Justin Anderson
Managing Director, Data & Digital - Connected Places Catapult
Mete Coban MBE
Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy - Greater London Authority
Graeme Craig
Director & Chief Executive - Places for London
Carolyn Dwyer
Non-Executive Director - Connected Places Catapult
Claudette Forbes
Non-Executive Director & Senior Independent Director - Connected Places Catapult
Erika Lewis
CEO - Connected Places Catapult
Andy Lord
Commissioner - Transport for London
Catherine McGuinness CBE
Non-Executive Director & IUK Nominated Director - Connected Places Catapult
Darran Messem
Non-Executive Director - Connected Places Catapult
Stuart Patrick CBE
Non-Executive Director - Connected Places Catapult
Gareth Powell
Non-Executive Director - Connected Places Catapult
Sameer Savani
Transport Managing Director - Connected Places Catapult
Dr Alison Vincent CBE
Non-Executive Director & Chair of Remuneration & Nominations Committee - Connected Places Catapult
Lucy Yu
Non-Executive Director & Chair of the Projects, EDI & Sustainability Committee - Connected Places Catapult
Alan Welby
Managing Director, Built Environment & Local Growth - Connected Places Catapult
Professor Greg Clark CBE
Chair - Connected Places Catapult
Greg Clark is Chair of Connected Places Catapult. He is a British and Irish writer, Board Chair, Non-Executive Director, and advisor on cities, mobility, built environment, and urban innovation. He is the author of 10 books and 100 reports on cities, mobility, real estate, climate, urban economies, investment, and place leadership, and has worked with 400 cities around the world.
In the UK. He is Chair of Connected Places Catapult (CPC), the UK’s national innovation accelerator for transport, cities, and place leadership, and Chair of the Cities Commission for Climate Investment (3Ci), which convenes local leaders and investors to find innovative means to capitalise a just urban transition. He is a Board Member of Transport for London (TfL). He chairs TfL’s Land and Property Committee, which oversees TfL’s property company, Places for London. He is a Senior Advisor to New London Architecture, and Hon Prof of cities and innovation at Strathclyde University. Greg is also chair of the UK Government’s Secure Connected Places Advisory Group. He was previously Lead Advisor, Cities & Regions, Office of Deputy Prime Minister (2004-2010), Executive Director, London Development Agency, Chief Executive of the London Enterprise Agency, Managing Director of Greater London Enterprise, and he teaches regularly at LSE and University College London. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS).
Globally. Greg is Hon Global Fellow at the Urban Land Institute (ULI). He is the former chair of the OECD LEED Forum of Cities and Regions (1996-2016) and former Global Fellow on cities at the Brookings Institution. He has advised the World Bank, European Investment Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and the HSBC Group on cities, sustainability, and financial innovation. He is currently working with the Inter-American Development Bank on the future of the cities of the Amazon, where 47,000,000 people live. Greg has chaired more than 20 International Advisory Boards and Committees for Cities; including New York, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Mumbai, Vienna, Oslo, Barcelona, Turin, Toronto, Auckland, and Cape Town. He is a member of the WEF Global Future Council on Cities & Urbanisation, and a member of the Bloomberg NEF Council on Cities.
Anna Jordan
CEO - Alchera Technologies
Rob Quinn
CEO - MakeSense Technology
Kellie Beirne
Chief Executive - Cardiff Capital Region
Kellie Beirne is the Chief Executive of Cardiff Capital Region – the partnership of ten councils working to improve the lives of the 1.5m residents in South East Wales through transforming the economy, business landscape and innovation in the Region. Kellie joined CCR in 2018 from her role as Deputy Chief Executive at Monmouthshire County Council, where she gained a reputation for promoting the entrepreneurial state. Kellie is a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, an Honorary Fellow of Cardiff University, a Governor at Cardiff Metropolitan University and sits on several innovation advisory boards including the Morgan Advanced Studies Institute at Swansea University, Cardiff University’s International Board and the Connected Places Catapult Advisory Group.
Andrew Carter
Chief Executive - Centre for Cities
Rokhsana Fiaz OBE
Mayor of Newham - Newham Council
David Hughes
CEO - East West Rail
David’s path has been firmly rooted in the transport sector. From 2021 to 2024, he served as the Director General for Rail Infrastructure Group at the Department for Transport. In this role, he provided leadership and oversight for DfT's portfolio of major rail investment projects. Before DfT, he held the position of Strategy and Programme Director at Transport for the North.
