Keynote Speakers
Rebecca Rees
Rebecca is a partner and Head of the cross-firm Public Procurement practice at Trowers & Hamlins.
Rebecca is named as a Leader in the Field for Public Procurement (UK-wide) in the current edition of the Chambers and Partners Guide to the Legal Profession she is also ranked in the current "Who's Who Legal Guide to Government Contracts" where she is described as “an exceptional procurement lawyer” and “particularly strong in the construction and regeneration sectors".
Rebecca has significant experience in advising clients in the public, private and third sectors on Public Procurement and Subsidy Control issues. Rebecca advises clients on procurement strategy and structures, how to conduct flexible and compliant procedures and compile objective and transparent evaluation models and guidance. Rebecca is PhD research student as part of the Public Procurement Research Group of the University of Nottingham researching alternatives to lowest price evaluation models in the housing sector.
Rebecca has an interest in social value which goes back to guidance Trowers & Hamlins created with CITB on the Client-led Approach to Employment, Skills and Training in 2008 and now represents Trowers & Hamlins on the Social Value in Housing Taskforce, led by HACT. Rebecca also leads the Trowers & Hamlins cross-firm team comprising over 40 lawyers focussing on all aspects of the proposed legislation for building safety. Rebecca is a member of the Procurement Advisory Group set up by MHCLG to develop technical procurement guidance for construction procurement in light of building safety recommendations.
Pat Hayes
Managing Director of Be First, a pioneering urban regeneration company wholly owned by Barking and Dagenham Council, but operating independently.
Pat Hayes was appointed Managing Director of Be First, a pioneering new urban regeneration company, in August 2017. Be First is Barking and Dagenham Council’s regeneration arm of the Council, but operates independently with a mission to accelerate growth. Be First aims to capitalise on the borough’s position as London’s hottest investment and development opportunity to deliver 50,000 new homes and 20,000 jobs in the next 20 years.
Previously, Pat was Executive Director of Regeneration & Housing with Ealing Council during which time the borough became one of the most successful in London at attracting in new developments and transforming its public housing stock.
Pat was responsible for bringing forward the Southall Waterside development with the Berkeley Group, South Acton Estate with Countryside Properties and the delivery of Ealing Film Works with St George. He oversaw the evolution of the Council’s housing company Broadway Living as a major build to rent developer.
Before joining Ealing, Pat worked for Transport for London as Director of Borough Partnerships and prior to that, spent four years at Lewisham Council as Executive Director for Regeneration and Environment. Pat has also worked for five other boroughs during a 25-year career in local government.
Outside work Pat cycle races, has an allotment and watches Leyton Orient Football Club.
’Kunle Awofeso
’Kunle Awofeso is a Director at Airey Miller Limited leading on the delivery of large scale, high risk/high value complex developments. ’Kunle is also involved with Business Development activities, leading on funding initiatives, NEC Contracts advice, training of APM & RICS APC candidates and he is a member of the practice’s Net Zero working group.
Kunle is an Architect, a Chartered Construction Manager (CCM-CIOB), a Chartered Building Surveyor (RICS), a registered NEC Project Manager (NECReg) and a member of the Association for Project Management (APM). ‘Kunle has over 30 years industry experience covering private and public sector organisations- working on residential, regeneration, education, and public health projects. ‘Kunle has worked on some of the largest regeneration projects in London - including Bolney Meadows and Stockwell Estates regeneration – and on complex new build schemes, including a land assembly residential development in Dover which was delivered on programme, on budget and exceeding the client’s expectations- winning the RICS South Region 2022 best residential award.
Prior to joining Airey Miller in 2016, ’Kunle worked in Senior management at Arcadis, AECOM, Baily Garner and Peabody Trust. He was also the Special Adviser, Project Management, to the Lagos State Governor between 2013-2015, where he championed a more structured delivery of projects state-wide; led on the redesign of the 2nd phase of the states’ affordable home ownership scheme (Lagos HOMS) to achieve a safer, more functional , easy to maintain apartment blocks at 5% build cost reduction; managed the successful delivery of the state’s ultra-modern printing press, amongst other projects.
‘Kunle is a self-driven professional with a real passion in the built environment, functional & cost-effective design, procurement & contract formulation as well as value optimisation.
Caroline Pillay
Caroline Pillay is a Senior Partner at Airey Miller, Chair of the Airey Miller’s Councils’ Councils Building Homes Forum and Chair of the Homes for Lambeth Group, Caroline is also a Non-Executive Director of Social and Sustainable Capital. Caroline is also an ambassador for Women in Social Housing.
A seasoned built environment professional Caroline specialises in supporting public sector providers as a client side advisor in the planning and delivery of Council re-development programmes. Caroline has advised on numerous housing projects including Housing PFI and major estate regeneration schemes.
