JUDGES in 2025 Include

Rob is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and has worked specifically in the planning and property area of communications for over 20 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 Cambridge. 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. 

Guy….

Jon is an expert in office leasing having advised owner and occupier clients at Savills for nearly 25 years. Having joined Savills as a graduate in 1998, Jon worked in the south east office market and was head of Savills regional office agency business across the UK. In April 2022 Jon was appointed to lead the central London office leasing teams based in the West End and City.

Kim is a planning consultant focusing on shaping the Thames Valley. My planning career began at Reading Borough Council where I specialised in Development Control, and specifically in steering ‘The Oracle shopping centre’ through to its opening in 1999. Since joining Barton Willmore in 2001 my experience includes, lead consultant on a range of large scale residential, mixed use, commercial and education projects, for clients such as Vodafone, Stryker (UK), Persimmon Homes, A2Dominion, Waitrose, University of Reading and Newbury College.

Nigel has extensive senior management experience in Economic Development over the past 20 years and a career stretching back 25 years covering all aspects of regeneration, skills, job creation, foreign direct investment; small business and sector support services; tourism promotion and infrastructure development. Nigel served on the Board of Reading UK for three years while he was the Area Director for the South East of England Regional Development Agency covering Berkshire and Surrey. Prior to this Nigel was CEO of Surrey Economic Partnership, Vice Chairman of the South East Regional Assembly and  Head of Community and Economic Regeneration at London Borough of Hounslow.

Pavitar…

Councillor Tony Page is the Labour candidate for Abbey ward.  He has served on Reading Council as a Labour councillor since 1973, without break. Since 2008 he has been deputy leader of Reading Borough Council and lead member for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport. If re-elected he pledge to secure more genuinely affordable housing with new development and work with residents and police to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Nick Paterson-Neild is Planning Director at Barton Willmore, the UK’s leading independent planning and design consultancy. He has involvement in major housing, leisure and retail developments on behalf of prominent house builders, developers, and landowners. This includes giving evidence as Expert Planning Witness to Public Inquiries on major housing appeals and at Local Plan and Site Allocations Examinations, representations to Local Development Documents and preparation of major planning applications including EIA.

Nick

Maria….

Thames Valley Berkshire LEP is a private sector-led partnership of business, local authorities, higher and further education providers, community and voluntary organisations, using more than £218million derived from UK Government and European Union programmes. Prior to joining Thames Valley Berkshire LEP, she was Strategy and Policy Director at the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), where she was responsible for all setting the Agency strategy and developing policy in collaboration with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), corporate governance and the legal requirements which support the day to day management of the RPA. She also led on and managed the RPA’s relationship with Defra and the Devolved Administrations. Alison has extensive knowledge and expertise in skills, economic and rural development. She has had a varied career in the public sector, working in local government and Non-Departmental Public Bodies before joining Defra in 2012 as Director, Rural Development leading on the EU funded Rural Development Programme for England. Prior to joining Defra Group, Alison was the Executive Director of Operations at the former East of England Development Agency.