Ambassadors

Senior Architect - Noviun Architects

Zane Putne is a Senior Architect at Noviun, specialising in education projects with a particular interest for special education needs learning environments. Zane leads Noviun’s SEN sector alongside Design Director Peter Stephens, overseeing all SEN projects within the practice. She is passionate to explore how designs can enhance pupils’ experience and believes that collaborative approach to learning environments achieve the best results. Zane leads practice’s research group that undertakes studies of how our designs perform, once in use and exploring research into special needs.

 

Education Director - Galliford Try

Claire Jackson is education sector strategy lead at Galliford Try and is a Chartered Building Surveyor with over 30 years’ experience in construction, working client side, in a consultant role and now for a main contractor. For the last 12 years Claire has specialised in education, delivering new and refurbished schools through Building Schools for the Future (BSF), Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP) and Free schools programmes. At Galliford Try, Claire leads the national education team who are responsible for driving innovation and collaboration across the company, ensuring the delivery of high quality education buildings.

Concept Developer - Education, Saint-Gobain Ecophon

Shane Cryer manages the education sector in the UK and Ireland for Swedish acoustic experts, Ecophon. After a career in the construction industry, having studied building and property surveying, he now concentrates on building acoustics and is an Associate Member of The Institute of Acoustics (AMIOA). Working closely with organisations such as The Association of Noise Consultants (ANC) and the RIBA, Shane has been promoting the new BB93: Acoustic Design of Schools standard via CPD seminars, conferences and articles in the trade press. Shane also manages several acoustic research projects around the UK.

Partner - Haverstock

Claire Barton is a partner at Haverstock and has extensive experience of providing architectural design, client design advisor and technical advisor architectural services to SEND Schools at nursery, primary, secondary and higher educational level together with experience in residential settings. Claire also works as a technical advisor for the DfE and PSBP and has an in depth understanding of the current SEN requirements and specifications in line with the current Department for Education funding streams. She is passionate about innovative SEND design that respects and supports children and young people and their families/carers.

Design Adviser lead for SEND, AP & Inclusive Design and Post Occupancy Evaluations - Department of Education

Since February 2019, Mark has worked as the DfE Design Adviser lead for SEND, AP & Inclusive Design, contributing to a range of design guidance documents, building programmes and individual projects. He is currently working on strategic SEND design support for the current college, special free school and AP, and school rebuilding programmes.

Mark is on the RIBA register of Client Advisers and has been a SEND specialist in private sector architect and project management companies with DfE and many local authority clients.

His presentation will provide more detail on the DfE Design Team approach to SEND provision across the sector and capital programmes, to ensure more inclusive education settings.

Architect Director, AtkinsRéalis

I am an Architect with 20 years experience in the Education Sector. As Head of Education Architecture for AtkinsRéalis, I bring together our team designing everything from nurseries to university facilities. I have a passion for working with stakeholders to promote the value of good design, whilst embedding the importance of human centred design and wellbeing.

Director - UK & Europe, Faithful+Gould

Marcus is responsible for leading Faithful+Gould’s National Education Sector, which accounts for over 25% of the business. He has over 25 years’ experience within the Education Sector in senior leadership roles for both consultant and contracting organisations. 

Currently he is delivering West Sussex County Council £500m Capital programme, which has a large emphasis in modernising their Education Estate.

His experience spans both traditional and MMC projects and recently presented at the Association of Directors Estates conference on Social Value.

Strategic Facilities Adviser, King's College London

Ian is a chartered architect, graduating from Strathclyde University in 1977, with a further qualification from MIT in 2013. His early career included experience in private practice, local government and central Government where he was responsible for projects for a variety of clients including the Royal Palaces, the Ministry of Defence, the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery in London, the National Galleries of Scotland and the Supreme Courts of Scotland.

In 1989 Ian joined Deloitte where he carried out project and property assignments for a number of major clients, and in 1991 he was appointed Director of Estates and Services at Sheffield Hallam University, where he masterminded their redevelopment strategy. Ian was then appointed to be been Director of Estates at Imperial College London, following which he joined King’s College London in 2002 as Director of Estates and Facilities. In July 2014 he became Facilities Advisor at the College including a period as Acting Director of Space Management until March 2015, where has been assisting development of the Estate Strategy to support the College’s Strategic Vision for 2029 and assisting development of spatial briefs for projects such as the major refurbishment of Bush House, the former HQ of the BBC World Service, introducing new collaborative teaching, learning and working spaces and spaces for interface with external communities.

Ian is a Trustee and Past-Chairman of the Higher Education Quality Design Forum and contributed to the book “Future Campus” published by RIBA Publications in July 2017.

Director - Head of Education, HLM

Claire Wakelin is a Director and Head of Education at HLM Architects.

She has specialised in the education sector since 2006, and has worked on a diverse portfolio of education projects, to improve and provide new facilities for schools and higher education institutions. Her focus is on developing and delivering innovative solutions, and her extensive experience of leading teams in providing outstanding designs has included working direct to Trusts and Universities, with central government bodies, local authorities, major contractors and developers, as well as acting as client-side in technical advisory roles.

