London Building For The Future

Beth joined Landsec in October 2017 as Head of Development for the London portfolio, covering all aspects of development from feasibility through to construction. Beth’s team of 30 – working with partner architects and construction firms – is responsible for delivering commercial properties in London that are both iconic buildings and desirable locations for companies and communities. Prior to joining Landsec, Beth was Commercial Director at HS2, where she was responsible for commercial strategy, procurement, supplier management, land and property acquisitions and management, regeneration and economic analysis. Previously, Beth spent nine years at Transport for London (TfL). Beth joined TfL in 2003 and held a number of roles: firstly as a Principal in the Corporate Finance team, secondly as the Head of Commercial Advisory and Risk at London Underground, providing commercial advice and strategy. Beth then became Head of Commercial Procurement at London Underground and was responsible for delivering improved commercial capability for the business, and later was Commercial Director at Tube Lines where she was responsible for procurement, risk management, assurance and business planning and controls. Beth started her career working on Capitol Hill in Washington for the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the House of Representatives, before moving on to 8 years in project finance banking with Credit Suisse and Société Générale. Beth is a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

Mark Richardson joined U+I in September 2016 to oversee the strategic leadership and construction of U+I’s regeneration portfolio. Before joining U+I Mark had spent his entire career of 38 years with initially John Laing (subsequently Laing O’Rourke) joining as an Articled Pupil in 1979 and progressing through the ranks from Planner to Project Leader on many of the north wests major construction projects. Prior to joining the Board of Laing O’Rourke Construction in 2003, he held various Directorships including Business Leader Portfolio Projects which specialised in PPP, Business Leader Construction overseeing the growth and profitability of that business from £350m to £1bn and European, MESA and North American HC Director. Mark has a wealth of experience in de-risking construction and managing relationships with consultants and contractors. He has overseen some of the capital’s most recognisable and complex projects, including One Hyde Park, The Francis Crick Institute and Ascot Race Course Mark is enthused by the challenge and potential U+I offers as a new company with visionary ambitions. He believes that U+I’s values, future focus, creativity and specialism in regeneration and public-private partnerships provide an opportunity to address some of the complex challenges of our times. Mark has two grown up children. The son of a farmer, he has interests in the family farm in his home county of Cumbria and spends time there whenever he can.

Gary McLuskey is the Global Design Managing Director of Greystar. He is a qualified architect with over 25 years experience in masterplanning, architecture and interior design. His role in Greystar is to oversee design strategy, standards and innovation in Greystar's Global Development Team, supporting development activities and assisting local teams in delivering successful development projects. Prior to joining Greystar, Gary acted as a strategic design advisor to some of London’s largest developers, working closely with developers and project design teams to unlock the full potential of major London developments. He is a registered architect and member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, earning his B.Arch (Hons), Dip.Arch and RIBA Part 3 at Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow University. Since 2002 Gary has been an Associate Lecturer at University of the Arts London and an invited architectural critic at the South Bank University, Oxford Brookes University and the Architectural Association.

Joanne Kelly heads the Construction team at independent, full-service law firm Memery Crystal. Joanne has a wealth of experience having acted for developers, development managers, funders, contractors and sub-contractors. Her main practice is advising clients on procurement routes in order to maximise value and ensure the construction documents are investment standard for onward sales and funding. She has experience of JCT, NEC3, FIDIC, IChemE. She also advises on consultants’ appointments and third party rights/collateral warranties. Joanne has strong build-to-rent (BTR) focus in her work, notably advising Telford Homes on multiple projects including their 894-homes project in Nine Elms. She is ranked as a ‘Recognised Practitioner’ in the latest Chambers rankings, and is praised for her ‘commercial, no-nonsense approach’ in recent Legal 500 rankings.

Elliot is the founder and MD of First Base, a company with a reputation for developing award winning places that deliver long lasting socio-economic benefits for communities. He has pioneered innovative private and public sector partnerships across a number of high profile projects; an example being the former Athletes Village; East Village on the Olympic Park.

Mr. Lee serves as the Managing Partner of the firm, leading the firm's investment strategy, with responsibility for the firm's major Acquisitions and Asset Management. Mr. Lee has over 20 years’ experience in real estate principal investing and advisory. He has been involved in real estate acquisitions and asset management across the US, UK, Europe as well as India and Latin America. Mr. Lee has been active in the European markets since 2001. Most recently, Mr. Lee oversaw European real estate private equity at Marathon Asset Management, a multi-billion global investment fund. In addition to managing a number of Marathon’s real estate investments across Europe, India and Latin America, Mr. Lee was responsible for Marathon’s European real estate strategy and relationships. Prior to Marathon, Mr. Lee worked at Starwood Capital for 9 years, where he served as Managing Director of Starwood Capital Europe in London and where he opened the firm’s office. Previously, Mr. Lee worked in the Real Estate Advisory Group at Ernst & Young in New York and worked on numerous transactions advising opportunity funds, mezzanine lenders and distressed debt buyers.

