Melanie joined the British Property Federation as Chief Executive in January 2015 having previously spent nine years as Director General of the Food and Drink Federation. 

Melanie began her working life as a Police Constable in the Metropolitan Police Service and subsequently held a number of senior roles in the civil service. Her role is to champion a diverse, successful and sustainable UK real estate sector recognised for the positive economic and social benefits it delivers to communities across the country.

Melanie is a Trustee of the property industry charity LandAid and a member of the Council of the University of Essex. She was awarded a CBE in 2015 for services to the food and drink industry.

We are going on a walk!

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This meeting will be breakfast, a short talk by Phil and then a guided walk around St John's Wood.

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Phil Brown was born in Stepney in the East End of London in the mid 1950s. He was brought into a traditional family in humble surroundings. In his formative years Phil attended the Oxford and St George’s youth club. Leaving secondary school at the age of 14 with no formal qualifications. His working life started as an apprentice jeweller in Hatton Garden. After a few years Phil became a market trader selling ladies fashion. At the age of 22 he took his first examination, the Knowledge of London. He is still active in the cab trade.

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Phil passion for London history played a huge role in his later life. Studying at the City University and the Guildhall in the City of London. He enrolled onto
tourist guide courses, which he qualified in 2001. Since Phil has been leading bespoke walking tours across the capital. He also lectures on social history, incorporating immigration, poverty and education. Phil has appeared on BBC television and radio and is also a published article writer. In 2007 Phil began making short films documentaries based on the capital’s rich heritage. He was extremely surprised when his first film ‘The Golden Highway’ was selected as best film in this category. Phil has recently been commissioned to write a London book, it is titled ‘East End Chronicles

Lucian Cook is the Head of Residential Researchat Savills. He leads a team of 35 researchers, who cover everything from social housing to the prime markets of central London and development land to residential Investment.

He has been at Savills since 1993 and a director of the research team since 2007. He is one of the most quoted commentators on the UK housing market.

Robin is head of Savills' auctions department and has over sixteen years experience dealing with the auctioning of multiple asset classes across a wide range of values. His expertise lies in all asset classes and his clients include:

• Grainger Plc

• Tesco Plc

• Fortune Green Capital

• British Land

• Canals and River Trust

• London and Quadrant

• Poplar Harca

• Wandsworth Council

• Westminster City Council

Derek is an internationally experienced London based architect consultant, specialising in the shopping places strategy, masterplanning, design, renovation and repurposing. He was Managing Director at leading architects and designers, Haskoll, and successfully led the company over 30 years to international success and global recognition, including a large office in Beijing working across China, and then its integration into Ryder Architecture in 2022.

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In addition to leading Haskoll, his role included consulting on the expansion, renovation and repurposing of significant award winning shopping centers across the globe including projects in Argentina, Austria, Belgium, China, Columbia, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, The Netherlands, Turkey. He has provided consultancy for over 40 new build and refurbishment projects

His skills and knowledge have been extensively utilised on award jury panels: ICSC Global Viva Awards Chiar, ICSC European Awards Jury Chair, member of the Belgian, Luxembourg, Turkish and Swedish award juries. The skills needed to participate in these juries have been used to great effect with clients by providing peer reviews on proposed developments.

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Derek is an acclaimed speaker at international conferences - reviewing global trends in retail and shopping places.

Current activities include:

Consultant – Ryder Architecture

Senior Advisor – McArthur Specialists, Dubai

Partner – Centre Development Partners, Sweden

Trustee, Revo Education Trust
Enforcer, European Shopping Places Education Trust.
Co-Chair of the urbanOvation ‘Future Places group’.
Former ICSC Global VIVA Awards Jury, ICSC European Awards Chair, and juror on Swedish, Turkish and Belgium and Luxembourg awards juries.

Education:

Brighton Polytechnic - BA(Hons) Dip Arch ARCUK, Architecture and Design

Coventry Technical College – ONC Construction

Anthony Lorenz is one of the best-known names in the London property market. He started Baker Lorenz in 1972 specialising in Agency and Professional work such as Rent Reviews, Lease Renewals and Lease Restructuring. In 2001, his company Baker Lorenz was sold to Hercules PLC, who then merged Baker Lorenz with Dunlop Heywood to become Dunlop Heywood Lorenz, which, in turn, was subsequently purchased by another public company. In 2007 he formed The Lorenz Consultancy.

Susan is a real estate partner at London law firm Mishcon de Reya. An experienced real estate lawyer, her in-depth understanding of the property market, the emerging world of tech and her business training as a Sloan Masters  MSc (London Business School) graduate, combined with a wide circle of contacts is an effective combination. She is also the business development Partner for her department and uses her commercial know how and connections to benefit clients and the firm. Susan's contacts help to make the firm’s programme of client seminars and events “must attend” networking opportunities.

In 2021, Susan received an honorary doctorate from the University College of Estate Management (UCEM), in recognition of contribution to the built environment.

She is ranked in Bisnow's 51 Most influential Women in UK real estate list 2018 as "the woman who knows everyone". She is also listed in Property Week's Women's Power List, which describes her as "a world-class networker" with "a contact book full of CEOs", and ranked in Newington's Women of Influence List 2020, which celebrates women in planning, property and the built environment. Legal 500 described her as "immensely well-connected", while Estates Gazette comments that she is the "consummate hostess and business networker."

In the tech sector, Susan is ranked 40 in the Tyto Tech Top 500 List 2018 and also one of the Top 10 Most Influential Online Commercial Real Estate People in 2018 by Duke Long, the "most quoted man in commercial real estate". Susan is a member of the Mishcon Technology Group, which runs MDR LAB - an incubator programme for tech start-ups in the legal space.  She has also mentored for Pi Labs accelerator programme for proptech start-ups since it launched and is a regular speaker on the #proptech circuit.

Susan is also on the Board of Advisors of real estate investment company Seaforth Land and of flexible working company Work.Life and on the board of Central District Alliance the midtown Business Improvement District.

She is also an active member of a number of property-related organisations, including Vice Chair of the British Property Federation's Technology and Innovation Group. Susan is a member of the new ULI Europe Technology and Real Estate Product Council and chaired the FUTURE: Proptech Advisory Group which brings together key influencers in real estate and proptech. She is on the board of Central District Alliance, the Holborn and surrounding area's Business Improvement District and chairs its Property Group.

Susan undertakes regular speaking and panel engagements and hosts a regular Propertyshe podcast interviewing an eclectic mix of property influencers who define and make a difference to the real estate industry and built environment. The podcast series is recognised on Incube's list of top commercial property and PropTech podcasts. She writes for Property Week on property industry issues and is active on twitter as @Propertyshe.