Tom Riordan

Chief Executive
Leeds City Council

Leeds city region.                                       

Tom has been influential in ensuring significant progress and investment in Leeds, which has £6 billion of pipeline developments planned including 70,000 new homes, city centre flood defences, an extension of the city centre onto the South Bank and an HS2 station. He also contributed to securing and delivering the 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ and is currently bidding to host the World Triathlon in 2016 and to become the European Capital of Culture in 2023. 

Tom has come full circle from a North Yorkshire state education, via Oxford University, a Civil Service fast stream career on international environmental policy to leading the Regional Development Agency Yorkshire Forward.

Ever forward-looking, Tom is a member of the UK government’s Smart Cities Forum and drove the Commission that set out in 2012 a new “civic enterprise blueprint” for the Future of Local Government. 

Richard Cook

Head of Residential
Lendlease

Richard is Head of Residential at Lendlease, where he oversees a portfolio of projects in the North of England, centred in Manchester and York, as well as across an number of major projects in  London. Under Richard’s leadership the business has secured a forward pipeline of over 5000 apartments with annual completions on average  over 750 apartments.

One of Richard’s prized project, Potato Wharf in Manchester, forms a key part of the portfolio. The final phase of this  residential development of 191 homes is at the heart of Castlefield, in central Manchester, and has responded to market demand by offering a rare open market sale opportunity amid a competitive build to rent environment.

Joining Lendlease in 2010 his experience  includes serving as Delivery Director of the design and build contracts at the London Olympics Athletes’ Village where his team were responsible for the delivery of circa £400 million of residential, education and health care sector projects across the London 2012 programme. Richard has previously been Project Director for MACE International in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. During this time Richard was responsible for a number of major signature projects in the residential and retail sectors, notably the 96 storey Burj Al Fattan project in Dubai and Port Baku Residences in Azerbaijan.

Prior to his time with MACE, Richard worked for a number of Taylor Wimpey Plc businesses, for over 10 years, where he was responsible for delivery of the mixed-use business before being appointed Managing Director and establishing a new business sector for first-time buyers. He is a member of the NHBC Foundations Expert Panel.

Paul Pavia

Head of Development
MEPC

Richard Bannister

Regional Director Yorkshire & North East
St Modwen

Richard began his career at St. Modwen as Development Manager for the Yorkshire and North East region in 2008 and was promoted to Regional Manager in 2014 and Regional Director in 2015. He was previously Strategic Director of Pearson

Developments Ltd and worked at Turner & Partners Chartered Surveyors. He is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Richard continues to oversee the ongoing development of Waterdale Shopping Centre, Doncaster, which has seen a 70% rise in overall footfall and new lettings announced in 2015. He has managed the sale of a 1.2 acre site to Aldi plus four

new lettings in the year at Billingham Town Centre following its acquisition for £14.3m in 2014.

Mike Britch

Managing Director
Norse Group Ltd

Key to the Group’s success has been Mike’s leadership in identifying and implementing new innovative business models as well as proactively responding to an evolving market and policy landscape to develop the services and opportunities the Norse Group offers its clients in both the public and private sectors.