Claire’s creative approach to designing new buildings, masterplanning and repurposing existing facilities, delivers award winning design solutions through a collaborative process to meet the client’s vision and budget that are responsive to their site and context. Her open and lateral thinking adds significant value to our HLM portfolio of projects, most recently on the new London Institute for Healthcare Engineering for King’s College London, and Addington School in Reading, winner of Education project of the Year at the Offsite awards.

Associate, Barker

Formerly the Director of Estates for one of TTN’s founding Multi-Academy Trusts, Matt has begun a new role with a leading property consultancy, bringing with him over a decade of ‘client-side’ experience in property management and capital project delivery.

With 14 years of first-hand experience working at the forefront of Education Estates management he has worked with staff and colleagues across the Trust sector from the “C-Suite” level to the operational Facility Management teams. In doing so he has developed and established a variety of strategic and tactical approaches to support and enable the effective management and operation of the property portfolio for the schools of the Trust.

Scott Brownrigg

Helen's commitment to sustainability, diversity, inclusion and supporting the next generation has driven her work in Education design for nearly 20 years. She is passionate about cross industry collaboration, engagement and research. She played a significant role in the establishment of Modern Apprenticeships in Architecture and was recently made a Fellow of the RIBA and is currently an Honorary Research Fellow at Oxford Brookes University

Account Director, Schools, Trusts & Local Government

Andrew leads our UK offering to Schools, Trusts and Local Government Education clients. He has been supporting Education sector clients with developing and enhancing their estates for 20 years, with experience across Universities, Schools and Diocesan Portfolio Holder Clients as well as Multi Academy Trusts. His primary focus is around delivering large volumes of refurbishment and extension schemes, capital condition projects and strategic property related advice. Andrew has held key roles in supporting the Department for Education, particularly relating to condition strategy and led the Technical mobilisation of the Condition Data Collection Programme.

Principal & RIBA Client Adviser, S Williams Architects

Sarah Williams of S Williams Architects is a strategic RIBA Client Adviser and architect, working with private developers and Local Authorities, implementing high profile schemes of up to £150m.

Sarah set up S Williams Architects in 2013 having spent the last 25 years working in private practice in the UK and overseas. She is a practitioner and also works strategically as an RIBA Client Adviser, often collaborating with other architectural practices.

Sarah is known for her collaborative approach. She has participated in a number of design review panels, is an accredited RIBA Client Adviser and Chair of the RIBA steering group, regularly speaks at conferences and has organised and judged various competitions and awards. Past and previous clients include RIBA, Winchester City Council, The Crown Estate, The Department for Education, Berkeley Homes, Sevenoaks Town Council, and various other private developers and Local Authorities.

Education Design Director., Wates

Nicola has 26 years’ experience in the construction industry, and is an architect by background. She began her construction career working as an engineer, quickly progressing to a Design Manager and delivering new build and refurbishment projects worth over £200m in Manchester.

14 years was then spent at Carillion, progressing to Principal Design Manager, leading a team of 16. Notable projects delivered included 60+ schools, high-rise buildings, hospitals, and stadiums.

Nicola joined Wates in 2019 as a Bid Manager, working with public and private sector clients, and overseeing preliminary delivery of various projects. This allowed Nicola to naturally step into the role of Education Design Director in 2023.

Head of Planning - Capital Directorate, Department for Education

Mike joined the Department for Education in 2016 after a spell in local government and 10 years in private sector planning consultancy, including as a Director in the Planning and Development Team at Jones Lang LaSalle. Mike leads an in-house team of 14 planning professionals within the Capital Directorate of the DfE, working across Operational and Forward Planning. The team operates on a regional basis across the two main school delivery programmes (Free Schools and PSBP), and alongside the likes of MHCLG and Homes England on a range of strategic planning initiatives to secure allocations, land and/or funding for schools.

Mark has spent time in marketing with Unilever before moving into advertising as a strategist with Leo Burnett, Creative Director at Starcom and founder of award-winning creative agency Weapon7. He has a passion for sustainable eco-buildings and has been with TG Escapes for 8 years building the brand and helping expand the business into education. Built around a timber frame, these natural buildings enhance well-being and educational outcomes. Mark also runs the social enterprise Street Wisdom, providing free creative workshops around the world.

Senior Associate, the-Learning-crowd

Sharon is an Education Adviser and over the past 18 years she has worked with education leaders, architects and contractors to create the best possible learning environments on a wide range of projects nationally and internationally. Previously she worked as a civil servant and was Managing Director of the not for profit company School Works.  

Director of Estates, LSE

Julian is Director of Estates at the London School of Economics, responsible for the delivery of all capital development, facilities and property management. He has delivered many high profile projects including the RIBA London Building of the Year 2014, when the LSE was also named AJ100 Client of the Year.

Holding post graduate qualifications in Town Planning and Surveying, most of his working life spent as a client side project manager. He was a CABE Enabler and is Chair of the Higher Education Design Quality Forum (HEDQF). In September 2016, Julian was made an Honorary Fellow of the RIBA and appointed to the National panel for Civic Trust Awards in 2017.

