Scotland Development Conference; in association with Vattenfall

BP – Louise Kingham, Senior Vice President & Head of Country, UK

BP are joining forces with the German utility giant EnBW in a £10 billion plan to make Scotland their global centre of excellence for offshore wind. The consortium has applied for a lease area off the east coast of Scotland that could support offshore wind projects with 2.9 gigawatts generating capacity. But the bid seeks to go far beyond developing wind power and aims to accelerate Scotland’s entire energy transition – from producing clean power to using it in new industries. The investment will support thousands of jobs in the Scottish energy sector and supply chain, and develop new energy transition jobs, skills and capabilities.

Parabola – Tony Hordon, Managing Director

Parabola are behind plans for a major zero-carbon mixed use project to the south of Edinburgh Park. The scheme will see 1,737 residential units, including private residential, BtR and affordable housing as well as 460,000 sq ft of commercial space, a 170 bedroom hotel and significant public realm. This stage of the project has a value of £209 million and a start date of the end of 2022 is planned.

Scottish Widows – Maria Nazarova-Doyle, Head of Pension Investments

Scottish Widows has become the first major pensions and insurance provider to target halving the carbon footprint of all its £170bn investments by 2030 – as part of its path to net zero by 2050. The Scotland headquartered firm is making the move to protect savings against climate‐related risks and uncertainty and offer longer‐term sustainable growth by accessing low carbon transition opportunities.

Maria is Head of Pension Investments at Scottish Widows. She is responsible for defining the investment offering across their pension business, covering workplace savings, individual and longstanding customer segments, and for incorporating ESG into the investment design.

Scottish Enterprise – Neil Francis, Interim Managing Director, International

Scottish Enterprise is Scotland’s national economic development agency and a non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. In the last year they have delivered £569 million of economic development support into Scotland’s economy as well as creating or safeguarding thousands of jobs. Over the next year they are planning to create up to 10,500 new jobs, support £785 million in capital and R&D investment in Scottish businesses and enable the savings of 240,000 tonnes of CO2.

Port of Cromarty Firth – Joanne Allday, Senior Executive

The £100m investment in infrastructure over the past decade has left the Port of Cromarty Firth perfectly placed to grab a share of billions of pounds worth of renewable energy work capable of generating and sustaining thousands of jobs over the coming years. Joanne will reveal more intel on the port’s ambitions to become a ‘free trade zone’ which will create a sustainable 50-year pipeline of multi-billion pound renewable energy projects including four current projects – a green hydrogen hub, an advanced steel manufacturing hub at Nigg, a serial manufacturing facilities for offshore wind at Invergordon and also an advanced research and development centre and education facility.

Glasgow City Council – Kevin Rush, Director of Regional Economic Growth

Glasgow City Council have unveiled a £30 billion ‘greenprint for investment’ which will include a new Glasgow Metro, a £10bn retrofit programme, a large scale district heating network, a climate neutral innovation district and 18 million new trees. Kevin will discuss this transformational plan and how it will address long-standing social, economic and environmental challenges around fuel poverty, poor connectivity and community blight while meeting their climate targets.

Glasgow Caledonian University – Professor Pamela Gillies, Vice Chancellor

Professor Pamela Gillies has been Principal and Vice Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University since 2006, a time where it has become one of Scotland’s largest universities, with nearly 17,000 students in the heart of Glasgow. She will discuss the Glasgow Caledonian University’s role in creating the jobs of tomorrow, attracting and retaining talent, how we design, build and deliver cutting edge facilities and supporting social mobility across Scotland.

Aberdeen Harbour – Bob Sanguinetti, Chief Executive

Bob Sanguinetti has been announced as the new Chief Executive of Aberdeen Harbour and is tasked with steering the port towards its goal of becoming the largest in Scotland and a UK leader. The port is continuing with its £350m expansion project which will allow it to handle the global fleet of larger vessels and play a significant role in Scotland’s economic recovery. They are also establishing an energy transition zone adjacent to the park, which will support renewable energy related industries and underpin the broader process of energy integration that is underway in the North Sea.

Scottish Government – Linzi Wilding, Head of Housing Innovation and Place Initiatives – More Homes Division

The More Homes division of the Scottish Government is tasked with increasing the number of homes so that everyone has a good quality home that they can afford and that meets their needs. Through the ‘More Homes Scotland’ approach, they have already enabled delivery of around 20,000 new homes. The division provides funding, overcome barriers to growth and support innovation. Linzi will outline their plans to support the delivery of thousands of new homes over the next 12 months.

Aberdeen City Council – Jim Johnstone, Service Manager – City Development

More information to follow.

