Jon Sawyer will join Manchester City Council as its new Director of Housing and Residential Growth on 13th August. In his new role he will be working closely with the Council’s investment partners to deliver over 5,000 high quality Build to Rent homes and working with the market to ensure Build to Rent plays a significant role in a mixed, vibrant housing offer across Manchester. Jon has previously been a consultant, advising Manchester City Council on its Matrix Homes joint venture. Most recently he has spent 5 years at developer igloo.

David Thame started writing for Property Week (then called CSW) in 1988, and he hasn't stopped writing about property since. He's appeared regularly in titles ranging from Retail Week, Estates Gazette and Investors Chronicle to the Manchester Evening News and The Grocer. Today he writes for half a dozen titles, and is proud to include Bisnow among them. He has a PhD from the University of Manchester.

Alex heads the residential capability at M&G Real estate. He has built the team from inception in 2013, and to date has invested circa £950m across 3,750 Private Rented Sector and Build-to-Rent units in the UK. Prior to joining M&G REal Estate, he spent seven years at Grainger with responsibility for the Schroders ResPut fund and the Grainger Geninvest JV with Genesis housing. He also set up Grainger’s Ramp platform and managed its partnership with Lloyds Banking Group for distressed borrowers. Alex is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), of the Investment Property Forum (IPF) and the deputy chair of British Property Federation Residential Committee.

Raised in Salford, Tim took on his first derelict property (his own house) at the age of 21, having upcycled cars and sold student art during his time at Manchester Met University. Since then, he’s transformed unloved spaces across the North into amazing, design-led places. Never short on opinions on the state of the industry, he’s carved an enviable brand for CAPITAL&CENTRIC as one of the country’s most forward-thinking developers. They’re behind plans to transform parts of Manchester’s East Village – the area surrounding Piccadilly – into the city’s next growth district, with first mover projects including Crusader Mill. He’s this year been tasked by Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham to chair the Business Network for Homelessness, the private sector response to helping end rough sleeping in the region.

Gaining a degree in Urban Studies and living in Naples lit the regeneration and development spark

but Beckie’s career in urban regeneration really started when she joined Manchester City Council

where she learned the power that partnership working could have in driving forward economic

growth and regeneration. Beckie was an early pioneer of city centre living, developing her own

properties in Knott Mill and the Northern Quarter. She was a co-founder of 3 delis and cafes in

Manchester City Centre. Returning to local government in 2008 Beckie developed a track record in

the negotiation and delivery of strategic land initiatives and complex multi-partner projects and

programmes. Beckie is now Capita Real Estate Head of Manchester Office developing and

development and real estate solutions for clients and their stakeholders.

Gavin Taylor is a Mancunian with over 20 years’ experience in development, construction and portfolio management. He joined the Far East Consortium International Limited as Regional General Manager in 2016. Gavin’s role sees him overseeing the expansion of the organisation in the north of the UK and the establishment of a £4.6BN pipeline. He is also responsible for the Angel Meadow and Northern Gateway projects which will bring over 16,000 homes to Manchester. Previously, as Operations Director for Beijing Construction, Gavin was instrumental in the introduction and establishment of the international conglomerate in the UK. He was also the first non-Chinese citizen to become a director of a Chinese State-Owned Entity.

Sowgol is the Managing Director of Way of Life, a top 3 National Built-to-Rent (BTR) platform providing bespoke residential lettings and management to a portfolio of over 1,200 homes across the UK. Way of Life also offers third-party management to investors and developers who are looking for a hospitality-led management firm with marketing and lettings capability, plus the digital infrastructure to create best-in-class resident experiences. Sowgol ensures that Way of Life provides efficient building management and professional customer services through a multi-skilled team of people.

Before joining Way of Life, Sowgol was the Director of Serviced Apartments at JLL where she oversaw operational activities and advised both residential and serviced apartment operators. She was previously the Director of Private Rent (Folio London) and Student Lets at the Notting Hill Housing Trust where she was leading three multi-disciplinary teams with over 2,000 properties and an operational budget of £25 million.

Sowgol is also a member of UKAA, IRPM, CREW UK Mentorship, Way of Life’s ESG Committee and Chairman of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee for the group.

Graham Bates is the Senior Director Strategy ‑ Europe of LIV Group which is the UK’s ‘go-to’ Management Operator and Consultancy for the Build-to-Rent sector. Graham was instrumental in developing the LIV brand and making it the first to design a fully integrated management platform with a customer service and technology led approach for PRS developments. LIV’s prestigious clients include a number of leading development companies and UK institutional investors.

James Sidlow leads the residential elements of the St. John’s masterplan, including both for-sale and private rented community products.

Prior to joining Allied London, James was an Assistant Director at Deloitte LLP where he provided investment and development advice to a range of clients including developers, private equity houses, international funds, high street banks and central government. He has experience in advising on a range of property types, including development sites, airports, city centre offices and residential premises.

His experience stretches cross border, having worked across Europe, the Far East and the Middle East. James is a Chartered Surveyor and Registered Valuer.

Michael joined Chapman Taylor in 2016 to build the practice’s expertise in the residential sector. Appointed to the Group Board in 2025, he continues to play a leading role in shaping and expanding the practice’s residential and hospitality portfolios across the group.

He has designed and delivered a wide range of award-winning projects, with a particular focus on Build-to-Rent, student accommodation, hotels, serviced apartments, and modular construction.

Michael is a regular speaker at international property conferences where he articulates Chapman Taylor’s design approach and skill sets, offering thought leadership on future living trends and sector evolution. He also serves as a Commissioner on the Radix Big Tent Housing Commission, a cross-party think tank that advises the UK Government on housing policy and contributes practical, evidence-based recommendations to address systemic challenges in housing delivery.

He was nominated for a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association for Rental Living (ARL) in recognition of his significant contributions to the Build-to-Rent sector. He also serves as a Special Design Advisor on the ARL Design Committee and is a RIBA-elected member of the Regional Council for RIBA North West.

Areas of expertise:

Mixed-Use / Residential / Build-to-Rent / Student Accommodation / Hotels / Retrofit