Why do some places stay with you? The ones I am drawn to are not always the most polished, or the most expensive; they are the places with character, energy and a real sense of self or soul. Whatever you want to call it. They are places people feel proud of, choose to return to and want to be part of. Creating the conditions for that kind of confidence to emerge is what has shaped much of my career.

My route into this work has not been entirely linear, which is probably part of why I enjoy it so much. I started in architecture and have since worked across development, investment, consultancy and regeneration, on everything from individual buildings to major neighbourhoods and complex mixed-use places. That breadth has taught me that successful projects are rarely created by one discipline, one organisation or one idea alone. They happen when people with different priorities and perspectives find a way to jostle and move forward together.

I particularly enjoy the messy beginnings and middle of projects: the bits where commercial realities, public ambition, community aspirations and delivery challenges all have to be held in some sort of balance. It is not always neat, but it is often where the most interesting work happens. Whether shaping a new piece of city, unlocking a difficult site or helping a place build its own identity, I am motivated by the chance to create places and projects that feel useful, distinctive and rooted in real life.

I also care deeply about who gets to shape those decisions. The built environment influences everyone, yet it has not always been shaped by everyone. I believe better places come from better conversations… ones that include a wider range of voices, experiences and perspectives, particularly those of women and groups that have traditionally been under-represented.

That belief led me to co-found and co-chair Women at Mace, which remains one of the things I am proudest of in my career. It was about creating, and often demanding, space for honest conversations on gender equality, representation and inclusion, and enable everyone to challenge assumptions, share experiences and feel that their voices belong in the room. We owe it to all of us, and I carry that perspective through each development project.

Outside work, I am rarely still for long. For many years that meant competitive netball. It also means snowboarding, cycling and trekking in the mountains, and collecting peaks such as Toubkal, Teide and Kinabalu. My knees are increasingly creaking now and I sometimes suffer from punishing altitude sickness, but I still love the perspective that comes from being somewhere high, exposed and slightly out of your comfort zone. It is a useful reminder that the best journeys rarely follow a straight path, and that curiosity (absolutely), resilience (stubbornness?) and a good team (essential) can take you a long way.

Joining Stories feels like a natural next chapter for me. I am excited to be part of a team that sees development not just as a means of delivering projects, but as a way of understanding people, unlocking potential and creating places with purpose. The name Stories feels apt: the best places are full of them, and I feel very lucky to play a part in helping shape what comes next.