MEETING PLACE - Key Persons
Alex is an Account Director with over seven years' experience securing planning permissions for clients across the property and infrastructure sectors. Having worked for a number of leading public affairs and comms agencies, Alex specialises in planning communications and engagement and utilises his extensive knowledge of planning communications to provide insightful and valuable analysis for clients.
He has a track record of securing planning consents in the East of England, as well as London and the South East and has been able to turn controversial applications into consents by fostering strong relationships with local politicians and winning support with local stakeholders. He has secured planning consents for a diverse range of portfolios including urban regeneration projects, Green Belt development, land promotion as well as major infrastructure projects such as schools, hospitals and data centres.
As Account Director, Alex will be in charge of providing strategic advice to clients and ensuring that the project is delivered on-time and to the highest expected standards.
When not working on projects or keeping up with local government activities and the property industry, Alex enjoys motorsport, running and when time permits - golf.
As Account Manager Ash is responsible for supporting clients throughout the planning process with a variety of research and engagement duties.
In his previous role as a Community Fundraiser in the charity sector, Ash worked closely with local communities to generate income. Ash was also a Borough Councillor in Kettering, Northamptonshire between 2015-2021 during which time he served on Planning Policy Committee and Planning Committee, latterly as Planning Committee Chair.
Ash is actively involved in a variety of community projects around his North Northamptonshire home, including serving as a trustee and volunteer presenter at his local hospital radio station and as a Town Councillor in Rothwell. He also enjoys travel, live music and munching his way round food festivals.
Chris has significant experience of a range of development projects, including urban regeneration, strategic green belt release, new garden communities and urban extensions, as well as development in rural areas. Clients include Homes England, Bloor Homes, the Hertfordshire Growth Board, Pigeon Investment Management and more.
Elected in 2019, Chris is a councillor and former leader of the opposition at a District Council. He sits on a £300m property investment board, local charitable trust and is a member of the Conservative Rural Forum. In his spare time, Chris enjoys spending time with his family, country pursuits, freemasonry and Cuban cigars: an eclectic combination that has developed him an allergy to any meaningful form of physical exercise.
With more than five years' experience at Meeting Place Daniel has worked closely with a number of local authorities across London & the South East, housing associations and developers to deliver communications programmes on a wide range of complex issues within the built environment. Within his time at Meeting Place, Daniel has been project and client lead on a range of high-profile proposals and has been integral to strategies which successfully engaged with local communities and key local political stakeholders.
Prior to joining Meeting Place, Daniel worked with a political party in his native Northern Ireland as part of the press and communications in the lead up to the 2017 Assembly and General Elections. Outside of work, Daniel enjoys rugby, golf and football and has also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. He is hoping to go to Cambodia with them to build homes in the near future.
Darren is responsible for developing exciting creative ideas across our communications channels, and providing support to our wider design team.
Darren has worked to develop a successful career in graphic design since graduating from Falmouth College of Arts with a degree in Graphic Communication. His previous experience includes successfully establishing his own design agency in Bristol, which he co-ran as Creative Director for over 15 years. Darren has created brand and marketing communications for businesses across a wide range of sectors including travel, health and beauty and FMCG.
In his spare time, Darren loves playing piano and guitar.
Ellie has considerable experience in planning and managing strategic stakeholder engagement and communications programmes for private and public sector clients.
From her work within leading communications agencies and local government, where she's managed programmes for large-scale, complex and controversial schemes, Ellie has a clear understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the built environment.
Ellie specialises in helping projects establish their tone of voice and distil their messaging to support meaningful conversation with stakeholders. She provides strategic insight and guidance, identifying risks and managing clients' reputations.
Ellie lives in Bath and loves to take advantage of the city's many events, exhibitions, and places to eat! To relax, she loves to escape to the coast to sail and paddleboard with her family or roll up her sleeves in the kitchen and experiment with new recipes - while tuning into a political podcast or two.
Emily has worked in Property PR since 2018 and has experience working with leading and regional housebuilders including Barratt London, City & Country and Dandara, retirement living provider Anchor, as well as land agents and estate agents.
