Advisers to help inform Building Design’s focus on regional regeneration as part of year-long campaign
Major industry figures have signed up to help guide the work of Building Design’s Regen Connect initiative, a year‑long editorial campaign being delivered in partnership with sister titles Building and Housing Today.
Led by the Building the Future Think Tank - a research hub that partners with industry to make the case for effective investment in the built environment - Regen Connect will provide insight into how infrastructure investment, community development and new housing are shaping the future of the UK’s regions.
The panel includes leaders at tier one contractors as well as those with investment, legal and advisory expertise in the world of regeneration.
These advisers will help inform Building Design’s focus on regional regeneration and on strengthening collaboration between local authorities, clients and the construction supply chain.
In the coming months, our advisers will be on hand to offer valuable insights and expert views. They will help us with regional deep‑dives profiling local areas as well as advising on regular “State of Regeneration” reports assessing trends and policy shifts. They will also be on hand to advise on project spotlights showcasing successful schemes and the lessons they offer for replication elsewhere.
Chloe McCulloch, Building Design’s editorial director, said: “We are extremely pleased to be able to tap into the valuable expertise of this panel. Between them, our advisers have decades of experience delivering major regeneration projects as well as providing advice on ways that can unlock development.
“Our Regen Connect coverage seeks to make the case for investment in regenerating towns and cities across the UK. The issues we are covering go to the heart of the UK’s economic recovery, making them crucial for our readers and the country as a whole.
“The UK’s regeneration landscape is undergoing rapid change. With Labour’s pledge of a ‘decade of national renewal’ and Homes England preparing to deploy up to £46bn over the next 10 years, political and financial momentum is beginning to return to an area long constrained by fragmented funding and weak market conditions.”
Our advisers on the panel are:
Dav Bansal
Dav Bansal is a partner at architect practice Howells and leads its Birmingham studio and overseeing the design of major urban regeneration projects across the UK including the Solihull Town Centre masterplan, Wellington Square in Leeds and the Paradise Circus redevelopment in Birmingham.
Bansal sits on the design expertise panel Design:Midlands, an organisation dedicated to improving the quality of places in the West and East Midlands, is a member of the Tower Hamlets Quality Review Panel and is the vice-chair of Open City.
Bansal says he is driven by a passion for helping regional towns and cities to meet their potential and to ensure they play their pivotal role in the UK, promoting healthy environments, active movement and quality of place.
Lord Richard Best
Lord Best is vice-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Urban Development and Hon Treasurer of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Homelessness and Housing Need.
He was President of the Local Government Association until June 2015 and Chair of the Independent Commission on the Future of the LGA.
Lord Best retired at the end of 2006 after 18 years as the Director of both the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust.
Jasmine Ceccarelli-Drewry
Jasmine Ceccarelli-Drewry recently joined Avison Young’s Place team as a director, specialising in social impact, social value and place strategy.
This followed three years in Montagu Evans’ Strategic Advisory team, where she established the firm’s Social Impact Consultancy offer.
She advises clients on embedding social impact throughout the development lifecycle, from investment and masterplanning to procurement, planning, and occupation. Ceccarelli-Drewry previously worked at LB Hackney, gaining hands‑on experience in regeneration, placemaking, and economic development.
She also holds a position as Co‑Chair of Real Estate Balance’s Next Gen Committee.
Ben Denton
Ben Denton is head of strategic growth for L&G with a focus on growing the affordable housing business.
He was previously managing director of L&G’s affordable housing division, following a long senior career in the housing sector which included holding the position of group director of strategy and business development at housebuilder Keepmoat and executive director of growth, planning and housing at Westminster city council.
David Lunts
David Lunts is a leading figure in UK housing, regeneration and urban policy, now active across a range of influential non‑executive and advisory roles. He currently serves on the Clarion Group board, where he chairs the development committee and supports the work of its Latimer development subsidiary. He is also vice chair of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which aims to tackle poverty and inequality across the UK. He is also a member of the Oxford Growth Commission, advising on long‑term economic and housing strategy in one of the country’s fastest‑growing regions and reporting directly to the housing minister.