UK Learning+ Lead, Arcadis

Sector Lead on schools and educationally led mixed use developments in London and the South.  His portfolio covers all education strands, including nursery, primary, SEN, secondary and sixth form, in the new build and refurbishment/remodel sectors.  He is an RIBA Registered Client Advisor, and actively supports education providers across the age ranges, including STEM Ambassador, and ICC member at the University of West London. 

 

Mike leads our education sector work across the practice, with thirty years’ experience of working with universities, schools and colleges. Mike is responsible for establishing the direction of our work in this important sector; in addition to this, his projects include university projects in Cambridge, Oxford, Bath, Bristol, London and Exeter as well as over twenty schools as diverse as Harrow School, Bristol Brunel Academy, and Doha College in Qatar.

Mike leads a range of thought leadership initiatives, most recently including extensive student surveys, designing for student mental health, and world leading spatial analytics work which has enabled Universities to operate safely with social distancing in force.

Mike advises governments and other bodies regarding policy and guidance issues and provides a unique combination of high-level design input and pragmatism, always focused on the best output for the client and building users. He speaks regularly at conferences and is a leading member of the UK Higher Education Design Quality Forum.

Alex Green is the Head of Schools for Ashden, a climate solutions charity based in London. Alex leads on Let’s Go Zero 2030, a campaign that supports UK schools working together to be zero carbon. She leads the national Let’s Go Zero Climate Advisors network and sits on the DfE User Group for their Sustainability & Climate Change Strategy and previously managed Ashden’s sustainable school awards and peer to peer LESS CO2 programme. Alex has a Masters in Environmental Management from the University of Cape Town and has previously worked running an environmental business awards scheme for a local authority, supporting small businesses to cut carbon and regulating industry at the Environment Agency.

Strategic Adviser - Education - ISG

With more than 30 years in the construction industry, Jane was a driving force behind the Vale of Glamorgan’s 21 Century Schools programme, leading the team as they innovated and developed the model that is now the blueprint for schools delivered across the county.

With a construction background, Jane is not only an expert in the field of education, but passionate about creating places that inspire the next generation to take charge of a sustainable future. She believes that the places that educate our children should reflect and deliver on a better future for our planet, providing the best environment, flexible learning spaces and value for money for local authorities and school trusts.

Warneford Consulting

Tim Warneford is an experienced academy funding consultant who provides a range of bid management and strategic estate management services. He is a SEND Link Governor at the Wootton Academy Trust where is also advises on estate and energy strategy. He is the producer of a series of podcasts, Developing the Trust' in which he explores best practice from fellow professional service providers across the academy sector. With degree's in both building surveying and social policy, he is particularly interested in the causal link between environment and life chances.

Head of Technical Assurance – design

Department for Education

Jennifer Singer is an architect and education design advisor, leading the DfE design team’s advice across early years, schools and colleges in major capital programmes. Her work includes the development of new standards in FE college projects and guidance on sustainable estates, as well as improving quality across hundreds of projects. 

Jennifer’s background is in design strategy and evaluation, stakeholder engagement and the use of research and evidence to create high quality, sustainable places for education.  She is a trustee in Latchmere Academy Trust, a small primary school MAT in southwest London, and sits on the New London Architecture Education Expert Panel and the Advisory Board for UCL’s MSc in Learning Environments.

Trevor is Chair of the University Design Forum (formerly HEDQF) which is a charity dedicated to the promotion of excellence and best practice throughout the university environment. He works at the University of Plymouth as Director of Estates & Facilities where he has responsibility for services ranging from the capital build programme through to day to day running of the campuses. Prior to joining the higher education sector fifteen years ago, he held a similar position in the NHS at acute hospital trusts. Earlier in his career, Trevor worked in consultancy advising education sector clients and for ten years at the children's charity Barnardo's in their property department. He believes that we should be building or adapting for net zero carbon and that this must therefore be the principal driver of business and design decisions.

Richard Bysouth joined Kier as a civil engineering undergraduate in 1989. In his early career, Richard progressed from Site Engineer to Project Manager, working on a range of projects, and achieving CEng MICE status.  More recently, he has specialised in the education sector, initially responsible for Kier’s school projects in London, then Kent and now as overall Education Sector Director for Kier Construction. Richard’s role covers all aspects of ‘delivering excellence’ in education projects, from overall client relationships, through pre-construction to delivery, and into aftercare. He is passionate about delivering high quality yet affordable education projects that enable our young people to flourish and achieve their goals in life.

Jo Marchant is Head of Estates at a muti-academy trust and has worked in school business leadership and management for the last 14 years. She has an MBA and an MA Leadership and is a qualified Health & Safety Officer. She is a Fellow of the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) and serves on the steering group of The Trust Network for school estates professionals. Jo is passionate about developing estates staff to achieve their full potential and set up an on-line forum for her Trust’s 19 staff where she presents bespoke training on buildings compliance throughout the year.