Prior to joining Airey Miller Caroline was for over 10 years director of her own Ltd company CAP Regeneration consultants providing client side support for the delivery of major projects with councils. More recently as a partner within Airey Miller Partnership which established in 2015 as a subsidiary Airey Miller Ltd to provide the combined skills of strategic, commercial and technical services specifically targeted to support Local authority development programmes and activity.
Caroline is extremely passionate about improving social housing, placemaking and regeneration and the positive impact this brings for improving lives, transforming spaces, enhancing existing communities and creating new ones.
In her spare time Caroline mentors aspiring housing professionals as an informal mentor and with Housing Diversity Network more formal mentoring.
Peter Airey
With over 40 years’ experience in affordable housing, Peter provides a support role to all areas of technical activity within Airey Miller. In particular his knowledge and experience in procurement has enabled him to provide real innovative approaches in this area.
Peter is the founder and Managing Director/Partner of Airey Miller group of companies. He has over 40 years’ experience providing construction and cost consultancy services to Local Authorities and similar public sector organisations associated with the delivery and repair of affordable housing.
Says Peter: “I am proud of the growth and development of Airey Miller which, through the support of my Co Directors and Partners, has become a truly diverse and multi-skilled non-corporate organisation. A key reason for this success is that the business has remained true to our areas of expertise.. delivering professional services for public sector housing providers”
“We have built upon our core technical experience with complementary service offerings, an example of which is the collaboration between Caroline Pillay and myself to pull together the unique offering of strategic, commercial and technical service as an in-house outsourced resource to our clients. The Councils Building Homes Forum is an output from the collaboration which is Airey Miller Partnership”
Peter’s particular areas of expertise relate to innovative procurement and producing bespoke Standard Forms of Contract to meet Client objectives. As a Partnering and procurement Advisor, Peter has managed several projects with complex issues and tight time frames to successful conclusions.
Rosemarie Jenkins
Rosemarie Jenkins is a Development Team Leader in Camden Council’s Community Investment Programme (CIP) team where she has worked for the past 3.5 years. Rosemarie’s most recent achievement has been to lead the team that has secured Cabinet approval to deliver 885 new homes as part of the regeneration strategy for West Kentish Town Estate. Rosemarie has worked across the development sector for the past twenty-two years with council’s, housing associations and the private sector, growing and enriching her knowledge and experience on how to successfully deliver new affordable homes and supporting a new generation of project managers who share that aspiration.
Alongside her development responsibilities, Rosemarie has been working with colleagues in Camden to raise the profile of Social Value as a tool that has the capacity to structurally alter the social and economic position of some of the most deprived residents in the borough. Rosemarie regularly assists colleagues in the preparation of their tender packs to ensure that their social value requirements contain outcomes capable of changing lives. Rosemarie is a member of the Council’s “Unlocking Social Value from our spending” project team which is seeking to better align the Council’s strategic priorities with Social Value. Rosemarie has many success stories to share but also some of the frustrations that have gone with that. She has ideas about what can be done to remove the barriers to change that continue to be erected.
Rosemarie has a Post Graduate Diploma in Public & Social Administration and is a RICS qualified Project Manager.
Denise Sheerin
’Kunle Awofeso is a Director at Airey Miller Limited leading on the delivery of large scale, high risk/high value complex developments. ’Kunle is also involved with Business Development activities, leading on funding initiatives, NEC Contracts advice, training of APM & RICS APC candidates and he is a member of the practice’s Net Zero working group.
Kunle is an Architect, a Chartered Construction Manager (CCM-CIOB), a Chartered Building Surveyor (RICS), a registered NEC Project Manager (NECReg) and a member of the Association for Project Management (APM). ‘Kunle has over 30 years industry experience covering private and public sector organisations- working on residential, regeneration, education, and public health projects. ‘Kunle has worked on some of the largest regeneration projects in London - including Bolney Meadows and Stockwell Estates regeneration – and on complex new build schemes, including a land assembly residential development in Dover which was delivered on programme, on budget and exceeding the client’s expectations- winning the RICS South Region 2022 best residential award.
Prior to joining Airey Miller in 2016, ’Kunle worked in Senior management at Arcadis, AECOM, Baily Garner and Peabody Trust. He was also the Special Adviser, Project Management, to the Lagos State Governor between 2013-2015, where he championed a more structured delivery of projects state-wide; led on the redesign of the 2nd phase of the states’ affordable home ownership scheme (Lagos HOMS) to achieve a safer, more functional , easy to maintain apartment blocks at 5% build cost reduction; managed the successful delivery of the state’s ultra-modern printing press, amongst other projects.
‘Kunle is a self-driven professional with a real passion in the built environment, functional & cost-effective design, procurement & contract formulation as well as value optimisation.