Louise Ellison is MD Sustainability at EQT Partners, a global private equity firm, working in the Private Capital Sustainability Team. She has 25+ years’ experience in the real estate and investment sectors, focusing since the early 2000s on sustainability. She has experience in designing and implementing sustainability strategies within corporate and fund management contexts and in consultancy. In addition to her executive role, Louise is a member of the Green Construction Board, a joint industry-Government initiative to support better environmental performance across the sector, and a member of the Investment Committee of the British Design Fund.

Etienne founded Longevity Partners in 2015. Prior to that, Etienne worked at Knight Frank, JLL and the United Nations Environment Programme (the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda). Etienne has more than a decade of experience in sustainable property investment and strategy. He currently advises the largest property investment companies in Europe. In 2017, Etienne was picked to be an Estate Gazette 'Property Rising Star' and nominated for numerous awards as one of the most active young leaders in the sustainability and real estate industries. He regularly speaks at high-level events, giving his vision for smart cities, carbon neutral buildings, wellbeing in the work place and future of the real estate industry. Etienne graduated from the London School of Economics. A keen sportsman, Etienne has run 9 marathons and enjoys playing tennis, sailing, skiing, cycling and golf. He is married with one daughter.

Mark is a Board Director of the Building Services operation at Waterman Group Plc. An accomplished team leader and Chartered Engineer with 28 years’ experience as a Building Services Consultant, Mark is known for taking a lead role in many of the company’s multidisciplinary projects across London, including the well-known Angel Court development in London which was the first tower to complete in 2017. He has built up an extensive portfolio throughout his career, most recently featuring Fen Court, One Angel Lane, The Avenue, Jersey International Finance Centre, 8 Moorgate, Kings Cross T1 & P1, The Clarges Estate, 6 Bevis Marks and Finsbury Circus House. Mark champions low energy design within the business and actively promotes the integration of sustainable solutions as part of a holistic approach to building design. He maintains an active, ‘hands on’ strategic role, with specialisms in the financial and commercial fit-out, refurbishment and new build sectors, as well as large scale residential and mixed-use schemes.

Business Development Manager at Synapsys Solutions, Tim has shaped the way buildings are monitored, controlled and connected in the intelligent building control industry. He has nearly 20 years’ experience covering building controls, mechanical & electrical maintenance, facilities management and energy management. Simplifying building controls is his particular specialism, extracting a commercial building’s full potential and delivering Smart savings, ensuring buildings operate at optimum energy efficiency. From delivering projects such as data visualisation for students at the University of Surrey, tenant billing applications for 66 Gresham Street and data monitoring at Skanska’s head office, Tim and the Synapsys team bring a real-world understanding of the challenges facing building operations. With Big Data acquisition from the connected built environment, he has developed strategies to harness and utilise Smart Data to improve performance and profitability. The Synapsys portfolio also includes data centre power monitoring for TalkTalk, and data acquisition and management within several Village Hotel locations. In supporting customer’s energy and sustainability needs, including targeting their compliance, cost and carbon management requirements, Tim and the Synapsys team recognise the individual needs each customer has, and develops relationships to deliver lasting solutions.

Francesca joined Fletcher Priest as Partner and Head of Interior Design in 2014. As a principal, she is interested in putting people at the heart of the design process to enhance their experience within a space. Since joining Fletcher Priest, she has gathered a group of dynamic and talented designers around her, and the team have incorporated an approach they describe as ‘Practical Dreaming’; rational and logical, while being imaginative and approachable. She recently completed a fit-out for a major search engine companies’ Zurich office, in addition to a second Clubhouse project on the back of the successful completion of their City site. Her other recent projects include the major refurbishment of The White Chapel Building and Vodafone’s online Global Guidance Standards. Francesca is currently working on several projects, including a set of innovative Student Accommodation projects in three unique UK locations, a major office refurbishment for a UK based beauty brand and a co-working workspace of the future for IQL.

David is a board director of CORE with over 20 years’ experience in the industry. Recognised for the delivery of high quality commercial and mixed-use schemes in London, David has been directly responsible for over 2.5m sq ft of prime developments across the capital with an investment value in excess of £2.5bn. Examples include Bureau, 90 Fetter Lane, 6 Bevis Marks, LSQ London, 101 New Cavendish Street and One Angel Lane. As a specialist London developer, David acquires new property development opportunities funded by a wide range of investors. He also acts as a development manager, working with existing land owners to develop and implement strategies to maximise value through planning, refurbishment, development, market re-positioning and leasing.