Net Zero, Energy & Transport Committee – Fiona Hyslop MSP, Deputy Convener

Fiona Hyslop is the Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Linlithgow Constituency. Fiona has served as the MSP for the Linlithgow constituency since 2011, having represented the Lothians Region from 1999 to 2011. Fiona is one of the longest serving members in the history of the Scottish Government having served from 2007 until standing down as Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture in May 2021.

Fiona sits on the Economy Committee in the Scottish Parliament and is the Deputy Convenor of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee. The Committee supports the work of the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport including cross-government co-ordination of infrastructure, strategic transport project support and energy industry support and development.

Scottish Futures Trust – Richard Lockhart, Senior Associate Director

The Scottish Futures Trust are delivering and managing net zero infrastructure and finance programmes that support Scottish Government’s National Infrastructure Mission to drive inclusive economic growth and build resilient places. They have developed a net zero public sector buildings standard to help public bodies meet their net zero commitments for their new build and major refurbished infrastructure projects. The standard is relevant to the wider construction and development sector and Richard will discuss how it will allow firms to meet net-zero commitments whilst delivering joined-up services in well-designed spaces that prioritise wellbeing, comfort and inclusivity.

Barclays – Ron Coghill, Director, Major Projects Delivery Lead

Barclay’s are moving forward with their landmark campus redevelopment and have received permission for the ‘missing piece’, a major building which will house the bank, as well as an event and meeting space, offices, and a lab for “like-minded entrepreneurs”. When complete the campus will house 5,000 employees over 500,000 sq ft of space, and will contribute to Glasgow’s thriving financial sector.

Glasgow Airport – Ross Nimmo, Head of Planning & Development

Glasgow Airport is owned by AGS Airports along with Southampton and Aberdeen Airports, carrying over nine million passengers per year, Glasgow Airport serves more Scottish destinations than any other airport and is a key component of Scotland’s transport infrastructure. Ross Nimmo leads Glasgow Airport’s Planning and Development team which is responsible for strategic master planning, transport (including city deal projects) and aerodrome safeguarding. His current portfolio includes developing ‘Airport City Glasgow’ and major public transport enhancements, including the landmark Glasgow Metro which is set to be developed over the next 10 years. The airport is in the midst of a multi-year development and expansion project, which will see a 500,000 sq ft airport city created to support the aerospace, freight and innovation sectors.

Hillcrest Homes – Fiona Morrison, Deputy Chief Executive

Hillcrest Homes are one of the UK’s most active housing associations, being named as third UK housing associations delivering the most homes for affordable rent over the past year as well as third for delivering new homes as a percentage of existing homes. With 650 new homes constructed each year across Aberdeen, Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross Hillcrest are one of the biggest driving forces behind affordable housing development in Scotland. Fiona will discuss their development pipeline and how the support of the Scottish Government, Local Authorities and the Scottish built environment ecosystem is enabling their work.

CoCity – Alex Impey, Founder and Chief Executive Officer

CoCity are leaders in providing vibrant modern spaces to live and work-building mixed use communities across the UK – focusing on Community based living. Developing the £7.8 million Stoneygate project in Aberdeen, offering a gym, wellbeing centre, cafe-bar, office space and co-working – the development aims to rejuvenate the area.  Alex joins us to discuss the UK’s BtR sector as well as CoCity’s unique model – community-centred flexible living, which is a mixed tenure approach to living.

National Pride – Irene Bisset, Director

National Pride is a Community Interest Company who work with local authorities, economic development agencies, the NHS, community charities, social enterprises, and businesses that invest in housing, health, and social care development. They have recently purchased a 930 acre site near Dunfermline which they plan to turn into a major new tourism and leisure destination. The plans are for an “Eco-Therapy Wellness Park” which has the potential to support the tourism sector and local economy, as well as the wellbeing of local communities.

University of Dundee – Professor Iain Gillespie, Principal & Vice Chancellor

The University of Dundee supported the £150 million development in the Tay Cities Region Deal, which aims to bringing 6,000 quality job and attract an additional £400 million in investment by 2039. Following recent announcements University of Dundee aims to developing an innovation hub adjacent to Tay Cities, which has received £1.6 billion in investment to build the new centre. Professor Gillespie will bring an education perspective to the opening session, development plans, driving inclusive growth and attracting investment.

Scottish Canals – Amelia Morgan, Director of People, Safety and Governance

Scottish Canals are delivering a renaissance of the nation’s 250-year-old inland waterways, reimaging former industrial transport arteries which once powered the industrial revolution as corridors of opportunity for wellbeing and active travel through multi-agency regeneration projects.  Amelia Morgan will share Scottish Canals journey from reopening the canal network in the early 2000’s to the story of the award winning Glasgow Smart Canal as a leading example of adaption to transform an area of derelict land into a place for new homes and a local, community-led nature reserve.

Since joining Scottish Canals in early 2021 Amelia has been leading the organisations environmental and Net Zero agendas.  Previously Amelia has held senior roles in the third sector, committed to supporting people most in need to realise their potential and finding solutions to tackle and prevent inequality in our society for long-term socio-economic benefit.

