“We connect young people with the buzz and excitement of the industry”

Adam Higgins
Capital & Centric
Co-Founder
Property Development

“Adam Higgins, co-founder of Capital & Centric, has delivered in excess of 1,000,000 sq ft of development over the last 20 years ranging from office space, leisure schemes and boutique hotels in Grade II Listed, formerly derelict buildings.

Adam has a history of working closely with local authority partners, notably with Liverpool, Sheffield and Manchester.”

Tom Bloxham
Urban Splash
Co-Founder
Property Development

“Tom sold fire extinguishers door to door, studied a degree in politics, and ran a market stall down Affleck’s Arcade. He made more money sub-letting the space than selling his posters and that’s how it started.

As well as steering Urban Splash through the many ups and recent downs of business, Tom chairs the Manchester International Festival, is a trustee of The Tate and the Manchester United Foundation and is also Chancellor of The University of Manchester. Tom was awarded an MBE for services to architecture and urban regeneration in 1999.”

Will Lewis
OBI Property
Director

“Will is a founding director of OBI Property, which he set up alongside two colleagues in 2010. He specialises in advising landlords and occupiers as part of OBI’s Transactions and Asset Management Team.

Working for a number of property companies, Will and his team have devised a range of tailored disposal strategies, helping clients to let or sell their buildings successfully, and have advised on some of the largest deals in Manchester in recent years.

He also advises a variety of occupier clients on a national basis and has a strong track record for delivering successful business relocations. Occupier clients include AO.com, Zuto, NCC Group and Rentalcars.com.”

Chithra Marsh
Buttress
Associate Director

“From being a wide-eyed architectural student in the mid-80s I’ve really experienced the full gambit that the life of an architect throws at you.

I love the art of design but there is so much more to this amazingly versatile career. As well as taking charge of and nurturing the Manchester studio for Saunders Architects, I get to work on a diverse range of projects.

I’m very lucky in that I already get to share my knowledge and experience with young people, as a proud ambassador and member of the advisory board for an inspiring social enterprise called PLACED, as an education roadshow co-ordinator on the Women in Property NW Committee and as a member of the RIBA NW Practice Committee.”

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Lynda Shillaw
Manchester Airport
Divisional Chief Executive

“Lynda Shillaw works with Manchester Airports Group (MAG) as Divisional Chief Executive Officer for Property.

Lynda was responsible for the landmark visit of President Xi Jinping of China and prime minister David Cameron to Airport City and Manchester Airport, successfully launching the £130m China Cluster developments, along with a new direct route to Beijing.

Graduating in 1986 with a degree in accountancy and finance, Lynda has had a strong 20+ year career in the property industry, where she having headed Co-operative Estates and had roles with Lloyds Banking Group and BT where she worked for 18 years.”

Eamonn Boylan
Stockport Council
Chief Executive

“Eamonn Boylan was appointed Chief Executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority in January 2017. He played a key role in the development of the Housing Market Renewal Programme, the Northern Way Growth Strategy and, through his work with the Core Cities Group and the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities, in the emerging policy framework for city regions.

Eamonn takes the lead role on investment and on planning and housing for the AGMA Wider Leadership Team.”

Will Ainsough
Wain Group
Executive Chairman

“Will Ainscough is the Executive Chairman of Wain Group, a large regional housebuilder, and of HIMOR Group, a land and property company that specialises in regeneration. One of HIMOR’s flagship schemes is the regeneration of the former Shell refinery at Carrington. The 1,660 acre scheme has the ability to deliver over 7,000 new homes and 8 million sq ft of commercial space.

Will is a fully qualified Chartered Surveyor and previously worked at Healey & Baker Investment Managers. He enjoys being around bricks and mortar, but his real passion for the industry is in the land.”

Julie Twist
Julie Twist
Founder

“Julie Twist Properties is the longest established agent in Manchester City Centre now approaching 23 years specialising in the Manchester property market.

Julie’s property career started whilst working with Solicitors in Manchester; after seeing the need for an Estate Agent at the age of 23 Julie ventured out to open offices in the centre of Manchester and spire headed the property market. Amazed by the reaction and support from developers and property owners alike the business boomed with no other agent servicing the City for the following 3 years.”

Monica Brij
Nabarro LLP
Partner

“Monica is currently a partner at the law firm, Nabarro LLP. She was one of the founding partners of the Manchester office, which opened in May 2015. The practice has grown from strength to strength and now boasts a full “built environment” legal team that is highly regarded in the market.