But David's passion for transport goes back even further. He spent 15 years at Transport for London, where he led the development and planning of major rail infrastructure projects, including iconic ones like Crossrail and the Northern Line Extension. Additionally, he played a key role in upgrades across the London Underground network.
Prior to joining EWR Co., David has been at Arup as the Major Programmes Director. There, he focused on supporting and accelerating the delivery of significant national infrastructure and strategic change programmes.
Clare Wildfire
Global Cities Lead - Mott MacDonald
Clare is Global Cities Lead with global engineering, management and development consultancy, Mott MacDonald. Having led regeneration, low carbon and sustainable innovation projects across the globe, Clare uses systemic thinking to push boundaries and, most importantly, improve people’s lives. From her 35 years’ experience in the sector, originally as a building services engineer on sustainable buildings, she combines her practical understanding of construction and development drivers with policy engagement, bringing insight into the technical, political, financial and behavioural aspects of sustainable development and healthy, resilient, low carbon living.
[Could also add this, I’m happy for you to decide] Clare co-created an industry-led collaboration of infrastructure organisations supporting the UK transition to net zero, including authoring a report ‘A place-based approach to net zero’ on the city-scale transition, which explores the challenges and opportunities facing city leaders.
Jan Ward CBE
Chair - Plymouth & South Devon Freeport
Gavin Winbanks
FDI expert and co-founder of the Office for Investment - White Hawk Green
Gavin Winbanks founded White Hawk Green, a strategic advisory firm in 2022, working with Governments, investors, and companies across the built environment. Gavin co-founded DBT’s Office for Investment for No.10 Downing Street in 2020. From 2016 Gavin was the Senior Civil Servant for DBT’s Capital Investment team attracting international investment into UK real estate and infrastructure projects. Prior to joining HMG, Gavin led Macquarie Group’s External Relations EMEA and was Chief of Staff for the regional CEO. He was previously a member of the Urban Land Institute’s UK Executive Committee.
Susan Ross
Deputy Director - Edge Innovation
With over 20 years' experience in the VCSE sector across the Midlands and North East, Susan brings deep knowledge of community-led regeneration, especially in rural areas. She has led complex public sector partnerships and supported projects from grassroots initiatives to multi-million pound developments.
With expertise in engagement, consultation, marketing, funding, and project management, Susan bridges the private, public, and charitable sectors. She also holds several voluntary roles, including director of a health and wellbeing CIC and chair of a community association. Susan is passionate about placing people at the heart of innovation, as seen in her work with the Tees Valley Innovation Challenge Programme.
Paul Perera
Strategy & Technology Operations Director - Waygate Technologies
Helen Barden
Director - External Affairs - North Standard
Helen Barden is Director – External Affairs at NorthStandard, a leading global marine mutual headquartered in Newcastle Upon Tyne. Helen leads NorthStandard’s stakeholder and policy engagement on maritime decarbonisation, but is also involved with policy on sanctions/geopolitics and emerging technologies. Helen co-leads NorthStandard’s Navigating Decarbonisation expertise team, supporting its Members with their understanding of the regulatory landscape and to bridge the gap between policy (or the absence of such) and practical and contractual implementation.
Helen engages with a number of industry stakeholders to support shipping’s energy transition, including BIMCO, Comite Maritime International, Nuclear Energy Maritime Organisation, International Chamber of Shipping, UK Chamber of Shipping, Global Maritime Forum and the UK National Clean Maritime Research Hub to name a few.
Helen is also a Board member of the UK’s Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA UK).