Emily is adept at creating and delivering on effective and efficient client strategies and campaigns, with specialist knowledge and experience in creating, organising and hosting client events. These have included company launches, sales events, roundtables, community events and topping outs, often working in tandem with stakeholders and local government.
Emily has experience of writing for both B2B and B2C audiences, is well-versed in creating digital content for SEO purposes, and has a successful track record of award-writing.
Emily spends her free time singing, dancing, and performing on the stage. Her degree included a focus on Latin Language and Roman Archaeology, and she enjoys exploring historical sites both abroad and in the UK.
Emily plays a key role in supporting the wider project team in the delivery of a variety of projects through the planning process. The majority of Emily's work is research based, helping to further the understanding of the political and community landscapes and mobilise potential supporters, which is crucial in the delivery of new developments.
Emily graduated from the University of Bristol with a bachelor's degree in history, studying a range of topics including the political history of Capitalism as well as the intersection of cities' futures with economic growth, helping to expand Emily's knowledge of the built environment.
Outside of work, Emily can be found on the netball court or exploring new restaurants and cafes around London as well as attempting to improve her cooking skills by hosting friends and family on the weekends.
Job Titles:
- Head of Business Development & Marketing
As Head of Business Development & Marketing Emma is responsible for cultivating and implementing plans designed to increase existing business and capture new opportunities. She has a national remit and is lucky to work closely with all staff across the business to deliver growth.
Emma worked towards developing a career in Business Development since graduating from the University of Bath with a degree in International Relations and Politics. In her previous role at Novia Financial, a leading wealth management platform, Emma formed the vanguard for a new line of business to lead on B2B growth.
Emma captains a rag tag team of willing netballers called the ‘Bath Honey Badgers' and can usually be found clutching an over-priced cup of coffee with notes of lavender petals and battenburg. An aspiring chef, Emma spends a lot of her time outside work hosting friends and family for dinner at her home in Wiltshire.
Freddie leads our engagement work across the South West. His local government, political campaigning and private communications consultancy experience allows him to de-risk projects by helping clients successfully work with communities and other stakeholders.
Since graduating with a law degree, Freddie has worked on some of the country's most significant development projects. He is constantly scrutinising how the industry can do more and is an avid proponent of using digital tools to make engagement more inclusive. He is also increasingly helping clients to refine, define and articulate the social value their projects can deliver to help reveal the true benefits of development.
Freddie is a proud Devon-boy now posing as a Bristolian. When not devising and delivering dial-shifting engagement and communication strategies he's often found attempting to turn heads on his productive allotment or studying wine.
George works with the Design and Digital team at Meeting Place. He has extensive experience in the field of branding and print design, having worked on multiple types of projects from lifestyle magazines to marketing materials over the years. George has a keen eye for typography, layout and contemporary design.
Graduating with a First class honours in Graphic Design from the Arts University of Bournemouth. George works on a wide variety of communication documents, taking the design and digital offering of Meeting Place to a higher and consistent standard since joining in February 2022.
George is a keen home pizza maker and loves to make pizza for his family, experimenting with different flavours or cooking the classics. He can also can be found on the terraces of Bristol City's Ashton Gate on a Saturday.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Managing Director / Head of PR
George is Meeting Place's Deputy Managing Director, supporting on the smooth running of the business as well as providing high-level strategic consultancy for our clients. George has extensive experience of delivering innovative and holistic PR and engagement campaigns across the country working for MEPC, Aldi and Thakeham Homes, among many others.
As well as heading up Meeting Place's PR team, George also leads on its ESG consultancy, advising clients working in the built environment on how to best communicate their purpose as a brand.
Prior to joining Meeting Place, George worked for a top-50 corporate B2B PR/comms agency after having previously trained to become a journalist, where he worked at the BBC and Sky.
When not at work, you'll likely find George on the golf course, playing cricket or following his beloved Arsenal.
Within the London & South East Team George supports projects by helping with a range of tasks from drafting committee briefings to preparing for consultation events. George will also partake in meetings with clients helping and advising them alongside his colleagues helping to plan the best way forward.
George has always had a passion for politics and the algorithms of polling to understand what people really feel and want. He previously worked for a Kent Member of Parliament and is currently a District Councillor where he sits on the Cabinet.
