Our presenters

DEGREES AWARDED

• PhD Napier University
• Research-engineer degree Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radio-electronics, Minsk, Belarus
• MSc (distinction) Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radio-electronics, Minsk, Belarus

ACADEMIC POSTS

• 2000-present Lecturer Brunel University London
• 2003-2011 Business Fellow London Technology Network, LTN Link between research activities at Brunel University London and industry
• 1997-2000 PhD student Napier University
• 1994-1997 Research Assistant Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radio-electronics

Responsibility

NATIONAL-LEVEL EXTERNAL ACTIVITIES

• Referee of funding proposals Brunel Research Initiative and Enterprise Fund (BRIEF).
• Program committee member, session chair, reviewer for national conferences on the 22nd British National Conf. on Databases, 2005, BNCOD’2005, UK; Annual Brunel University London Research Student Conference, 2007-2014.

Organiser or member of local organising committees: weekly research seminars at School of Engineering and Design, Electronic and Computer Engineering starting from Autumn 2004 till June 2006; evening networking industry-academia event on “Communications and Network” at School of Engineering and Design, Brunel University London, 2005; weekly research seminars at Electronic and Computer Engineering Department. Spring 2002- Spring 2004; annual School’s research student conference, ResCon’2014.

Tom is Interim Director of Planning for the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation. Tom is responsible for OPDC’s plan-making and decision taking local planning authority functions and his portfolio also includes socio-economic regeneration, transport, design and the delivery of OPDC’s ‘In the Making’ programme – a package of projects funded through the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Great Place Scheme and the Mayor of London’s Good Growth fund. Tom has been working with OPDC since OPDC’s inception in 2015. Before that, he worked for the Greater London Authority and London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, where he worked on other large-scale regeneration projects including White City and Earl’s Court.

Tom Oliver – Head of Business Development London and South East

Ilke Homes

Tom leads the development of partnerships with RP’s and Local Authorities across London and the South East. His belief that modular will assist partners to increase the efficiency of delivery and the consistency of quality for tenants led him to make the switch to Ilke after a decade working across the public and housing association sectors. Passionate about increasing of all forms of housing delivery, particularly affordable homes, Tom believes the alignment of technological advances, public policy and underlying demand means modular can now play a role in providing the homes that London needs. 

Tommaso Franzolini (AA Dipl – RIBA) is an Associate for the Advanced Technologies team at Scott Brownrigg leading the masterplanning and architectural design of corporate & technology projects in cities globally including smart urban logistics and advanced manufacturing facilities, Tier IV data centres and clean energy production. As a participant of the Executive MSc in Cities (EMC) by the London School of Economics and Political Science, Tommaso is currently engaged on the latest cities research to improve the way we analyse, strategise and deliver transformative urban projects and policies. 

With a background in property of over thirty years, Tony has helped to establish  Clearview Homes as one of West London’s most creative and proactive house builders and developers; An S.M.E with a total commitment to creating homes in the locality of West London.

Tony Pidgley is Chairman of the Berkeley Group plc. He left school at 15 to form his own company in haulage and plant hire. At 19, he sold his business to Crest Homes and became a Building Director reporting to their Managing Director, Jim Farrer. In 1975, Tony and Jim left to form Berkeley Homes. The company enjoyed considerable growth over the following 10 years. Tony has gained a national reputation for his pioneering approach to building homes and creating successful places.

His judgement of the markets, willingness to put his personal capital at risk, and his drive and commercial flair have made Berkeley one of Britain's best residential developers. Berkeley now has a reputation for outstanding commercial performance and the ability to create beautiful homes in sustainable places. Berkeley was voted Britain's Most Admired Company in 2011 across all sectors and was ranked the UK's most sustainable major housebuilder for eight years in a row. In 2014, the Berkeley Group won the Queen's Award for Sustainable Development for the second time.

Tony Pidgley is now part of Lord Heseltine's Estate Regeneration Advisory Panel and the Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission. His expertise has been used to advise the Mayor on the Outer London Commission and the Government on the disposal of public sector land. He is also a trustee of Open City London, a charity that champions architecture education, and President of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In 2016, he was nominated New Londoner of the Year in recognition of his contribution to housebuilding across the capital.

Torron-Lee Dewar BCAa is the founder of Alliance Dance Unit, a registered charity that specialises in bringing individuals away from Anti-social behaviour, gun/knife crime and other issues through early intervention services in the arts.

With over 15 years of experience in the artistic industry, Torron-Lee uses his skills to motivate, strengthen and boost confidence in people of all backgrounds. He has won numerous awards both regionally and nationally for his ability to bring communities together through teamwork, motivational strategies and creative thinking, recently being honoured a Service to Arts title at the Palace of Westminster. The British Citizen Award (BCA) is one of the country's highest accolades.

