people & Partnerships

We are a collective with a wealth of knowledge across a wide range of areas, from sustainable development and real estate economics to spatial design and impact.

This breadth and depth of expertise makes us ideally qualified to help you deliver outstanding commercial and community benefits.

Our core team wins and works on projects aligned to our central purpose, so we can stay focused on driving positive change in the built environment.

Our partnerships allow us to deliver at scale. By collaborating with other innovators, we draw on complementary capabilities to offer a fully comprehensive service.

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Gemma John
URBAN ANTHROPOLOGIST
MANAGING DIRECTOR

An applied anthropologist, Gemma specialises in illuminating the changing ways in which people live and work in cities, and how social value in the built environment can be delivered at a time of technological disruption. Uniquely positioned to conduct academically rigorous research, she provides clients with strategic advice on spatial design across all sectors. She has been commissioned to work on a range of commercial and residential projects - from reinvigorating retail to the development of alternative housing ideas. She is an RSA and Churchill Fellow, and Adjunct Faculty at University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainable Leadership.

Simon Kinneir
DESIGN RESEARCHER
ASSOCIATE

Simon’s expertise is in the fields of graphic design and product design. He specialises in design research to inform the development of products that facilitate independence and control for people in their everyday lives. He is also skilled at investigating and understanding sensorial experiences in the built environment. Winner of the Design Council’s ‘One to Watch’ award, he has worked in the Age & Ability Lab at The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, and at Graphic Thought Facility. His clients include Wallpaper*, the Design Museum and Royal Free Hospital.

Luke Ward
EXPERIENCE DESIGNER
ASSOCIATE

Luke’s nine-year career spans a variety of design and strategic disciplines from architecture and the designing of retail and brand experiences to UX research, service and product design. His work is guided by close observation of the brand, environmental, behavioural and cultural contexts and nuances of a project. In all his work, his goal is to increase quality engagement for end-users while delivering positive social and commercial impact. His clients include a range of design agencies and industry-leading brands such as Cunard, Jaguar Land Rover, Virgin Group, Remy Martin and Samsung.

Ben Payne
Data analyst
ASSOCIATE

Ben's area of expertise is at the interface of research and spatial visualisation, applying ArcGIS tools and data analysis to inform commercial, social and sustainability outcomes. For Ben, social value and sustainability are integrally linked. As a multidisciplinary geographer, he advises on the importance of investing in air rights and helps real estate clients maximise carbon abatement and meet their sustainability targets. Ben uses his diverse experience in social and data science to deliver socially and environmentally responsible strategy and planning outcomes.

Luke’s nine-year career spans a variety of design and strategic disciplines from architecture and the designing of retail and brand experiences to UX research, service and product design. His work is guided by close observation of the brand, environmental, behavioural and cultural contexts and nuances of a project. In all his work, his goal is to increase quality engagement for end-users while delivering positive social and commercial impact. His clients include a range of design agencies and industry-leading brands such as Cunard, Jaguar Land Rover, Virgin Group, Remy Martin and Samsung.

As a multidisciplinary geographer, Ben is experienced with using technology to explain social science. His area of expertise is at the interface of research and spatial visualisation, applyingArcGIS tools and data analysis to inform commercial, social and sustainability outcomes. For Ben, social value and sustainability are integrally linked. This has informed his recent work in air rights investing to maximise carbon abatement and sustainability outcomes for real estate clients. His diverse experience is synergistic with providing thorough data analysis to inform strategy and planning from a sustainability and social value perspective.

Elizabeth began her career in commercial real estate, working in the investment team for a global bank then a specialist lender, including creating forecast models to scenario-test assets ranging from hotels to business parks. She then moved to specialise in data analysis and visualisation, and expanded to cover a range of industries. Her goal is to combine financial and other data to create a holistic view of progress, to convey clear insight or allow users to intuitively investigate. Elizabeth has interests in digital working initiatives, community fitness, and tiny homes.