George can often be found in the garage with his classic car, Theresa who is a Triumph Spitfire, whilst having the Formula One on in the background helping ‘fix' his car.
As Account Director Grace is responsible for leading on projects and implementing political and community consultation strategies which reflects the scope of the scheme. Grace is based in the Eastern region covering projects in Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Hertfordshire and Norfolk working with clients such as Hopkins Homes, Anderson Group, Barratt David Wilson Homes and Taylor Wimpey.
Grace has worked on a variety of projects ranging from Reserved Matters applications to large-scale promotions, sustainable urban extensions and town centre regeneration for a variety of sectors including solar, residential and mixed-use.
Grace graduated with a first-class honours in Politics and International Relations from the University of Kent and is a committee member of YEP Cambridge. Outside of work, Grace is a lover of musical theatre and spends time socialising with her friends and family in Essex.
Hamish is responsible for developing a range of digital content for our clients, from responsive, mobile-ready websites through to effective solutions for gathering and collating user feedback - all with a strong focus on user experience and accessibility.
Hamish graduated with a Bachelor of Architectural Studies degree but quickly made the switch to digital when the internet was still in its infancy. He's worked in a range of industries from the built environment, sports & leisure, through to the creative arts of music and film, delivering considered and appropriate solutions for all his clients.
When he's not in front of his computer you'll most likely find him somewhere in the countryside on his bike or whipping up a storm in the kitchen.
We're the Meeting Place of deep knowledge and creative thinking. And we want to hear from you.
With responsibility for client delivery across the West, Midlands and the North, Helen works closely with her team to maintain the highest possible standards of service for clients. She is involved in delivering successful planning outcomes through tailored stakeholder engagement, public consultation and supporter motivation programmes across a wide range of sectors including residential, logistics, solar and retail.
Helen has nearly 20 years' experience in communications, helping the public and private sector to improve their messaging and engagement. She has also been an elected Conservative Councillor on South Kesteven District Council, with Cabinet responsibility for the Local Plan.
Outside of work, Helen spends a disproportionate amount of time ferrying her two children to football and has developed an encyclopaedic knowledge of the best clubhouse bacon sandwich locations as a result. Helen is also an avid reader and likes nothing more than being curled up with a good book, particularly when accompanied by a glass of red.
Ian Thorn - Chairman, Founder
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Founder
- Member of Wiltshire Council
Ian is Chairman and founder of Meeting Place. From the first days of the business in 2006 Ian has been committed to delivering projects that exceed client expectations and focus on clear strategy and definable outcomes. Ian understands that building a successful business means being client-focused and going the extra mile. He loves nothing better than an afternoon talking about delivering new homes for local people.
Ian is a member of Wiltshire Council and a trustee of a number of Wiltshire-based charities.
Working as part of South East team, Isobel has detailed experience developing stakeholder and political strategies for SME and major housebuilders.
As a councillor on Reading Borough since 2006, 10 years of which on the planning committee, Isobel's insight is extremely useful for clients. Prior to her move to Meeting Place she worked for a Member of Parliament. She has excellent connections within the Conservative Party having campaigned across the country.
Isobel is a Governor at a special school, enjoys walking and photography.
As Account Director Jack is responsible for managing the strategy and engagement for a wide range of projects. Jack has extensive experience working within the built environment sector and has helped to provide communications support on sites of up to 10,000 homes. His work also covers renewable energy and commercial developments.
Jack understands the sensitivities surrounding new developments and the nuanced approaches required to maximise support amongst different demographics. Prior to joining Meeting Place, Jack had experience working in Parliamentary offices and was a member of the Labour Party.
Outside of work, Jack is a keen Green Bay Packers fan and spends his weekends watching and writing about American football.
Jacob plays an important role supporting the London & the South East regional team with a variety of research-based duties. The majority of Jacob's work is focussed on supporting clients throughout the planning process, providing political advice and identifying important stakeholders to mobilise support for new developments.
Jacob graduated from the University of Warwick in 2021 with a degree in History. Following this he served a year's term as Vice President of Warwick University Students' Union. There he worked extensively with the university on a range of political issues, including being a member of the university's planning committees, providing a student voice on the campus masterplan and a wide range of capital projects, particularly on sustainability.