Over the years, Torron-Lee has collaborated with many recognised organisations such as British Airways, Channel 4, ESPN, Lionsgate, Royal Marines and has worked in Switzerland at the Gems International Academy, to deliver visual learning pieces that people can relate to and learn from alongside the MND Association. Recently written, "Creativity is Everything" is Torron-Lee's new book which focuses on psychological wellbeing based on real life experiences in becoming open minded to deflect the chaos of modern day society whilst converting negativity into meaningful, fearless energy.

Torron-Lee is also an ambassador of The Spirit of London Awards which was created by the Damilola Taylor Trust in 2009.

Tracy Aust, Principal, West Thames College

“Accessing meaningful work placements and concrete advice about creative opportunities and career progression is currently a challenge. The Creative Enterprise Zone piece could provide some exciting, tangible in-­roads.”

Having initially qualified as a Secondary School teacher in Economics and Business, Tracy has 23 years’ experience of working in the education sector which has included working in secondary schools and sixth form colleges.

Tracy is very active within the Borough and sits on a number of steering groups which focus on strategic planning for education, skills and employment. Tracy sits on the Heathrow Skills TaskForce Group board and is working closely with fellow Consortium member Matt Snowden on the Logistics Skills Alliance, working with businesses to identify skills shortages.

Tracy is absolutely committed to ensuring that every student is given the opportunity and support to fulfil their potential, not only achieving their qualifications but also equipping them with the skills they need to progress and succeed.

Trevor Morriss founded London-based architectural practice SPPARC in 2007. Known for its signature buildings, the firm delivers high quality architecture and masterplans of varying scales.

Trevor has always taken an unconventional approach to architecture. His career began at the age of 17 when he had the opportunity to design his first building in Shad Thames, London. Initially commissioned as a ‘print boy’ by the firm JPB, the director was impressed by Trevor’s drawings and ideas that he was asked to start working on the project. The firm then decided to fund his studies at London South Bank University while he worked full time.

In 1995, he was appointed senior architect at global real estate advisors Jones Lang LaSalle, whilst specialising in urbanism at the University of Greenwich. This experience provided him with an unparalleled insight into the commercial drivers of a project.

Since establishing award-winning SPPARC, Trevor has developed an impressive portfolio of projects in the UK and Europe across multiple sectors. His projects are informed by the way people interact and reflect the importance of the architectural fabric that surrounds them. Key projects include The Music Box, a contemporary mixed-use home for the London College of Creative Media; Borough Yards, a £300m redevelopment of the former Vinopolis site that will offer workspace, retail, gallery, restaurants, cinema and creative spaces; The Kite, a twenty-three storey mixed use development comprising a 140-room hotel, 48 residential units and retail space and the extensive redevelopment of Olympia London, aiming to position it as a centre for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship in the UK.

Trevor is a renowned figure in the industry and has lectured at the RIBA.

Victoria Hills MRTPI, FICE

Chief Executive, Royal Town Planning Institute

Victoria joined the RTPI in April 2018 and utilises her 21 years’ experience and expertise in the fields of planning, transport and organisational leadership and development to drive forward the vision and strategic priorities for the 25,000 member strong RTPI. At a time when the profile of town planning and placemaking has never been higher, Victoria is enjoyed to playing her part in making the case for investing in planning and planners, to deliver and preserve quality places and the environment for future generations to come, putting planning centre stage.

Victoria is passionate about planning great ‘liveable’ places for people, with an unrivalled insight into London’s governance; having worked for all three Mayors of London. Prior to joining the RTPI, Victoria was Chief Executive Officer of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, where she established the UK’s second Mayoral Development Corporation. Prior to this she was Head of Transport for the Greater London Authority, and before that held a variety of roles working for the Mayor of London, and in Transport Consultancy and Local Government. In 2017 Victoria was made a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and in 2018 joined the Council of the National Infrastructure Planning Association. An experienced public speaker, Victoria recently judged the 2019 Building Construction Industry Awards, the 2019 New Civil Engineer Awards and the 2019 European Women in Construction and Engineering Awards. In March 2019 Victoria was delighted to join the new Board of The Construction Innovation Hub to help shape the work of the new £72 million Construction Innovation Hub, which seeks to transform the UK construction industry.

As Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, Victoria uses the convening role of the RTPI to make the case for resourcing planning and advocating the important role of putting planning at the heart of government delivery for the quality places that people want to live in. Driving forward the RTPI’s new Corporate Strategy will see a focus on raising the profile of planning, elevating the value of professionalism, and promoting a diverse and inclusive profession to ensure genuine representation of the society in which we work.