Tomorrow’s ESG Conference

Legal and General Investment Management – Pete Gladwell, Group Social Impact & Investment Director

Legal and General are pioneers of good practice when it comes to ESG, launching their social value charter way back in 2017. Beginning with their 250 acre Buckler’s Park development in Berkshire which is a scheme of which over half the size is centred around accessible green spaces for the public, the approach is now integral to the delivery of over 70,000 new homes across the UK. L&G have a target of reaching net zero on all of their projects by 2040 and a pledge to leave a long lasting legacy in all the places they work in; Pete will go into detail about their approach and how the built environment ecosystem can engage in the future.

Leeds City Council – Angela Barnicle, Chief Officer Asset Management and Regeneration

Leeds City council are halfway through their £10bn regeneration programme which is bringing to life a variety of major sites as part of their vision for an ambitious, well connected healthy city. As one of the UK’s leading local authorities on environment and social impact, the council have been working with a variety of investors and developers to ensure all future schemes and as part of this conference she will talk about the big projects under her control and how they are ESG compliant.

Stanhope – Nils Rage, Head of ESG

Nils leads the company’s sustainability and ESG strategy across design and construction development activities, asset management and investments through to corporate governance.

Prior to joining Stanhope in 2021, Nils led environmental sustainability strategy and implementation for Landsec where he oversaw sustainable design and delivery for a £3bn development pipeline as well as environmental performance for a portfolio of over 20 million square feet of property. He also initiated and led the development of the company’s net zero carbon strategy.

Grosvenor – Victoria Herring, Director, Sustainability Programme

Victoria provides support and challenge to the business ensuring its environmental strategy covering zero carbon, zero waste and valuing nature is converted into action. She oversees the delivery of Grosvenor’s £90m energy efficiency programme; retrofitting residential and commercial property across its historic Mayfair and Belgravia portfolio to help meet its 2030 net zero commitment.

Her role also involves transforming how the business works with suppliers and occupiers and advising on its approach to the design and construction of new places and buildings.

Regal London – Steve Harrington, Planning Director

With a focus on unlocking value from complex urban settings and delivering high quality housing and spaces for people to live, work and play in on sites that would otherwise remain undeveloped Regal London are focused on delivering ESG. They also recently launched the first Regal London Real Estate Academy in Watford, established in partnership with charity Building Heroes to provide skilled training to military veterans and members of local marginalised groups. Steve will discuss how they are committed to maximising social value and the delivery of ESG across their pipeline of £3.8 billion GDV, comprising 4,500 homes and 750,000 sq ft of commercial space across London.

Europa Capital Partners – Lynn Smith, Managing Director, Head of Sustainability & Development

Since its formation in 1995, Europa Capital has collectively raised 13 real estate funds and committed to over 150 transactions totalling more than €12.7 billion across 21 European countries. As Head of Sustainability and Development at Europa Capital Lynn is well placed to discuss Europa’s corporate governance and how this drives its sustainability strategy as well as how it proactively works to invest in sustainable schemes.

Cabinet Office – Gareth Rhys Williams, Government Chief Commercial Officer

Gareth leads the Government Commercial Function, a cross-government network of 4,000+ civil servants procuring or supporting the procurement of goods and services for the government. With the Government spending £49 billion per year on contracts for goods and services it is vital they act as a responsible, intelligent and experienced client. Gareth will discuss how they are leading the way in putting social value and sustainability at the heart of procurement strategy.

Areim – Vanessa Cruz, Investor Relations

Vanessa Cruz Galarza works in the Investor Relations team at Areim. She joined in September 2020 and is responsible for the strategic business development of new products and initiatives in the ESG space. She has over 17 years’ experience in Real Estate investments both direct and indirect. Prior to joining AREIM, Vanessa worked with Composition Capital Partners Fund of Funds, The Wellcome Trust and UBS Global Real Estate Multi Managers and is a CFA charterholder.

Argent – Rob Miller, King's Cross Sustainability Manager

SFO Capital Partners – Audrey Klein, Chair, ESG Committee

SFO Capital Partners is a London-based global real estate investment management firm with a diversified portfolio comprising more than USD1.7 billion in assets located primarily in Europe and the USA, including 6,000 apartments and more than 7.0 million sqft of commercial real estate. Audrey has a diverse array of experience in property investment and asset management, and investment focused ESG. She previously set up the European arm of Blackstone subsidiary Park Hill Real Estate following stints with Bank of America and Cromwell Property Group. She is a noted leader in the ESG field and is also ESG Chair for Planet Smart City.

Dominvs Group – Wesley Ankrah, Director of Social Value and Community Investment

Dominvs Group is a privately owned, multi sector real estate company focused on regeneration projects, hotel, residential, PBSA, BTR and commercial real estate sectors. Over the last 11 years they have grown significantly and now have £1bn AUM and a development pipeline over £1.75bn. Key projects include a 644 bed PBSA scheme in the square mile and a large mixed use scheme in Hammersmith which includes a 400-key hotel and a 713 bed PBSA scheme for Imperial College.

Dominvs Group has a firm commitment to social value through their projects and a pioneering approach to engage communities and people. They are one of the first real estate developers to have a Director-level team member responsible for integrating social value into all phases of development. Wesley ensures Dominvs applies a social value lens at all points in the development process from initial land acquisition through to asset management.

Socius – Olaide Oboh, Director

Socius is a mixed-use developer which creates long term partnerships in the areas in which it works and uses socio-economic trends as a catalyst to create and reshape places and deliver long lasting change. Major projects including the Soapworks development in Bristol, which will deliver 180,000 sq ft of workspace alongside 243 BtR homes, the 188,000 sq ft of workspace and 288 homes being created at Milton Keynes Gateway and the 1,500 jobs to be created at Devonshire Gardens in Cambridge are a result of Socius’s long term commitment to places and lasting partnerships with local authorities.

Olaide will discuss how Socius are focused on delivering local, social and environmental impact to communities, investors and future generations, and how this is applied to every project they are involved in.

Peabody – Richard Ellis, Director of Sustainability

Richard is Director of Sustainability at Peabody, one of the largest not-for-profit housing associations in the UK. Following a merger with Catalyst Housing in April 2022, the new Peabody Group has responsibility for 104,000 homes, with around 220,000 residents and 20,000 people who benefit from care and support services throughout London and the Home Counties.

Peabody’s community foundation invests around £11m per year, working in partnership to help people flourish in local areas. The Group is committed to sustainable principles, mitigating the impacts of climate change, and driving social value for the benefit of residents and colleagues. It reports annually on its environmental, social and governance performance.

Fiera Real Estate – Jessica Pilz, Global Head of ESG

Fiera Real Estate is a leading investment management company with offices in North America and Europe and over USD5.9billion of AUM, part of the wider Fiera Capital which has over USD139billion AUM. Through partnerships with firms such as Packaged Living in the UK they contribute to regeneration and the provision of high quality accommodation. Jessica is responsible for championing Fiera Real Estate’s Global ESG strategies and initiatives across its investments, developments and operations and is a member of AREF’s ESG and Impact Investment Committee. She has previously been involved with sustainability and ESG at a senior level with MSCI, Royal Bank of Scotland and Avison Young.