Jules Pipe CBE

Deputy Mayor - Planning, Regeneration & Fire Services
Greater London Authority

Jules Pipe works on key priorities for the Mayor, including: implementation of the London Plan, major and community-led regeneration projects across the capital, building a skills system that properly addresses the needs of Londoners and the economy, and ensuring London’s infrastructure supports good growth.

Jules has unrivalled knowledge of London government, becoming the first directly elected mayor of Hackney in 2002 and serving as Chair of London Councils from 2010 until he joined the Mayor’s team in 2016.

Cllr Grace Williams

Leader, Waltham Forest Borough Council, Deputy Chair & Executive for Housing + Regeneration
London Councils

Cllr Williams has been Leader of the London Borough of Waltham Forest since September 2021. She also serves as Deputy Chair of London Councils and its Executive Member for Housing and Regeneration.

Under her leadership, the council has: agreed its new corporate plan Mission Waltham Forest; convened the first ever Citizens Assembly on neighbourhood policing; undertaken an ambitious Affordable Housing Commission and Local Plan geared towards housing supply; and committed the council to building 1000 social homes.

Waltham Forest has also embarked on a comprehensive climate action plan, building on the borough’s pioneering active travel approach, and taking meaningful action to make our borough greener.

Meanwhile, during the cost-of-living crisis, Cllr Williams’ leadership has seen the council provide an extensive cost of living package of £5.6 million to Waltham Forest residents, when they needed it most. 

Before becoming leader, Grace was Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families for five years, leading Children’s Services to a ‘good’ rating with ‘outstanding’ for leadership and management judgement in 2019. Grace was also previously the London Councils Executive Member for Communities and Refugees.

Before becoming a councillor in 2014, Grace was a Civil Servant in central government, working on research and policy including in the areas of child poverty and disability equality. This was followed by five years working as a secondary English teacher in London schools. Grace sits on the LGA Improvement and Innovation Board and has worked as an LGA Peer Mentor and Reviewer. 

Jennet Siebrits

Head of UK Research
CBRE

Jennet is an economist with over twenty-five years’ experience. Jennet joined CBRE 20 years ago to set up the residential research team. For the past five years she has been responsible for the commercial research teams as well. She focuses on the big issues in the real estate world, identifying trends, analysing the market, and providing clients with unrivalled insight and ideas. Jennet regularly produces bespoke reports for clients that help inform their strategic decision-making process. 

In addition, she produces a wide-ranging programme of thought leadership looking at issues such as placemaking, premium pricing and the impact of regeneration. Jennet spends a significant amount of time presenting to clients (developer and buyers) to keep them up to date with market developments.

Piers Clanford

Chief Operating Officer
Berkeley Group

Piers Clanford is Chief Operating Officer for the Berkeley Group, and Chairman of St George and St Joseph Homes.

Piers has been at Berkeley for over 25 years, holding a number of senior leadership roles within the Group’s operating companies. He has been a member of the Berkeley Group Executive Committee since 2022 and chairs the group-wide Land & Planning and Technical Committees. 

Piers has significant experience in large-scale, mixed-use regeneration projects across London, Birmingham and the south of England, including complex land assembly, community engagement, master planning and partnerships working with local and strategic authorities and third-party land owners.     

He is Chair of the Berkeley Foundation, an independent charity which works in partnership with Berkeley Group and the voluntary sector to support young people and their communities.  

Jinjie Wang

Director - Life Sciences Lead
Canary Wharf Group

Jinjie Wang is the Director of Science and Healthcare at Canary Wharf Group, where he oversees the development of new sectors on the estate including life science and healthcare. With a versatile career at the company, Jinjie has previously held key roles across finance, development and investment functions. 

Jinjie holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Oxford, a master’s degree from the University of Cambridge, and an Executive MBA from the University of Chicago. 

Matthew Steenhoek

Executive Director Development, Europe
Lendlease

Matt is the Executive Director Development, Europe providing development leadership for three of Lendlease’s major urban regeneration projects in London: Euston Station, Stratford Cross, and Elephant Park.  Matt was previously Development Director in the US with Lendlease, working across four major urban regeneration projects ($15B) in Silicon Valley, California. 

Prior to joining Lendlease, Matt developed over five million square feet of mixed-use product across 15 projects over 20 years in Washington, DC. The most notable of which is The Wharf, a $3.6B global award winning, waterfront regeneration in the heart of DC where he was the Project Director. Matt has a background in urban planning and architecture, he is passionate about the craft of city building.

Caroline Edwards

Development Director
Almacantar

Responsible for development at Almacantar, Caroline leads on appraising new development and investment opportunities, planning and design, delivery, and asset management. 

Before joining Almacantar, Caroline managed the establishment of the Aga Khan University’s new campuses in East Africa and South Asia, including a 3,200-acre regional campus and university town in Tanzania and a 600-bed Tertiary Teaching Hospital in Uganda. 

She is an active mentor for The Circle Partnership, the leading mentoring, development and networking organisation for the UK built environment.

James Pargeter

Senior Advisor
GAA

James is a recognised advocate for the purpose-built operational Rented Living sector (incl. Build to Rent (BTR) and Single-Family Rent (SFR)) within the wider residential sector, with over 25 years’ varied delivery experience as a Project Manager and Advisor. He aims to help address the UK’s housing crisis through policy and practice, recognising that a full tenure spectrum is key to resolving this challenge. Through successive roles at Deloitte, Greystar and GAA, alongside sector roles including at the ARL, the BPF, and other representative bodies, he has a track record of making positive differences to sector and project outcomes.

James is a tireless campaigner for a much-needed cultural change around renting, including better appreciation of the benefits of purpose-built rental housing, Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), and intermediate affordable homes. He was included in EG's 'BTR's 50 Most Influential’ list.