Geraint Evans
Chief Executive Officer - UK Major Port Group
Tristan Smith
Professor of Energy & Transport - University College London (UCL)
Alex Green
Senior Business Development Manager – New Energy - Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL Group)
David Surplus
Chief Executive Officer - B9 Energy
Mark Eldridge
Director of Hydrogen - Element Materials Technology
Huw Edwards
Director of Stations & Placemaking - HS2
Elspeth Finch MBE
Chief Executive and Founder - IAND
Ben Raybould
Digital Lead, New Hospital Programme - Turner and Townsend
Melissa Zanocco OBE
Director, Growth Mission Accelerator - UK Research and Innovation
Mohammad Shana'a
Chief Executive Office - Morta
Ibrahim Mohamed
Infrastructure Investment & Freeport / Investment Zones Advisor - Office for Investment
Dame Susan Rice DBE
Chair - Forth Green Freeport
Prof. Mark Tewdwr-Jones
Professor of Cities and Regions - UCL
Dr Wei Yang OBE
Chief Executive Officer - Digital Task Force for Planning
Dr Wei Yang OBE is an internationally renowned town planner and urban designer advocating a place-based, whole-systems approach to the grand challenges of our time. She is Co-Founder and CEO of the Digital Task Force for Planning—the world’s first innovation-led social enterprise pioneering systemic transformation of spatial planning in the digital era—and Founder and Chair of Wei Yang & Partners, an award-winning masterplanning firm specialising in 21st-century Garden Cities and contemporary societal challenges.
Wei promotes joined-up thinking across professions, having served as President of the Royal Town Planning Institute (2021) and Chair of the Construction Industry Council (2023–25). She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, a Board Member of the British Library and Chair of its Capital Portfolio Committee, and an Honorary Professor at UCL.
She has advised government as a member of the New Towns Taskforce (2024–25) and as an Expert Adviser for the London Plan Review (2023–24). She was awarded an OBE for her contribution to town planning in 2025.
Chris Coonick
UK/US Innovation Management Office Director - National Grid
Chris is National Grid’s UK/US Innovation Management Office Director. As part of this role Chris is responsible for driving the delivery of the Group Innovation Strategy, telling the story of how innovation outputs deliver impact for National Grid and our customers. Chris is a well-respected industry specialist with over 15 years’ experience in delivering and managing £multi-million research & innovation programmes and projects that pave the way to net zero. An active leader in the UK energy sector, Chris has been involved in national and international committees, developing future standards for an evolving technical landscape whilst heading up BRE’s National Solar Centre. Prior to joining the team at National Grid Chris set-up Ofgem’s £450m Strategic Innovation Fund and led a multi-disciplinary team for UKRI, the UK Government’s Research and Innovation agency.
Robert Harwood
Chief Executive Officer - Sim Analytica
Charlotte Hills
Head of Innovation - HS2
Rodney Berkeley CBE
Director of Infrastructure & Technology - Department for Business and Trade
Abanoub Ghobrial
Chief Executive Officer - Fidelis
Chris Hatter
Head of Compliance - Portsmouth International Port
Iwona Wilk
Programme Manager - Connected Places Catapult
Jack Wootton
Transformation Portfolio Manager - Serco
Jack is a transformation portfolio manager within Serco UK and Europe’s defence business unit. Operating across the engineering and asset management portfolio, he is responsible for managing the governance of a diverse array of projects, programmes, and sales opportunities. Jack is also leading on a number of innovation projects across the maritime, aviation, space, and technology domains. Beginning his career in 2019 as a graduate management trainee on Serco’s inaugural graduate scheme, he gained experience across contracts in health, transport and defence. He has been working within Serco’s defence business unit since 2021 and previously managed a decarbonisation programme on behalf of the maritime services contract. Jack graduated from the University of St Andrews with a degree in German and is an alumnus of Entrepreneurial Scotland’s ‘Saltire Scholars’ programme. In addition to his other commitments, Jack is currently the chair of the New Professionals Forum, a special interest group run by ADS that aims to support colleagues in the early stages of their careers across the aerospace, defence and security sectors.
Robert Bateman
Manager - Vehicle Research & Advanced Engineering - Nissan Technical Centre Europe
John Murphy
Head of Accessibility, Accessible & Inclusive Trave - Department for Transport (DfT)
Emma Partlow
Chief Executive Officer - National Centre for Accessible Transport (ncat)
Sophie Randall
Innovation Lead, Mobility & Cities - Innovate UK (IUK)
Robin Spinks
Head of Inclusive Design - RNIB
Amrit Chandan
CEO - Lorefully
Georgina Cruttenden
Consultant - Connected Places Catapult
Rebecca Goulding
Head of Enterprise Support (Transport) - Connected Places Catapult
Rue Mcilmoyle
Skills Lead - National Shipbuilding Office
Helen Davis
Director Strategy & Business Development, Rail Infrastructure - Siemens Mobility Limited
Graham Goswell
Rail Systems Operations Director - Worldline
Jenny Kavanagh
CEO and Founder
James Wright
HSE Leader - Port of Tyne
