Our presenters

Mara Cummings is Senior Vice President of Global Real Estate Planning & Development at Discovery Communications.  Leading a global team across the US, UK and Asia, Mara is responsible for the strategic design, development, procurement and utilization of Discovery’s $60M real estate portfolio of 75+ offices across 36 countries worldwide.  Prior to leading the global function, Mara held multiple leadership and program management positions across facilities, real estate and information technology during her nearly 12-year tenure at Discovery and 8-year tenure at Verizon Business (formerly MCI/Worldcom).  With a diverse background in real estate, technology, construction, strategic planning and property mergers & acquisitions, she's led projects equally as diverse – from leased portfolio strategies to the construction of onsite wellness and childcare centers, live broadcast sets to multi-building restacks and Agile workplace strategies, she's cultivated a global team that adapts quickly to the dynamically changing needs of a global, multiplatform media business.  Based within the company's London office, Mara is an active member of both the Corenet Global UK and US-MidAtlantic chapters and former chairperson and co-founder of both the Women’s Leadership Group and Toastmasters chapter at Discovery.  She graduated with honors from Virginia Tech with a degree in Biochemistry, to which she credits her passion for molecular gastronomy.  Mara has been featured in Property Week – Annual Occupiers magazine and can be contacted at www.linkedin.com/in/maracummings<http://www.linkedin.com/in/maracummings .

Marcus is Managing Partner of JTP, an award-winning international placemaking practice of architects and masterplanners.

Marcus is an architect and urban designer with substantial experience leading the design and delivery of major new mixed-use neighbourhoods, large scale regeneration, and strategic placemaking projects.

Marcus is a passionate believer in environmental and social sustainability and brings this experience to projects. He is a committed placemaker and drives design excellence and innovation throughout JTP.

Margaret Mountford went to Girton College, Cambridge University, where she read law. She then became a city solicitor rising to partner at Herbert Smith, where she had first encountered Sir Alan Sugar when she was the senior assistant for Amstrad's flotation on the Stock Exchange. Together with Nick Hewer, she later advised Lord Sugar on The Apprentice. 

The Times ran a feature on Margaret Mountford which revealed how after she retired in 1999, she decided to resume her studies, including a full-time degree in ancient world studies at University College London, a part-time MA in classics and a PhD in papyrology. She is a trustee of Corda, a charity dedicated to the early detection and eradication of cardiovascular disease.

Mark is a qualified town planner and urban designer and has 28 years of experience working both as a Planning Consultant and more recently as a development manager as a client in the Leisure and Residential sectors. He is currently the Sub Board Director of Planning at Fairview, managing an in-house team of planners, architects and affordable housing specialists. Mark is currently working on a range of large residential led projects in West London including at Park Royal (OPDC) and within the Hayes Town Centre (LB Hillingdon).  

Martyn leads Avison Young's regeneration projects across London and the South East. His insightful, commercially-oriented advice has helped to deliver some of the UK's highest profile - and complex - development projects.

Martyn's keen awareness of the key issues facing regeneration delivery is woven into his advice. That includes a detailed understanding of workspace delivery, infrastructure-led growth, placemaking, and the trends shaping the future of town centres across the UK.

Mary Macleod served as the Member of Parliament for the Brentford and Isleworth constituency in West London from 2010-2015. She represented approximately half of the Hounslow Borough, covering Chiswick, Brentford, Syon, Osterley, Isleworth, Hounslow Central, Hounslow South and Hounslow Heath. During her time in Parliament she was also Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the former Culture Secretary, Rt Hon. Maria Miller MP, as well as to the former Policing Minister, Rt Hon. Nick Herbert MP and for the former Northern Ireland Secretary, Rt Hon. Theresa Villiers MP.

In addition, Mary held a number of other roles, including Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) Women in Parliament and Vice-President of the Commonwealth Youth Exchange Programme.

Matt moved from global heavy-vehicle company MAN Truck and Bus to fast-growing vehicle electrification and connectivity start-up Vantage Power two years ago to support the introduction of their hybrid-retrofit product to the bus market. Since then Vantage Power have completed a successful multi-operator TfL trial, worked with international vehicle partners to build London’s first ever high-capacity hybrid bus, launched an industry leading telemetry suite and consulted for councils and transport operators across the country about how to reduce public transport emissions.

Founder, LDN Collective

Michael is a chartered town planner who started his career with Haringey Council before joining the Greater London Authority planning and regeneration team where he advised the Mayor strategic planning, design and regeneration projects including the Opportunity Area Planning Frameworks for Park Royal (2010) and Croydon (2012). He led the Mayor’s regeneration programme for Croydon and Tottenham for two years between 2012 and 2014. Then in 2014, on behalf of the Mayor, Michael established the OPDC which came into existence on 1 April 2015 where he is now Director of Planning.

Michael Portillo gained a first class degree in History at Peterhouse, Cambridge. When he left Cambridge he worked for a year at a shipping company. He moved to the Conservative Research Department in 1976, where he spent three years. At the General Election in 1979 he was responsible for briefing Margaret Thatcher before her press conferences. For the next two years he was special adviser to the Secretary of State for Energy. He worked for Kerr McGee Oil (UK) Ltd from 1981 - 1983. He contested the Birmingham Perry Bar seat at the 1983 Election.

Michael returned to politics as a special adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Nigel Lawson) and in December 1984 won the by-election in Enfield Southgate and represented the seat for thirteen years. As a member of the Government, he was a whip, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Social Security, Minister of State for Transport, Minister of State for Local Government and Inner Cities; and as a Cabinet Minister was Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Secretary of State for Employment, and Secretary of State for Defence.

Later he also turned to journalism, writing about walking as a pilgrim on the Santiago Way, and working as a hospital porter. He had a weekly column in The Scotsman. He had a three part series for Channel 4 about politics Portillo’s Progress, and a programme in BBC2’s Great Railway Journeys series, which was partly a biography of his late father, and radio programmes on Wagner and the Spanish Civil War. He has also made a number of television programmes for BBC2.