Speakers for 2026 Include

Matt Abney is the Senior Director of Real Estate at EIT, leading the strategic planning, acquisition, and management of the company’s real estate portfolio. With 20 years of experience in corporate real estate, Matt specializes in identifying and developing lab and research spaces, fostering environments that enable discovery. His expertise spans site selection, lease negotiations, development, and portfolio management, ensuring that real estate investments align with EIT’s long-term goals.

Before joining EIT, Matt was the Corporate Managing Director of Project Management at Savills and played a key role in the design and construction of the Ellison Medical Institute’s Los Angeles facility. He joined Savills from the Los Angeles County Community Development Commission where he focused on growth & development opportunities for underserved communities.

Rob is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and has worked specifically in the planning and property area of communications for nearly 30 years. He has provided strategic advice on proposals across all sectors of property including large urban extensions, retail, sports stadia and large scale distribution.

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.

Tom is a chartered town planner who has worked across the public, private and social enterprise sectors. He joined Oxford City Council is April 2019 as the Executive Director of Development, where he has responsibility for planning, property, housing supply, regeneration, economic development & city centre management. In February 2025 he became Deputy Chief Executive – Place, which includes additional responsibilities including environment & sustainability, and regulatory services.

He is also a director of Oxford West End Developments (OXWED), which is the Council’s joint venture with Nuffield College, currently bringing forward the Oxpens redevelopment, and Barton LLP, the council’s JV with Grosvenor now in the final stages of the city’s Barton urban extension. Tom is also the council’s client for OX Place, its wholly owned housing company.  

Other key projects being led by Tom include the Blackbird Leys estate regeneration, major improvements to the Covered Market, plans to reopen the Cowley Branch Line, and a refresh of masterplan for Oxford train station. He is also leading the work for the City Council to establish the Oxford Growth Commission, working with MHCLG, HMT and the County Council. 

Prior to joining Oxford City Council, Tom was the Assistant Director for Area Regeneration at Lambeth Council, where he delivered a range of mixed use, public realm and meanwhile projects. He joined Lambeth from AECOM, where he led numerous masterplanning, regeneration and infrastructure planning projects.

He has also worked for the Greater London Authority, establishing the Royal Docks Enterprise Zone, and working as part of the team that secured the funding package for the Northern Line Extension. Tom began his career at Renaisi, a social enterprise based in east London, where he led the Woodberry Down and Stamford Hill Single Regeneration Budget programme.

Charles Butters is the Founding Director of Sulgrave Advisors Limited, a consultancy business that advises property owners, investors, developers and operators with a focus on creating assets and places that are resilient and successful.  Prior to Sulgrave Advisors, Charles was Head of Investment at British Land.  Charles studied at Oxford University and has lived close to Oxford for over 15 years.  He has been active in the Oxford property market for a number of years and since April 2024 he has been Strategic Property Advisor to Oxfordshire County Council.

Laura is a commercial real estate lawyer with an ESG focus. She has substantial experience of a diverse range of commercial property and construction matters, acting for investment funds, landowners and occupiers, developers and charities. Laura advises science park owners and occupiers on lab space development and letting, with substantial experience across Oxford, Cambridge and London. She also advises universities and colleges in the management and development of their estates.  With a keen interest in ESG and responsible real estate, Laura leads the Mills & Reeve Real Estate ESG Group, drafting and maintaining a suite of contractual ESG provisions and advising clients on their inclusion and implementation. She regularly presents to clients and publishes articles on ESG and sustainability matters.

Emily is an experienced project manager having worked in the built environment for over 20 years’. She has a considerable track record in complex development projects, including large residential projects, higher education, major office refurbishment and new-build, as well as being a specialist in the science and technology sector.  Emily manages the growing Oxford Project Management team for Savills and has led on significant science and technology schemes, including British Land’s Botley Road development, 1000 Discovery Drive at Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Begbroke Science Park’s two new lab buildings and Harwell’s Co-labs. As well as office schemes such as Fetter Yard and 100 Union Street and residential schemes, including Rathbone Place for Great Portland Estates, Xchange Point and numerous prime residential schemes in London’s prestigious districts.  Emily’s broad experience, diligence, strategic mind and creativity is a real asset to the evolution and delivery of successful development projects and her passion and collaborative nature facilitates motivated and cohesive project teams.

Rachel Wood is a chartered planning and development surveyor and managing director of Sladen Estates, a national developer working across Build to Rent, Student, industrial and logistics, offices and retail sectors with a development portfolio of £1bn. In Oxfordshire, Bicester Arc is a 45 acre prestige office and tech site adjacent to Bicester Village.

Prior to being at Sladen Estates Rachel worked at AMEC, now Muse, on delivering major regeneration projects before setting up her own industrial development company. She thinks it important to give back so lectures third year students at Oxford Brookes University.