Our Roll Call of Judges

ALEX ROSE

Director of New Homes

Zoopla

Alex Rose is Director of New Homes at Zoopla, overseeing the commercial success of its CRM, Sales progression and Marketing products with over 300 housebuilders. Throughout an 18-year career in the sector Alex has worked with and advised many leading builders, agents, investors and lenders. Prior to joining Zoopla in 2019, Alex was responsible for driving Hometrack’s Property Data business, developing deep insight and understanding of the roles that Big Data and digital channels now play in the housing sector.

Amelia Cairns

Senior PR Manager, Associate Director

Strutt & Parker

Amelia is a senior communications advisor in Strutt & Parker’s leading in-house communications team. Strutt & Parker is one of largest property consultancies in the UK with a network of over 50 offices, which are home to some of the industry’s most dedicated advisers. Amelia is a trusted advisor to the business and provides strategic communications and public relations guidance – from devising campaigns for high profile instructions, to developing and executing research projects, profile building for key spokespeople, unpicking the latest trends in the residential market for media, and responding to the news cycle. Highly regarded by the media and with an enviable black book of contacts in the UK and internationally, in 2021 alone she secured over 2000 press mentions for Strutt & Parker. 

Camilla Dell

Managing Partner and Founder

Black Brick Property Solutions LLP

Camilla Dell is Managing Partner and founder of Black Brick Property Solutions LLP and has worked in the London property market since 2002. She is highly experienced in meeting the needs of demanding domestic and international property buyers. Following positions at two of London’s most prominent estate agencies, Foxtons and Knight Frank, Camilla set up Black Brick in January 2007. Camilla has since grown the business to become London’s largest independent buying consultancy, having successfully sourced in excess of £1 billion of residential property for private clients. Camilla’s energy, dedication to her clients and negotiation skills have won her huge loyalty amongst some of the world’s most successful business figures. She is a regular press commentator and speaker at high profile events.

Caroline Coskry

Chairman

The Oracle Group

Caroline is the Chairman of property marketing and communications agency, The Oracle Group. Oracle works on behalf of a variety of property-related clients across London and the Home Counties, including some of the UK's top 20 house builders, leading housing associations, niche developers, landlords, and property management companies. The company is also involved with providing the PR and social media support for a number of trade associations, industry events, and award ceremonies.

Ciara O'Sullivan

Head of Communications

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Ciara has been a PR and communications professional for over 20 years, working overseas at the EU, UN and BBC for 15 years, as well as in the UK for charities and development organisations. She has been Head of Media and Communications at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew for over five years, during which time she has helped raise the profile of the scientific contribution that Kew makes, as well as spearheading a growth in media coverage across a wide range of titles to reach new audiences and tell new stories from the world of gardening and horticulture.

Derek Harris

Head of PR

Barratt Developments

Derek has been Head of PR at Barratt Developments for the past seven years where he works on the positive reputation of the country’s largest housebuilder. He manages a network of seven regional PR agencies who promote the 29 local divisions of the business. He is a board member of IBP, the membership body of journalists and comms professionals for the built environment. Before joining Barratt, Derek worked in London PR agencies for 20 years, managing the reputation of clients large and small, many of which were property and construction organisations.

Ed Mead

Property Commentator

RICS Fellow, Ed has over 43 years’ experience in the property market. He is a well-known commentator and a regular Spectator Columnist, as well as contributor to the trade press. Ed has a slot on Talk Radio as well as making regular appearances on LBC and the BBC. Holding the position of Executive Director at Douglas & Gordon until 2016, he went on to found national viewings and tech platform, Viewber, and remains connected to all areas of the industry.

Harriet Pask

Director of Corporate Communication

Quintain

Harriet joined Quintain in 2013 and brings more than 20 years’ experience in all aspects of corporate communication with a demonstrated track record of working in the real estate and airline industries. She is skilled in crisis communications, event management, media relations, corporate communications, and marketing. Harriet is a member of the Chartered Institute of PR and sits on the Communications and Public Affairs Committee for the British Property Federation (BPF).

Helen Turner

CCO & Co Founder

COHO

Helen and the team at COHO are reshaping the way that shared homes are delivered and managed via the company’s all-in-one Property Management Software. She is also pioneer of The HMO Awards, building a community for the 'new breed' of HMO property professionals and providing a platform to 'Celebrate, Learn & Grow' together. Her favourite line from someone wiser than her (Helen's words!) is “all news is made up news – someone’s just got to make the story right”.