Monica specialises in complex real estate projects: so buying, selling and developing property. Monica works with a mix of institutional investors, developers, local authorities, banks and charities. Some of her more well known city centre projects are First Street (which has seen the opening of Manchester’s most recent theatre, Home) and the sale of the Co-operative HQ building. Her favourite property purchase was acquiring Blackpool Tower on behalf of Blackpool Council.”

Katie Wray
Deloitte
Assistant Director

“Katie is an Assistant Director at Deloitte. She is a town planner specialising in heritage and large scale regeneration, most recently Mayfield. Katie joined Deloitte in 2015.

Prior to this she worked for The Co-operative Group as a planner, managing and advising on their non-trading portfolio across the country, including London, and 20 acre head office regeneration scheme, NOMA.

Katie is passionate about engaging with more people in the built environment and encouraging cross-professional working. She is past Chair of the NW Branch of the Royal Town Planning Institute and Events Co-ordinator for the Institute of Historic Building Conservation.”

Michelle Richardson
Property Aliance Group
Senior Project Manager

“Michelle is the Operations Director at Manchester & Cheshire Construction Co. Ltd, and the first female board member of the company. Michelle joined the business in March 2017 after having worked as a Project Manager for three construction and property consultants.

Having had a life long love of construction, which was inspired by her dad who is a builder specialising in stone masonry, Michelle studied Architecture at university before realising that her talents were more suited to a career in Project Management and so went on to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in Project Management. However, her degree in Architecture gives her an excellent understanding of the design process.”

Pat Bartoli
Manchester City Council
Head of City Centre Regeneration Team

n 2007, Patricia became Head of the City Centre Regeneration Team, which drives the ongoing growth and regeneration of the city centre.

The team work with key stakeholders to deliver the major objectives of supporting investment, creating employment, and providing the right local environment and infrastructure in order to advance the future economic and social prosperity of the city and wider City-region.

Elaine Cresswell
Reshaped Landscape Architects
Director

“Elaine is director of reShaped and landscape architect with 17 years experience delivering regeneration projects on the ground. She particularly specialises in integrating complex public realm projects into sensitive sites such as Merthyr Tydfil pedestrianisation, Wakefield Merchantgate and, Little Clarenden Street for Oxford University.

She is currently on the design review panel for Cheshire West and Chester and BRE Ecology working group.”

Caroline Baker
Cushman & Wakefield
Head of Manchester Office

Caroline Baker is a Partner in Cushman & Wakefield’s Manchester office and last year celebrated working for C&W/DTZ in Manchester for 20 years!

She advises a range of clients in the North West, on all aspects of development issues ranging in scale from sub-regional to site specific. Caroline’s strength lies in her ability to draw upon the market advice provided from C&W’s property sector specialists and incorporate this into strategies that support development.

Recent projects include supporting the establishment of the Cheshire Science Corridor Enterprise Zone and Preston City Council and partners to stimulate residential development through the preparation of a City Living Prospectus.

Atul Bansal
The Sheila Bird Group
Co-Founder & Partner

Atul has been running the interior design company Sheila Bird Group for 23 years, helping companies to relocate and re-brand their image. Sheila Bird Group is a chance to do things differently; a desire to change, improve, inspire and reward.

Wes Erlam
Morgan Sindall Investments
Director of Development

Wes is a chartered surveyor with over 20 years’ experience in property acquisition, planning and development. He joined the Morgan Sindall Investments Board in 2018 to lead on all development activity within the Public Private Partnership environment, delivering complex multi-phased mixed tenure projects and delivering the business strategy to ensure returns for both client, sister companies and MSIL. Wes is responsible for the development pipeline of the Morgan Sindall partnerships in Slough, Bournemouth, Oxleas, Burton and Hub West Scotland.

Waheed Nazir
Birmingham City Council
Corporate Director for Economy

Waheed held senior positions at the City for just over 15 years. During this time he has established Birmingham as one of the UK’s top destinations for investment with an ambitious growth agenda.

In his role as Corporate Director Waheed is responsible for a wide portfolio that covers property, planning, housing development, employment & skills, business & enterprise and transport infrastructure.

Ross Fittal
Argent LLP
Project Director

Ross is a key member of the Argent Birmingham office team delivering the £700m Paradise redevelopment. Ross has 15 years’ experience in the property development, construction and leisure sectors, having worked both as a client and consultant as a project manager on a number of large, complex mixed use schemes. He has taken these sites from conception, through planning, design and construction to handover. Ross has extensive experience in managing assets, working closely with consultants, contractors, occupiers and other stakeholders at all stages of a project.