He has been heavily involved in the Conservative Party in Warwickshire and continues to be involved in Hertfordshire, intending to stand as a Borough Council candidate in Hertsmere. He is Campaigns Officer for Arsenal Football Club's LGBT Supporters Club, representing their members and working with the club to ensure football is a welcoming place for all.
Job Titles:
- Senior PR Account Director
Jake is a Senior Account Director on Meeting Place's PR team, where he works alongside a range of clients delivering comms campaigns with creative clout.
As a trained broadcast journalist, he has first-hand knowledge of the media and what it takes to make and break a crowded news agenda.
Following his time in journalism, Jake has developed nearly a decade of PR knowledge across a range of industries, delivering campaigns and providing reputation management advice for consumer and corporate clients alike.
Today, you'll find him delivering a range of regional and national campaigns within the built environment. Outside work you'll find him pretending to be a proficient dog trainer, all the while struggling to control his pugnacious wire-haired sausage dog, Otto.
James heads up our People and Culture department and is responsible for developing high level people strategies that the team can benefit from. He also oversees all the people projects and operations, working closely with the directors and managers to collaboratively build a talented team who can showcase their full potential. James is passionate about creating positive cultures and enhancing the employees' experiences at Meeting Place.
In the past, James has built HR/People functions from scratch for award-winning SMEs. With over 12 years' experience specialising in Human Resources and Management, he has worked in various industries including housing, government, technology, and engineering. James has an interest in fighting for better employee rights for parents, and volunteers with the charity, Pregnant Then Screwed.
When not engrossed in people practices, James like to spend his time playing 5 a-side football outside of work. When he isn't busy trying out new activities with his toddler daughter, you may find him scouring the city's restaurants for food, at a bar playing foosball or sat in the depths of a café with a chessboard strategically considering his next move.
Joe is an experienced consultant who specialises in political and stakeholder communications. He has a wealth of experience advising clients in London with complex residential, mixed-use and commercial projects. He has worked on a range of high-profile sites across the capital including Lewisham Gateway, Albert Island, Vinegar Yards, Evelina Children's Hospital and Oval Gasworks.
Prior to working in the private sector, Joe worked as a political officer for the London Borough of Waltham Forest and before that as a campaign organiser for the Labour Party. In 2023 Joe graduated from the University of Westminster with a master's in Urban and Regional Planning.
In his spare time Joe enjoys classic Simpsons episodes (seasons 1 - 10), a single malt whisky and is the proud owner of an A in GCSE Dance.
Joel heads up the Eastern region at Meeting Place and also sits on the company board. Prior to working in planning communications, Joel worked for a senior Member of Parliament as well as the Conservative Party where he ran various local government elections in Uttlesford and Chelmsford.
Joel has a range of experience of working on different projects and sectors across the East of England. He has supported clients such as the majority of large housebuilders, Addington Capital, Hill, Homes England, Thakeham, Longfellow Real Estate, Endurance and PGEL on projects across the region including strategic sites, life sciences, renewable energy projects, a major town centre regeneration scheme in Harlow, a £350 million energy-from-waste facility in Peterborough and a new hospital in Bury St Edmunds as part of the government's New Hospital Programme.
Outside of work, Joel sits on the Eastern Board of LandAid, a charity focussing on helping young people who find themselves homeless. He is also a Parish Councillor in West Bergholt, a village just outside Colchester, Essex.
With a young family, time is a precious commodity but in his free time, Joel can be found trying to pretend he knows what he's doing gardening or watching his beloved Spurs and trying to justify the cost of a season ticket.
Jonathan leads a busy team working for a wide range of clients working across multiple sectors. He works closely with the team offering strategic advice on a range of projects.
Jonathan has worked on engagement and public affairs campaigns for over 20 years both as a consultant and in-house. He takes great pride in having seen many of his projects deliver lasting, positive impact in communities across the country.
He has been an elected Labour Councillor in a central London Borough since 2002 and is a Trustee for two charities that support young people. He was awarded an MBE in 2021 for services to Local Government, Charity and Culture in London. He's a big live music fan and tries to see as many concerts as he can at weekends.
