Future Cities Forum's all-female panel for our summer 2021 awards
Future Cities Forum is releasing the first names of our all-female judging panel for our 2021 summer awards across the built environment and is delighted that the following women have agreed to join:
Chief Executive, London Borough of Southwark, Eleanor Kelly, was appointed as the council's permanent chief executive and statutory head of paid service in July 2012. Eleanor joined the council in an interim capacity in 2006, became deputy chief executive in September 2008 and was acting chief executive from February 2012. Her department is responsible for regeneration, planning, human resources and corporate strategy. Eleanor has senior executive level experience in both public and private sectors, including substantial experience as Finance Director, Deputy Chief Executive at Tower Hamlets Council, interim Chief Executive experience at Merton Council and management consultancy experience with KPMG.
Chief Executive, London Borough of Lewisham, Kim Wright, has held her position for a year and six months, previously working as Group Director, Neighbourhoods and Housing at the London Borough of Hackney from February 2004. Prior to this Kim was Deputy Director of Education & Children/Head of Leisure & Youth Services at the London Borough of Barnet from 1999 and Head of Leisure Services at Spelthorne Borough Council from 1992. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management and of the Royal Society of Arts, a Sport England nominated Director on the London Sport Board and a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
Director of the V&A Dundee, Leonie Bell, is one of Scotland's most experienced cultural leaders and has worked in a diverse range of roles and organisational settings, advocating for the transformative potential of culture and creativity across society. Her experience includes leadership and senior management in local and national government, national agencies and in the culture sector. She chairs the Advisory Board of Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art and is a trustee of the Edinburgh International Festival.
Managing Partner, Grimshaw - London studio, Kirsten Lees, is a highly experienced architect with over 25 years' experience in architecture, strategic planning, urban design, and regeneration in sensitive environments within the arts, sports and master planning sectors. Her work has been acknowledged for its subtle response to place, the pre-eminence of the cultural agenda and its unique expressive and material qualities. She was shortlisted for the AJ Woman Architect of the Year award in 2014. She is currently developing the Koc Contemporary Art Museum in Istanbul and a new grandstand for Curragh Racecourse.
Senior Civil Engineer, Amey Consulting's Structures Team, Eftychia Koursari, started her career in engineering in 2006 and is currently writing a PhD at the University of Glasgow on the topic of scour. She is an Incorporated Engineer (Eng) with the Institution of Civil Engineers and her work on scour helping to develop advance current techniques has also been published in international conferences and journals. Recognising her input on sustainability, the Women's Engineering Society named Effie as one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering in 2020. She has also been presented with the Rising Star in STEM 2020 by the Women's Leaders Association. Effie is a member of the WES Climate Emergency Group.
Divisional Director, Stride Treglown, Cora Kwiatkowski, prides herself on her collaborative approach to working with clients, contractors and consultants. Her focus is on user experience in collaborative stakeholder engagement. Cora enjoys resolving complex design briefs to create places for people and deliver award-winning buildings. As Head of Universities and an accredited RIBA Client Adviser, Cora helps clients to plan, structure and develop projects from the earliest stages. Cora is Chair DCfW & Design West, BEE Design Council, Trustee Architecture Centre. She has led multi-disciplinary teams over 20 years working for private and public sector clients in the UK and previously in Germany, Sweden and Switzerland.
Partner at Milton-Keynes head-quartered David Lock Associates, Joanne Cave, is a qualified planner and urban designer responsible for a varied portfolio of projects ranging from large-scale urban extensions, including the 4,000 dwelling expansion of Canterbury to the production of strategies for complex regeneration challenges, such as the Bradford City Plan. With over 25 years of professional practice, Jo is still motivated by the idea that new and necessary development can enhance rather than detract from the quality of life in our towns and cities. Joanne has recently been appointed Co-Chair of the Oxford Design Review Panel.
Director, Chapman Taylor, Marcelina Zielinkska, joined the firm in 2007 and was promoted to Director in 2017. Having worked initially on the successful delivery of St, David's 2 in Cardiff, she then moved to the UK concept design team to focus on the early design stages of major projects. She has a love for urban environments and a keen interest in the master planning and design of complex mixed-use developments as catalysts for urban regeneration. There will be awards given in the areas of master planning, net zero and sustainability, housing, infrastructure, science buildings, high streets and cultural assets.
Director of Spatial Planning, Transport for London, Lucinda Turner is responsible for TfL's role in planning applications across London. Lucinda joined TfL as Policy Manager for Congestion Charging, leading policy development and stakeholder management for the scheme. She moved into TfL Planning developing Crossrail S106/CIL funding policy, leading consultation for the Mayor's Transport Strategy, becoming environmental champion for TfL and helping develop the Mayor's Air Quality Strategy. She became Secretariat to the Mayor's Road Task Force establishing a strategic framework for the management, design and development of London's streets and road network. She was also responsible for helping to establish TfL's Growth Fund - focused on helping unlock housing and development. For the past three years she has been developing and leading TfL's work on Spatial Planning, Lucinda also has a role as Associate, Built Environment at the GLA.
Future Cities Forum will be announcing awards given in the areas of master planning, net zero and sustainability, housing, infrastructure, science buildings, high streets and cultural assets in June.