SOLD OUT | South Yorkshire Development Update 2025

ALEX DOCHERY, CITY OF DONCASTER COUNCIL | Alex manages the Investment Team within City of Doncaster Council’s Economic Development team. Acting as a front door for commercial developers and investors, the Investment Team is responsible for attracting inward investment into Doncaster, supporting indigenous business growth, enabling commercial property development and promoting Doncaster as a great place to live, work, invest and do business. Passionate about economic development and making a difference to local communities, Alex has been in local government for ten years having entered the sector through the Local Government Association’s National Graduate Development Programme (NGDP).

KATE MARTIN, SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL | Kate leads the Sheffield City Futures Directorate & the City Growth Plan to 2035. With over 23 years in senior UK local government roles, she oversees economy, investment, regeneration, & strategic partnerships, working closely with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. Kate is vice-chair of ADEPT UK’s Sustainable Growth Board, a UK Board Director for the National Institute of Economic Development, & a member of the UK Place Leaders Forum. She has held senior posts in Southampton, London, & Wolverhampton, & is recognised nationally for her leadership in economic development & place-shaping.

TIM HEATLEY, CAPITAL&CENTRIC | Tim trained as a lawyer and left law behind to found social impact developer Capital&Centric, he started out renovating a derelict house in his hometown of Salford and he now invests over £3m a week on regeneration projects with a positive social impact. Tim is founder of Regeneration Brainery, an academy aimed at broadening diversity and inclusivity in property, each year it mentors over 1000 young adults throughout the UK. He is the Chair and founder trustee of the Greater Manchester Mayors Charity which has raised over £3m in the past 3 years. He has featured on BBC2’s ‘Manctopia’ documentary about the property boom and his work on homelessness. He has recently appeared in the 8-part Channel4 programme ‘The Big interiors Battle’.

SIAN STANHOPE, URBAN SPLASH | Sian is MRICS, a Chartered Surveyor and Development Manager, at Urban Splash, where she leads two of the company’s flagship regeneration projects in Sheffield; the transformation of the Grade II-listed Park Hill – a brutalist landmark now reimagined as a vibrant community with hundreds of new homes, commercial spaces, and community amenities – and the redevelopment of the former Cole Brothers department store in the heart of the city centre.
Sian is a skilled commercial developer and sustainable regeneration expert, with a Master’s in Urban Regeneration from Sheffield Hallam University and a diverse career spanning both public and private sectors.

ALAN SEASMAN, SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL | Alan Seasman is the Interim Head of Regeneration at Sheffield City Council, leading efforts to secure investment and deliver physical regeneration projects. With over 35 years of experience, Alan has been instrumental in projects like the Heart of the City and Castlegate. He collaborates with various departments to enhance Sheffield’s city centre, neighbourhoods, and economic hubs including catalyst sites in the City Centre and the regeneration of Attercliffe. Alan’s role involves managing teams, securing funding, and working with private landowners and developers to bring major regeneration projects to life.

LEE POWELL, HENRY BOOT CONSTRUCTION | Lee has over 28 years’ experience in the construction sector. He began his career as a quantity surveyor & spent 13 years at Caddick, working his way up through the business to commercial manager. He then went on to hold a range of senior commercial roles within Tier 1 & Tier 2 contractors, such as The Wates Group and GMI. He joined Henry Boot Construction in January 2025 & is focused on growing & restoring the order book – expanding the firm’s reach, while continuing to uphold the company’s strong family values & reputation for health & safety, customer satisfaction & operational excellence.

HARRIET KNOWLES, COUNTER CONTEXT | Harriet is a Director at Counter Context, a strategic communications agency head-quartered in Sheffield. She leads on the design of comms, PR and engagement strategies for large-scale and complex urban regeneration schemes, residential developments, and infrastructure projects.
Over her 14 years at Counter Context, Harriet has played an integral role supporting flagship projects within South Yorkshire, including Heart of the City in Sheffield and The Glass Works in Barnsley, as well as helping efforts to present South Yorkshire’s investment opportunities on the international stage at events such as MIPIM.
With extensive experience working on behalf of a range of private and public sector clients, Harriet looks to design creative and thoughtful comms and engagement strategies with a big focus on putting people at the heart of the development process.

GEMMA HARDIMAN, UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD | With over 10+ years experience within the property sector, Gemma has developed a reputation for delivering complex, award-winning schemes across key urban locations. Currently at The University of Sheffield, she plays a pivotal role in shaping the masterplan for the transformative Runway Park development, the evolution of the University of Sheffield’s Innovation District.
Her career spans high-profile projects within both the private and public sectors, including the development of government facilities, commercial office spaces, education buildings, and critical amenity provisions. Gemma is known for her strategic approach to managing multi-disciplinary teams and ensuring the seamless delivery of high-impact projects.

JON RIGBY, BOND BRYAN | Specialising in strategic estate transformation for the Higher Education sector, Jon is an expert in public–private partnerships, innovation district planning, and the meaningful refurbishment of existing assets. He is currently leading on Sheffield Forgemaster’s New Machine Shop and the University of Sheffield’s 100-acre Runway Park innovation district- bringing together research, industry, and investment under a single strategic vision aligned with the UK’s Industrial Strategy.

ALISON DALTON, BARNSLEY COUNCIL | As Group Leader for the Strategic Housing and Growth Team, Alison strives to deliver against the key themes of the Council’s Housing Strategy; maximising existing stock, supporting communities and people, and enabling sustainable housing growth to meet need. With Planning experience in both the public and private sector, Alison works closely with colleagues across the Council to accelerate housing growth, identifying opportunities and developing creative solutions. Alison has a passion for delivering housing led regeneration and is looking forward to the challenge of delivering the Council’s New Build and Acquisitions Strategy over the next 5 years.

SARAH SCHOLES, BARNSLEY COUNCIL | As Group Leader of Capital Projects at Barnsley Council, Sarah works with colleagues on delivering economic regeneration projects across the Borough. From the trail blazing Health and Wellbeing Hub being developed in the Alhambra Shopping Centre, to the forthcoming installation of three iconic Yorkshire Roses.
Relatively new to Barnsley, but with a background in capital projects, service transformation and business change, Sarah is committed to the delivering the Council’s Inclusive Economic Growth Strategy, which aims to create a larger, more diverse, and higher-value economy.

COLIN BLACKBURN, SOUTH YORKSHIRE MAYORAL COMBINED AUTHORITY | Colin’s responsibilities include leading on the development of strategic policy, strategy & investment projects & programmes covering housing and regeneration; digital, energy, & flooding & water management infrastructure; & spatial planning including the preparation of the South Yorkshire Spatial Development Strategy. Graduating in 1996 with a master’s degree in Town & Regional Planning from the University of Sheffield, Colin spent 5 years working on structure plans in two local authorities, followed by five years at the North East Assembly where he was responsible for preparing both the North East Regional Spatial Strategy & the Regional Transport Plan, taking them through the Examination in Public. This was followed by 11 years working for Leeds City Council and the West Yorkshire Combined

This event is sponsored by Counter Context and SCP Transport

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