He previously held leadership roles in housing and regeneration in Manchester before moving into national policy as Director of Urban Policy under Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. In London, he served as Executive Director at the Homes and Communities Agency and later at City Hall.
He later became CEO of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation. Earlier in his career he was the founding chief executive of the Prince’s Foundation, and was a member of the Urban Task Force led by Richard Rogers.
Simon Marks
Simon Marks is Arcadis City Executive for the Midlands, with over 500 staff in the Midlands office in Birmingham.
With 30 years property, construction, regeneration and asset experience he helps clients make the best of their built and natural assets in relation to achieving their vision, strategy and key priorities.
He has led and delivered a range of projects across the public, private and infrastructure sectors and has a deep understanding of the development, housing and regeneration arena. He is currently on the advisory board of City Redi at the University of Birmingham.
Marks is a former board member of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and former Chair of the Curzon Enterprise Zone Board.
Alex Notay
Alex Notay is an internationally recognised expert on housing, placemaking and ESG. She was placemaking and investment firector at Thriving Investments (formerly PfP Capital), the fund and asset management arm of Places for People Group, overseeing a UK-wide residential strategy.
She is a published author and editor of over 30 books and reports on real estate.
She became chief executive of the Housing Forum – the only cross-sector, industry-wide organisation that represents the entire housing supply chain – in January this year.
Olaide Oboh
Olaide Oboh is managing director of developer Populate and sits on the executive board at parent Socius.
She spearheads external relations, building and nurturing essential partnerships with local communities, businesses, investors, and stakeholders. She is also instrumental in expanding the company’s reach, actively developing its pipeline across new and existing markets nationwide.
Mary Parsons
Mary Parsons has over 25 years’ experience in the development, construction and regeneration industry. She has been involved in some of the largest housing-led regeneration programmes in the UK and is presently National Regeneration and Partnerships Director at Lovell Partnerships, part of Morgan Sindall Group plc.
Her current workload includes joint ventures with Suffolk, West Sussex and Hertfordshire County Councils as well as for major regeneration programmes at Thamesmead, with Peabody, and London Borough of Barnet. Prior to this she was Group Executive Director for Placemaking & Regeneration at Places for People Group.
She is past Chair of the Town & Country Planning Association, a Member of the University of Cambridge’s Property Board and a Non-Executive Director of Aviva Capital Partners. She was also one of the Government’s ‘Building Better Building Beautiful’ Commissioners and is and Chair of MOBIE, an educational charity established George Clarke to attract young people into the housing industry.
Leigh Thomas
Leigh Thomas joined Kier Property in 2005, was appointed managing director for Kier Property in 2015 and became a member of the Group Executive Committee in 2018.
Before joining Kier, he worked in property development and property consultancy roles throughout the UK, Hong Kong and South Korea.
John Wilkinson
John Wilkinson started his career in 1989 as a trainee engineer and progressed through senior engineer, site manager and project director roles, before gaining his first managing director role in 2008.
He held senior positions within leading construction and civil engineering companies Laing O’Rourke, Kier, May Gurney and SNC-Lavalin, before joining BAM in 2020.
He became COO of the business in 2021.
Paul Woodhams
Paul Woodhams is managing director for regeneration at McLaren Construction.
He leads a sector-focused team which specialises in estate regeneration, building safety, regulatory compliance and complex building re-modelling. He has more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry.
Through ongoing analysis and expert commentary, Regen Connect highlights the policies, funding streams and local priorities that matter most to the construction and development sector.
This coverage will culminate in a special report to be published at our Building the Future Live Conference in London on 7 October.
How you can get involved:
Throughout the year, our team will be gathering insight from across the sector to inform editorial features, debates and events. We welcome contributions from practitioners who want to share experience or shine a light on emerging trends.
Click here for more on the campaign
Be part of the conversation – contact us to contribute or get involved by emailing our deputy editor at dave.rogers@building.co.uk and to find the campaign on social media follow #regenconnect
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