Judges in 2024 Include

Damon co-founded a’bear & ball architects with Robert A’Bear after also gaining a wealth of experience at West Waddy ADP in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. In his Senior Architect role, Damon delivered a whole host of schemes ranging in value from £50K to in excess of £3m across a variety of sectors with a range of teams and consultants. OxPropFest 2022 Young Leader of the Year.

Matthew is the Founder and Managing Director of UK Property Forums. Established in 2004, UKPF enables conferences, events and networking opportunities across the Greater Thames Valley region including Oxford, Reading and Aylesbury. As part of the range of events which UKPF have created, he leads UK Prop Social, a networking club for 150+ members and also the Thames Valley offer at MIPIM UK and MIPIM Cannes, France. Having lived and studied in the Thames Valley, he is very informed about the region and passionate about the development of a group for all those involved in the Thames Valley property markets. 

Hugh enjoyed a highly successful career as a commercial property lawyer, leading one of the major real estate firms in the country. Having graduated from University College Oxford and trained in the City, Hugh returned to Oxford in 1986 where he now works as a consultant to the property community. He believes that whilst there is much to admire in recent developments, the plans which are being forged to harness and accommodate the activity in the region will make the next few years the most exciting in the region for decades.

Izzie is a Transport Planner at Paul Basham Associates having joined in 2018 as a Graduate Transport Planner and works within the Central Office based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Izzie has worked on multiple successful projects within Oxford, but also further afield providing high level transport advice to clients all over the country.

In addition to her passion for transport planning and sustainable travel, Izzie is also the Vice-Chair of the RTPI Thames Valley Young Planners committee and on the Women in Planning Thames Valley Committee, assisting and leading on organising and hosting more inclusive networking events for younger members of the planning industry.

Izzie was also part of the RTPI Thames Valley committee when they hosted the Young Planners Conference in 2022 in Milton Keynes and was awarded the NextGen of the year award at OxProp Fest in 2023.

Sarah Haywood is the managing director for Advanced Oxford. This not-for-profit company is a membership group which brings together companies, institutions and organisations which all have a focus on innovation and knowledge-related business, and are based in Oxfordshire. Both the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University are also members. Advanced Oxford is therefore an academic science network which provides a united voice for the innovation business community on issues that impact the development of Oxfordshire.  Advanced Oxford wants to ensure that Oxfordshire is a great place for companies to start, scale up and grow within the region, and feel they can continue to work here.

Adrian James (MA DipArchCantab ARB RIBA) is the director of Adrian James Architects, the practice he founded over 25 years ago.  Based in central Oxford, a stone’s throw from Worcester College, the practice has gained a national reputation for design excellence, garnering many awards for buildings which achieve the triple whammy of being at the cutting edge of sustainability, bold in their use of contemporary design, and yet sensitive to their contexts. In 2004, the practice achieved the unprecedented success of winning the first permission for a for a ‘truly outstanding’ modern country house under the new national planning policy PPG7.  Since then, the practice has diversified into a much wider range of building types and sizes, working across the whole of the UK.  As well as housing, the practice portfolio includes commercial offices and labs, community buildings, hotels, student accommodation and school buildings. The practice’s oeuvre is regularly published in online and paper journals and has been featured in the national press.

Dr Jayne Manley believes that future life on Earth requires people thriving and being intimately connected with the ecosystems that support us. She became CEO of Earth Trust in 2012, bringing with her a strong practical diverse background in whole ecosystem thinking, farming/land management, policy development, income generation, learning and engagement. Previously working in strategic roles for Plantlife International and English Nature, Jayne is currently Chair Oxfordshire Environment Board, member of the Oxfordshire Executive Officers Group of Future Oxfordshire Partnership, and past Chair of the OXLEP Environment and Sustainability Sub Committee. @jaynesvoice

2022 OxPropFest Leader of the Year. Steven has a 40-year career having joined Kemp & Kemp as a graduate planner, where he later became joint senior partner. In 2017, the business was acquired by Carter Jonas, where he is a partner, head of office and head of planning and development in the southern region.

Nigel joined Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) in June 2013 and has made his mark with energetic and inspirational leadership. He spearheaded the bid for the Oxford and Oxfordshire City Deal, the EU Structural and Investment Fund and Strategic Economic Plan submissions and is assisting the county’s businesses into a period of exceptional growth. Oxfordshire is already a powerhouse of innovation and wealth creation and Nigel is focused on building upon the region’s unique strengths to deliver economic success through the commercialisation of innovation. Nigel has over 20 years’ experience in the formation, development, operation and management of Public/Private sector organisations.

Richard joined Bidwells as partner in 2015 and became head of Bidwells’ Oxford office in 2019 where he now leads a 60+ multi-disciplined team. As the spearhead of Bidwells’ growth in Oxford, Richard dedicates much of his time to supporting the region’s market place, with a focus on the Education and Science and Technology sectors thriving across the Oxford-Cambridge Arc. Clients include the University and Colleges, Oxford Science Innovations (OSI) and Harwell.

Bidwells recognises the Oxford-Cambridge Arc’s potential to transform the UK economy. The firm has long understood that the Arc’s leading businesses and institutions are not driven simply by a chase for economic growth but by an academic push to combat the universal challenges threatening our planet and humankind. Richard’s understanding of the region and knowledge of its markets is pivotal to the firm’s ability to unlock value on behalf of its clients in Oxfordshire.

Liv Thomas – Graduate Surveyor, works within the Oxford Commercial Agency Team at Savills with a focus and passion for Science & Technology in the Oxford market. In addition to her work at Savills, Liv is the founder of OxProp NextGen, a group created to support and develop the careers of the ‘next generation’ of property professionals in Oxford. Through cross-sector networking, events, and valuable CPD opportunities, Liv and her team aim to create a new network, to build connections and foster a strong sense of community among property professionals at the start of their careers. With a keen eye for emerging trends and a unique perspective, Liv brings a fresh input to discussions from a Next Generation perspective in Oxford.

Harriet Waters has been Head of Environmental Sustainability at the University of Oxford since 2013. She is responsible for the delivery of the University’s recently adopted environmental sustainability strategy. Harriet ensures that sustainability projects at the University are carried out in collaboration with academic staff, practitioners, students and external organisations. Prior to working in the Higher Education sector, she worked in ethical investment and consultancy.  Harriet is a Chartered Environmentalist, a keen cyclist and loves cooking, particularly if she can use food grown in her edible garden.