Kunle Barker

Founder

Barker-Walsh

Property expert, writer & broadcaster, Kunle Barker began his construction career whilst studying for a Masters at the University of Leeds. In 2004, Kunle set up Illustrious Homes, an award-winning construction and design management company, specialising in delivering high profile projects. Kunle has delivered over 1000 residential refurbishments, education and sports centre refits, and countless high-end private renovations. Kunle and Illustrious Homes have won many awards including ‘2018 Property Expert of the Year’ and ‘Design & Build Company of the Year’.

Laura Leggetter

Co-Head, Communications

SEC Newgate

Laura Leggetter is Co-Head of Communications at global communications agency, SEC Newgate. With more than 20 years of experience across UK and international property, Laura’s key remit sees her crafting communications for large opportunity areas, issues management, and digital strategy. She has worked on some of the capital’s most important areas delivering placemaking campaigns and meanwhile initiatives for sites including Nine Elms,  Canary Wharf, and Earls Court, as well as putting destinations including Covent Garden on the map from a residential perspective. She is fascinated by place and storytelling and feels a strong responsibility to guide clients on enhancing people's experience in the spaces or places created. More recently Laura has been advising clients on their people and planet policies ahead of COP27 as the industry realises the importance of ESG as a value driver.

Louisa Fletcher

Property Expert

Express.co.uk

Louisa Fletcher is an accomplished mortgage and property expert with over twenty years' professional experience in the industry, as well as being a journalist, author and broadcaster. Buying her first house at 19, Louisa caught the property bug and went on to purchase, renovate and sell numerous properties throughout her twenties, always succeeding in making a profit. In parallel she developed her professional career in the property sector by launching, running, and successfully exiting two proptech start-ups which were influential in changing the way property in this country is bought and sold. Louisa has consulted at board level to some of the largest estate agents, new home builders, proptechs, fintechs, and mortgage brokers in the UK for over a decade, as well as advising celebrities, royal families and high net worth individuals on their property assets. Louisa appears on TV and radio as a consumer champion and commentator on mortgages, homes, and the UK property market, and is resident Property Expert for Express.co.uk. Her book, Property Uncovered, was published in 2014 to critical acclaim and provides expert advice for consumers on property and mortgages. In 2021, she launched The Property Show podcast with Andrew Montlake, which has returned in 2022 for a second season.

Mark Collins

Executive Director – Chairman of UK Residential

CBRE UK

Now celebrating 40 years in the property industry, Mark is regarded as a leading figure in London residential, with a wealth of experience and contacts. In June 2013, Mark became a Fellow of the RICS. He is the immediate past-Chairman of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Property and Construction Committee. He was a Director of Fulham Football Club and an elected member of the Premier League. He also sits on the London Mayor’s Homes for Londoners Board, as well as the Urban Land Institute European Residential Committee, and was previously on the British Property Federation Residential Committee. Mark is a member of the Reading Real Estate Foundation Fundraising Committee and is focused on promoting diversity and inclusion in the property industry.

MELANIE LEECH, CBE

Chief Executive

British Property Federation

Melanie joined the British Property Federation in January 2015 having previously been Director General of the Food and Drink Federation and held a number of senior roles in the civil service. Her role is to champion a diverse, successful and sustainable UK real estate sector. 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.

Nick Leeming

Chairman

Jackson-Stops

Nick Leeming was the joint founder of Propertyfinder, the UK’s first national property portal, which he helped to build into one of the country’s best known property websites. Subsequently acquired by News International, the business was eventually sold to Zoopla in 2009 where Nick became Major Accounts Director. Recognised with the 2008 Estate Agency award for Achievement, Nick left Zoopla in 2012 to build a portfolio of board-level appointments which have included non-executive directorships at Spark Energy and Belvoir Lettings PLC. Nick is currently Chairman of Jackson-Stops and Bamboo Auctions.

NIGEL LEWIS

Property Editor and Freelance Writer

Nigel Lewis is a property writer and editor with a 27-year track record working for national newspapers, magazines, websites, and leading content media agencies and portals. He has worked on a variety of titles including the Daily Mail and edited Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun and Location, Location, Location magazines. Other roles have included Head of Content at both PrimeLocation.com and Zoopla.co.uk, and has appeared many times on TV and radio including the BBC’s One Show, LBC, Radio 5 Five Live and Talkradio. As well as editing LandlordNEWS, he also writes estate agency websites, news platforms and leading property portals as well as for Phil Spencer’s MoveIQ platform. He also has one of the larger property industry followings in Twitter.

