older people, anchored within our accommodation. Midland Heart works in some of the most challenging areas of the Midlands and, as a founder member of the West Midland Housing Association Partnership, is committed to working with the West Midlands Combined Authority to drive the housing, support and public services agendas for our region. A qualified accountant and corporate treasurer, Ruth is also Chair of Connexus Housing and is the Vice Chair of the Social Housing Pension Scheme Committee.

Angus Michie

Chairman
Berkeley St Joseph

Angus was educated at Dr Challoner’s Grammar School in Amersham and Reading University where he gained a Masters Degree in Land Management and Development. Angus is a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

Angus joined the Berkeley Group in 1994 upon graduation from Reading University. Angus has been involved in many of the Group’s major central London developments and has worked upon a number of Group’s major mixed use regeneration schemes including Gunwharf Quays and Royal Arsenal Woolwich. Angus helped establish the Group’s joint venture with Prudential, St Edward which has a number of exciting developments in Westminster, Kensington, Reading and Harrow and which has also just acquired a site in Birmingham.  

Berkeley Group were previously involved in the West Midlands property market with Crosby Homes who developed amongst others Symphony Court at Brindley Place. Berkeley sold Crosby to Lend Lease in 2005 and Angus is Chairing the Group’s re-entry to the West Midlands with a new company St Joseph.

Since its inception in late 2016 St Joseph has now acquired 4 sites in the West Midlands and is on site developing Snow Hill Wharf a canalside scheme of over 400 apartments close to Snow Hill and the Central Business District. St Joseph has also acquired large land holdings in Stratford upon Avon and will be developing a new mixed use community at the Canal Quarter in Stratford. 

Victoria Turnbull

Joint Managing Director
Opus Land

Victoria Turnbull is the Joint Managing Director of Opus Land, a leading Property Investment company with offices within the West Midlands and London. Founded in 1999 and part owned and funded by Fiera Real Estate, Opus Land has an established track record in delivering added-value solutions for real estate. The company has extensive experience of working in partnership with landowners, investors and occupiers with assets under management of over 3 million sq.ft. (over 550,000 sq.ft. of that being speculative development). Previously Victoria was based in London where she worked as an Associate Director for Palmer Capital (now Fiera Real Estate), a Real Estate Fund Manager and Venture Capital backer of companies with a focus on opportunistic real estate investment. Before that, she was a Senior Surveyor at King Sturge (now Jones Lang La Salle) in London where she specialised in commercial investment and business recovery. Victoria holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate Management from The University of Reading and is a chartered member of RICS and CFA. She has a breadth of expertise within the property sector with over 15 years dealing with direct and indirect property investment, development and asset management. She has an appreciation of the challenges and opportunities facing the Midlands and is uniquely placed to view these alongside her experience in the London market. Currently at Opus Land, Victoria is responsible for procuring new opportunities and delivering projects for the company. The company has over 250 acres in the development pipeline and she has been responsible for delivering several speculative schemes in the industrial sector over the last couple of years. Outside of work, her hobbies include keeping fit, dog walking, skiing, spending time with friends and meeting new people. She has also never been known to turn down a spa weekend!

Dr Louise Brooke-Smith

Partner
Arcadis LLP

Louise is a Chartered Surveyor and Chartered Town Planner.  She is an Equity Partner and UK Head of Development and Strategic Planning and Head of Social Value at Arcadis LLP.  Prior to this, she was the CEO of Brooke Smith Planning, a UK based Planning & Development Consultancy, established in 1994, serving a wide range of international clients. Louise was the first female Global President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (2014-15). Inter alia, she championed diversity & inclusivity and led a series of ground breaking initiatives including the RICS Inclusive Employers Quality Mark and the Property Strategy for Sub Saharan Africa. Her various accolades include; Outstanding Woman in Construction (2015), National Achiever in Construction (2015) and was shortlisted for the First Woman Awards in 2014 and 2015. She has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of Wolverhampton, Sheffield Hallam and Birmingham City. Louise is retained as a UKGov adviser.