Joe is responsible for providing strategic advice and support to a range of different clients within the built environment - from retirement living operators to volume house builders. Believing that no project is the same, as a senior member of the London & the South East team Joe draws on the support of a number of different consultants to set the right strategy and deliver results.
Alongside working at Meeting Place, Joe is also a Councillor on both Buckinghamshire Council and Chesham Town Council. Whether it's on the doorstep as a campaigner or at a consultation event as a consultant, the most enjoyable part of Joe's job is when he is out talking to people, listening to their concerns and building relationships. On Buckinghamshire Council, Joseph is currently the Council's Deputy Cabinet Member for Skills and sits on the Board of Trustees for a local charity dedicated to supporting the most disadvantaged in society.
If he's not at a Council meeting or positing on LinkedIn, Joe can usually be found at home hosting friends and family.
As a Senior Developer and passionate advocate of web standards and accessibility Julian helps produce cleanly coded and beautiful digital solutions for our clients. Julian brings over 25 years' of development experience to Meeting Place and has a large set of coding skills ranging from back-end application development to slick front-end solutions.
He started his career in digital agencies and built sites for many large brands including BBC, Triumph, KIA, Halfords, Orange and Toni&Guy. He then moved into the music and arts sector and produced hundreds of projects including David Bowie, Kylie Minogue, Nick Cave, Girls Aloud, Massive Attack, Depeche Mode, Basement Jaxx, Lorde, Bristol Beacon, Kings Place, Rambert Ballet and Komedia.
On his days off Julian loves to make pizzas and runs an Instagram account @poshcheeseontoast which has over 30,000 followers. He also enjoys playing guitar, watching dreadful sci-fi films and exploring the countryside with his family.
Karen is originally from Kent and started out life in the hospitality industry as a qualified Hotel Manager, she gained experience across the sector working for the Ritz hotel and Silverstone Race track.
Karen changed career and graduated in 1994 (yes I am that old), with First Class Hons degree in Graphic Communication from UWE Bristol. After 10 years in the design industry Karen founded and ran a successful branding agency for 20 years. Karen's experience is in corporate communication and has worked with a range of clients including Boots, University of Oxford, University of Bristol, Bristol Zoological Society and Somerset County Cricket Club.
Kelham supports projects in Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Suffolk and Norfolk.
Kelham has a range of political experience previously as a local district councillor for 12 years serving in a number of roles from Cabinet, Deputy Leader and nearly four years as Leader of South Kesteven District Council, leading on economic development and regeneration projects. This was alongside working for the past 10 years in Parliament for two MP's and in a political capacity running numerous local and parliamentary election campaigns.
Alongside working at Meeting Place, Kelham is a County Councillor on Lincolnshire County Council and sits on the Local Government Association Executive and Local Infrastructure & Net Zero Policy Board. Kelham is also a Councillor on Stamford Town Council.
Outside of work, Kelham sits on the board of a Conservation Trust for an historic building in Stamford and is a governing member of a small primary academy trust.
In his free time, Kelham is a passionate skier, enjoys travelling and catching up with friends.
Job Titles:
- HR and Payroll Administrator
Kelle is supporting the smooth running of the HR department and all administration tasks in relation to HR.
Kelle has over 16 years' experience in administration, having worked in the NHS in various departments such as Human Resources, Cancer Network and most recently the Maternity Network.
Kelle is married and has 3 children, 2 daughters and a son. She enjoys spending time with her family at the local nature reserve, drawing and watching stand-up comedy.
Laura is passionate about anything politics related. She holds an MSC in international relations and an LSE diploma in Public Policy Analysis.
In her previous roles, Laura has gained experience in public affairs-related roles working in the charity and governmental sectors, with the US Consulate General in Italy and a London-based National campaigning organisation.
Laura is based in London but is originally from Italy. She enjoys flying back to Italy to meet her parents and friends but spends most of her time on the sofa reading books or around London watching theatre plays or stand-up comedy.
Megan plays a key role in supporting with a variety of research-based tasks on a wide range of client and project work. The majority of Megan's work is focussed on supporting clients throughout the planning process. Developing an in depth understanding of communities is at the core of her work, which enables accurate location and mobilisation of supporters of development, whether it be for renewable energy schemes, housing developments or beyond.