Paul Mahoney

Founder & Chairman

Nova Financial Group

Paul Mahoney is the Founder & Chairman at Nova Financial Group (www.nova.financial), an industry leading property investment and financial advice group offering an end-to-end advisory service for buy-to-let property investors. Paul is a serial entrepreneur, best-selling author, Property TV show and podcast host, keynote speaker and highly regarded property expert/commentator, as well as a qualified financial planner and mortgage advisor who specialises in property investment. He and his advisory team have many decades of experience in the property industry and have assisted thousands of investors in the UK and abroad on how best to achieve their lifestyle and financial goals through property investment.

Peter Bill

Freelance Journalist

Peter Bill is co-author of Broken Homes: Britain’s Housing Crisis; Faults Factoids and Fixes, published in October 2020, which lays bare the politics, planning and development of new homes. Peter is a surveyor-turned-journalist who edited Building magazine for six years in the nineties, before editing Estates Gazette for 11 years, until 2009. He wrote a weekly column for the City pages of the Evening Standard for seven years until 2015. Peter now writes for Property Week. In 2013 he authored Planet Property, a guide to the £400 billion UK commercial real estate market.

Sally Walmsley

Magazine & Digital Editor

National Residential Landlords Association

Sally Walmsley is editor of multi-award winning magazine Property and is digital editor for the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA). With a background in news journalism, she has written for national and regional newspapers and magazines and held a number of newsdesk positions before taking the helm at newly created Property magazine in 2020. The magazine showcases diverse, unique and inspirational landlord stories alongside campaigns, research and legislation updates, practical advice and expert insight and analysis.

SARAH LEAMAN

Interim Head of Corporate Communications

Knight Frank

Sarah Leaman is the Interim Head of Corporate Communications at Knight Frank, promoting Knight Frank’s global real estate services around the world. Previously, Sarah was Head of Communications at Canary Wharf Group, where she developed PR campaigns to challenge perceptions that Canary Wharf was solely a business district but that it is instead a place to work, live and thrive. Sarah began her career in leading PR consultancies honing her skills in PR communications before becoming Head of PR at Sainsburys and then at Avios, where she devised campaigns at a global level.

Stacey DICKENS

Head of Corporate Communications & Sustainability

Skipton Building Society

Stacey Dicken, née Stothard, is Skipton Building Society’s award winning Head of Corporate Communications & Sustainability. A member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), she has spent the past ten years working in financial services. Stacey is currently studying a Master’s degree at Loughborough University, designed in conjunction with the Building Societies Association for mutual leaders.

TRICIA TOPPING

Property & Luxury Commentator

Tricia has over two decades of property business and marketing experience across both the residential and commercial sectors. She was Chief Executive at TTA Group (now Good Relations Property), a leading property PR company which she founded and sold to Chime Communications plc. Tricia is a judge of the International Property Awards and the What House? Interior Design Awards. Her company Carlyle Consultants won the Marketing Firm of the Year from the Influential Businesswoman Awards for three consecutive years from 2018-20. Her love of jewellery, art, fashion, interior design, and property inspired Tricia to create LuxuryTopping, which spotlights the trends and people working in the world of luxury. She is a member of both the Society of Jewellery Historians and the Directors’ Circle of the Victoria & Albert Museum, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Tricia is a Freeman of the City of London and a member of the Worshipful Company of World Traders; a member of the Marketing Committee for the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and is an Ambassador for Goldsmiths’ Fair.

Dr Vanessa Brady OBE

Founder & CEO

The Society of British and International Interior Design (SBID)

Dr Vanessa Brady OBE is the founder of The Society of British and International Interior Design (SBID) and an international interior designer, with over 30 years’ experience in the design industry. She regularly speaks on business development and finance overseas on behalf of the UK government for the creative industries. Vanessa also received an OBE, recommended by the Prime Minister’s office for services to Interior Design and the UK Economy. She was also awarded an honorary Doctorate of Design in recognition of her achievements to the profession and education of interior design from Southampton Solent University. She won the Woman in the City Award for the Built Environment in 2013 and achieved the first Diploma for completion of Corporate Governance from the Institute of Directors in 2002.