Buccleuch Property – Nick Waugh, Commercial Property Director

The Edinburgh headquartered developer are one of the UK’s foremost and most innovative property investment and development companies. They have a development pipeline in excess of 3.5m sq ft and consent for over 12,000 residential units. Nick will discuss some of their upcoming housing and mixed use schemes including significant residential projects being delivered in Edinburgh and elsewhere.

Edinburgh Napier University – Professor Andrea Nolan, Vice Chancellor

Professor Andrea Nolan has been Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University since July 2013 and has lead there 19,500 students for the last 8 years. Through partnership working she has influenced the development of policy in Higher Education in her role as convenor of Universities Scotland, a membership organisation and the voice of Scotland’s 19 autonomous Higher Education Institutions.

The University is in the middle of a major Estates Strategy Implementation Programme which will see £84m invested by 2025, and expansion and refurbishment of the Sighthill Campus to improve facilities and enhance the student experience.

The University of Edinburgh – Professor Peter Mathieson, Vice Chancellor

Professor Peter Mathieson has been Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh since 2018 and has a background in medicine. The university is in the middle of campus development project, with the £200 million being spend representing the most significant investment in the university’s estate in 50 years. The New Biology, Nucleus Phase 1 and Engineering Project 1 projects are scheduled for completion in 2023 and will significantly enhance the university’s offering. Professor Mathieson will discuss how these cutting edge facilities will enable them to attract and retain talent, and allow them to create the skills and jobs of tomorrow.

North Ayrshire Council – Karen Yeomans, Director of Growth & Investment

North Ayrshire Council are investing heavily to ensure the region’s continued growth and prosperity. The £150 million Ardrossan North Shore regeneration project has the potential to be transformative for the surrounding area and the 30 acre site will include a new community campus, housing, a new marina, commercial space and improved transport links with a projected start of winter 2022. Karen will discuss the scheme, and how it has the potential to transform Ardrossan and North Ayrshire over a 5-10 year period.

Scottish Empty Homes Partnership – Andy Moseley, Empty Homes Policy Officer

The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership is funded by the Scottish Government and hosted by Shelter Scotland. It exists to help bring Scotland’s 40,000 long-term empty homes back into use, an objective which could go a long way to achieving the Scottish Government’s aim of delivering 100,000 affordable homes by 2032. Andy will discuss how they are looking to work with councils, social landlords, community groups and private bodies to mee their goal, as well as how the wider built environment supply chain can get involved.

Scottish Government – Claire Baker MSP, Convener of the Economy and Fair Work Committee

Claire Baker – Scottish Parliament serving as MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife and convener of Economy and Fair Work Committee. Supporting city trade policies, inward investment, economic strategy and the digital economy. Working on innovative solutions to develop cities within Scotland. Claire will be joining the session to provide perspectives on development strategies , leadership on the committees work and priorities for the upcoming years.

Intelligent Land Investment Group – Mark Wilson, Chief Executive

Intelligent Land Investments Group is a Scotland based land investment company with experience across residential, renewable energy and energy storage. They have 14 major renewable energy projects in the pipeline, with a total value of £1.3 billion. Their projects are playing a significant role in Scotland’s energy transition and will create thousands of green jobs as well as saving millions of tonnes of CO2.

Mark will give an update on their development pipeline, which includes a newly announced 50 megawatt battery storage facility in Fife as well as the longer term £550 million ‘Red John’ Pumped Storage Hydro (PSH) project on the shores of Loch Ness and the £600 million Corrievarkie PSH project.

Transport Focus – Trisha McAuley OBE, Board Member for Scotland

Transport Focus is the national, statutory consumer body for transport and an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Transport. In Scotland they have assisted with the development of the National Transport Strategy 2, published at the beginning of the year, the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan and the £500m Bus Partnership Fund which will ensure the views and needs of transport users are taken into account and that Scotland’s transport strategy enables positive and inclusive economic growth.

Scottish Property Federation – Kevin Robertson, Chair

Kevin Robertson is Chair of the Scottish Property Federation and Managing Director of KR Developments. The SPF has recently called for more to be done to attract investment into Scotland’s built environment and has published a recovery focused action plan. The plan sets out a number of ways that the industry and government can work together to reduce barriers to investment, enhance Scotland’s infrastructure and create great places.

Edinburgh BioQuarter – Anna Stamp, Interim Programme Director

Edinburgh BioQuarter is leading in urban regeneration, future neighbourhoods and creating global destinations. Recently developing a £1bn mixed-use health innovation district project, which aims to support 20,000 people and bring in £140 million a year to the Scottish economy. Anna Stamp will be joining the session to share intel on future developments, perspective on development of urban centres and evolution of placemaking.

