Our Board

Divisional Director, Stride Treglown

Cora is a chartered architect with over 20 years’ international experience & is Divisional Director & Sector Lead for Universities at Stride Treglown. Core is also a RIBA Client Adviser with focus on strategic advice, briefing & user experience. With her strong design background & as multi-disciplinary design team leader, Cora has been responsible for high-value & award-winning, change inspiring projects, including masterplanning, higher education & workplace schemes.

Cora has demonstrated championing design excellence as a thought-leader through co-chairing the Bristol Design Review Panel at Design West & the Design Commission for Wales (DCfW). She further supports this aim as Board Trustee & Commissioner for DCfW.

Head of Capability & Capacity, Planning Directorate Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities

David was previously Head of Local Economic Contingencies in the joint BEIS/MHCLG Cities & Local Growth Unit. During the pandemic David led on Covid Business Support Grants as well as wider economic shock & contingency planning. A chartered town planner, David was Head of Infrastructure with responsibility for the MHCLG programme for High Speed 2, joint working with DfT & wider work infrastructure led regeneration. From Jan 2017 to October 2018 he led on multiple chapters of the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) including design, density, new settlements & small & medium sites. David spent nearly five years as Assistant Director of Design Council Cabe overseeing the merger of the organisation & developing the Cabe business unit into a self financing organisation, working with cities & authorities across England. He is a regular speaker at planning policy & regeneration events across the country, a Board Member of Smart Transport, & on the Advisory Group of the Thames Estuary Cultural Commission & a founding member of the International Garden Cities Institute.

Founder & CEO, Forwardspace

Gavin is the Founder & CEO of Forward Space a managed workspace company providing shared workspace to start-up & scale-up businesses. He is also the Founder & CEO of Coherent a software business which has developed software for managing workspace. A former investment banker (Merrill Lynch & UBS) & successful entrepreneur, Gavin is passionate about supporting local businesses that contribute social & environmental value. Gavin has a strong interest in design & placemaking & is well known as the founder of the Frome Independent Market.

Director, City Global Futures

Stephen Hilton is a company Founder & Director. He set up City Global Futures Ltd in 2016, following a distinguished career in Local Government, including the role of Bristol City Council’s first Director of Futures. He is currently on sabbatical (until Summer 2023) studying for an MA in Regenerative Economics at the renowned Schumacher College in Dartington.

Stephen has degrees from the University of Surrey & the University of Leeds. In 2019, he became the first Honorary Fellow of the University of Bristol Digital Futures Institute, focusing on “Sociology-Tech” – the intersection between Smart technologies & Society. Stephen holds voluntary roles as a Trustee of Design West – reflecting his interest in placemaking & is a Board Member of the Bristol Sight Loss Council, reflecting his lived experience of being visually impaired.