Megan spent time at the Universities of Leicester and Manchester, studying various topics including the British parliamentary systems, critical race theory and the EU as an international actor. During her time at university, she worked for a renewable energy company, aiding with administrative and research-based tasks.
Often one who relishes some quiet time, Megan is usually found watching a boxset at her home in North Wales where she lives with her cat, Honey.
As Head of Design & Digital Mike is responsible for the vision and execution of all the visual and digital comms for the business. Mike and his team are currently developing and evolving a sector-leading digital offer, ensuring everything we produce is effective and engaging.
Mike co-founded a successful digital agency in the early 2000s followed by a stint of non-exec roles for a UX agency, a brand consultancy, and a sustainable print business.
Mike keeps himself busy by ferrying his kids around, enjoying a good coffee, as well as pursuing his interests which include design, renovations, and even the odd bit of skateboarding and ice skating.
Job Titles:
- Senior PR Account Executive
With a background in marketing management, Milla has experience optimising digital campaigns and driving audience engagement for leading brands. Bringing a different perspective to the team, Milla is able to apply her content creation skills and pragmatic approach to the realm of PR.
Job Titles:
- Business Development & Marketing Manager
Miriam brings a wealth of experience gained from various communications and marketing roles in the IT, energy, and media sectors. She has worked across several large-scale events such as the Rugby World Cup and Wimbledon, as well as having planned a corporate conference for 600 attendees. These experiences have also allowed Miriam to develop her skills working with key stakeholders and across multiple teams, to ensure smooth operations and successful outcomes. She is passionate about strategic communications and looking for new and creative ways to bring people together.
Miriam is a Third Culture Kid (TCK), having been born in Wales, raised in Singapore, and educated in Melbourne, Australia. She now lives in West Wales, where she has been enjoying a taste of the country life.
Nikki is responsible for the overall success of Meeting Place. She devises our vision, mission and strategy to ensure that our products and services not only deliver value for our clients but also innovation and better outcomes for the sector as a whole.
After completing her undergraduates degree at the University of Oregon in Political Science and Women's and Gender Studies and her masters at the University of Edinburgh in Public Policy, Nikki joined Meeting Place in 2011 in the most junior of roles. She has since worked her way up the business, delivering community and political engagement strategies for every facet of the built environment across all corners of the country. Nikki is passionate about social value and has been pioneering Meeting Place's products and services in this field.
Outside of work, Nikki is a Governor at a special education needs school in South Bristol and takes great pride in also being their Enterprise Advisor, using her business experience and networks to help them develop and maintain a strong careers programme. A classically trained dancer in her youth, when Nikki has a free evening, she takes classes in contemporary and jazz. She is also a mum to two beautiful little girls and somehow finds time to be the PTA class rep!
Olivia plays a key role in supporting clients through the planning lifecycle, as well as managing a portfolio of clients through PR activity. She ensures high-quality content is delivered across a range of channels, while managing creative projects, and using a strategic approach to deliver the very best work for our clients.
Graduating from the University of the West of England with a BA in Journalism and Public Relations, she has an eye for a good story and uses her strong writing skills to deliver stellar content across multiple platforms. Olivia also brings with her five years' experience working in the PR industry, with the time she's spent delivering projects for FMCG, tech, and industry and automation clients giving her a flair for communicating technical detail.
Olivia is based in Bristol, and when she's not catching up with friends over brunch, you can find her doing yoga, swimming or going for long country walks. She also has a passion for interior design, which adds to the creative perspective she brings to her work on a daily basis.
Owen has a wealth of experience in the design industry running his own creative studio in Cardiff for five years, focusing on taking start-ups and local businesses to the next level.
He started his career designing menus for Just Eat, but since then has worked across multiple sectors including sport, finance, broadcasting and the arts. Owen specialises in branding but has a passion for all design disciplines including print, digital and social.
Owen is a fluent Welsh speaker based in Barry with his young family. In his spare time Owen enjoys trying to fix his slice around the local golf courses, a bit of skateboarding with the over 30s and doing a bit of DIY around the house.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Director