Edinburgh City Council – Paul Lawrence, Executive Director of Place

Edinburgh is undergoing major regeneration and development, with the city council at the heart of projects to encourage inclusive growth. The £1.3 billion Granton Waterfront neighbourhood will see the development of 3,500 net-zero homes, school, sustainable transport provision and a new coastal park. The first 600 homes have been delivered and the next stage is set for imminent approval. Paul will discuss the council’s work to ensure Edinburgh is at the forefront of economic growth in Scotland, and how the their projects fit into the pledge to build 20,000 affordable new homes in the city by 2027.

Turner & Townsend – Andy Outram, Director, Real Estate Lead Scotland

Andy is a Chartered Surveyor and is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. He has worked in the construction industry for 35 years, mainly in Scotland.

He has been with Turner & Townsend for over 10 years where he leads the Project Management team in Glasgow and is the Lead Director for Real Estate in Scotland, which includes Project and Cost Management.  He is also the Strategic Lead Director responsible for the operation of the Glasgow office, and has been a Divisional Director of the UK Project Management Board since 2015.

He has acted as Project Management Director for many strategic and important projects including, the 2014 Commonwealth Games Athletics Village, the SSE Hydro Arena, and The Event Centre Aberdeen (TECA) and was recently appointed chair of Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC).

Hub North Scotland – Paul McGirk, Executive Chairman

Hub North Scotland is a public-private partnership comprising 16 public sector organisations, the Scottish Futures Trust and private sector partners and works to enable community infrastructure projects throughout the north of Scotland. Over the last 10 years it has responsible for £700 million of projects in the education, healthcare and emergency service sectors and has a healthy pipeline of work and plans to extend into social housing. Paul is also Chief Executive of Hub South East, a sister organisation with over £200m of projects in development. He will discuss how the Hubs are key drivers of regional investment and economic growth, and provide information on their upcoming projects.

Built Environment Networking – Amanda Griffiths, Director

Amanda is one of the Co-Founder’s of Built Environment Networking – formed almost 10 years ago.

She’ll be hosting throughout the day, running the days proceedings and managing the interaction between our delegates and the speakers.

Fife Council – Keith Winter, Director of Enterprise & Environment

Fife Council are in the unique position of being of two city deals – the Tay Cities Deal and Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, and are set to benefit from significant investment. Projects include the £48m Industrial Innovation Investment Programme which will support the creation of 1,000 jobs and a £25m investment in the St Andrews Eden Enterprise Hub, a 32.5-acre industrial site which will support 500 jobs and enhance the reputation of the region as a leader in innovation, sustainable development and biotechnology. They are also planning to develop 1,200 new affordable homes by 2024, as part of the Transitional Affordable Housing programme.

LUC – Duncan McLean, Director of Landscape Architecture

LUC is an award-winning environmental consultancy providing planning, impact assessment, landscape design, ecology and geospatial services to a wide range of public and private sector clients.

We are a team of over 200 skilled professionals, united by a determination to achieve sustainable development on behalf of our clients.

We are passionate about the power of good planning and landscape design; working to improve the lives of communities across the UK and beyond since our very first project almost 55 years ago.

We care about the legacy we leave and hope to make a real difference through the work we do.

Shoosmiths – Fraser Mitchell, Partner

More information to follow.

Built Environment Networking – Fahmida Nisa, Host & Event Manager

Nisa is a research, marketing and content specialist at Built Environment Networking. She will be hosting a number of the sessions throughout the day, running the day’s proceedings and managing the interaction between our virtual delegates and the speakers.

Vattenfall – Mark Anderson, Commercial and Development Director

Mark leads all Vattenfall’s growth in the UK heat market, consulting with clients and stakeholders on a shared vision for the best way to decarbonise heat in UK cities. He brings broad experience of energy transition, having worked in infrastructure, demand side, consultancy and electricity supply. Having worked in strategy, sales and BU leadership, Mark has a real understanding of commercial points and can work on the big picture as well as in the detail.

Vattenfall – Ben Carter, Account Director

Ben takes a leading role in delivering  the vision of a city scale heat network in Edinburgh. He works with a broad range of public, corporate and community stakeholders to understand their journey to zero carbon and how Vattenfall can be their number one decarbonisation partner. He has been in the renewable heating sector since 2010, moving into energy from waste in 2015 and focussing on building decarbonisation and district heating since 2016.

PAGABO – Peter Queen, Business Development Manager – Scotland

Peter has held Pre-Construction and Work Winning posts as client, main contractor, sub-contractor, developer, design team, investors’ representative, and project manager, to cite a few, in a career spanning over 20 years. With working knowledge gained from multiple perspectives of public sector, private sector and a variety of hybrid procurement events, he has first-hand experience of the challenges facing organisations in realising holistically beneficial project outcomes.

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