Gemma John
Managing Director
An anthropologist, Gemma specialises in illuminating the changing ways in which people live and work in cities, and how social value in the built environment can be delivered at a time of technological disruption. Uniquely positioned to conduct academically rigorous research, she provides clients with strategic advice on spatial design across all sectors. More recently, she has worked on alternative housing ideas – and, in particular, the development of co-living spaces. In 2015, she was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and British Council Fellowship to research the design and use of public libraries.
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Stewart Martin
Chartered Surveyor
Stewart is a Chartered Surveyor who has advised lenders, investors, developers and occupiers for over 30 years. He has worked on complex restructuring projects, often involving multiple stakeholders with competing objectives. These include unviable schemes that had to be re-designed. Although most of his professional experience has related to adding value strictly in its financial sense, Stewart now focuses on measuring social value for projects that adapt and enhance the built environment to reflect people’s changing living and working practices – particularly the workplace as it is increasingly influenced and shaped by technology, wellbeing, etc.
Read more
Simon Kinneir
Associate Design Researcher
Simon’s expertise is in the fields of graphic design and product design. He specialises in design research to inform the development of products that facilitate independence and control for people in their everyday lives. He is also skilled at investigating and understanding sensorial experiences in the built environment. Winner of the Design Council’s ‘One to Watch’ award, he has worked in the Age & Ability Lab at The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, and at Graphic Thought Facility. His clients include Wallpaper*, the Design Museum and Royal Free Hospital.
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Luke Ward
Associate Experience Designer
Luke’s nine-year career spans a variety of design and strategic disciplines from architecture and the designing of retail and brand experiences to UX research, service and product design. His work is guided by close observation of the brand, environmental, behavioural and cultural contexts and nuances of a project. In all his work, his goal is to increase quality engagement for end-users while delivering positive social and commercial impact. His clients include a range of design agencies and industry-leading brands such as Cunard, Jaguar Land Rover, Virgin Group, Remy Martin and Samsung.
Read more
Scroll down for more info

Luke’s nine-year career spans a variety of design and strategic disciplines from architecture and the designing of retail and brand experiences to UX research, service and product design. His work is guided by close observation of the brand, environmental, behavioural and cultural contexts and nuances of a project. In all his work, his goal is to increase quality engagement for end-users while delivering positive social and commercial impact. His clients include a range of design agencies and industry-leading brands such as Cunard, Jaguar Land Rover, Virgin Group, Remy Martin and Samsung.

As a multidisciplinary geographer, Ben is experienced with using technology to explain social science. His area of expertise is at the interface of research and spatial visualisation, applyingArcGIS tools and data analysis to inform commercial, social and sustainability outcomes. For Ben, social value and sustainability are integrally linked. This has informed his recent work in air rights investing to maximise carbon abatement and sustainability outcomes for real estate clients. His diverse experience is synergistic with providing thorough data analysis to inform strategy and planning from a sustainability and social value perspective.

Elizabeth began her career in commercial real estate, working in the investment team for a global bank then a specialist lender, including creating forecast models to scenario-test assets ranging from hotels to business parks. She then moved to specialise in data analysis and visualisation, and expanded to cover a range of industries. Her goal is to combine financial and other data to create a holistic view of progress, to convey clear insight or allow users to intuitively investigate. Elizabeth has interests in digital working initiatives, community fitness, and tiny homes.

Gemma John
URBAN ANTHROPOLOGIST
MANAGING DIRECTOR

Gemma has a deep understanding of both the changing ways in which people live and work in urban environments and the strategic opportunities that lie at the intersection of socio-economic development and climate change. With training in anthropology, she has considerable experience working on commercial and residential developments. Awarded a Winston Churchill and RSA Fellowship, she has advised public and private sector organisations on place-based impact in partnership with: The Good Economy, Turner & Townsend, Montagu Evans and John McAslan + Partners.

Simon Kinneir
DESIGN RESEARCHER
ASSOCIATE

Simon’s expertise is in the fields of graphic design and product design. He specialises indesign research to develop products that improve independence and control for people ineveryday life. He is skilled at investigating, understanding sensorial experiences in the built environment. Winner of the Design Council’s ‘One to Watch’ award, he has worked in the Age & Ability Lab at The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, and at Graphic Thought Facility. His clients include the Royal Free Hospital, Wallpaper* and the Design Museum.

Gemma John
Managing Director
An anthropologist, Gemma specialises in illuminating the changing ways in which people live and work in cities, and how social value in the built environment can be delivered at a time of technological disruption. Uniquely positioned to conduct academically rigorous research, she provides clients with strategic advice on spatial design across all sectors. More recently, she has worked on alternative housing ideas – and, in particular, the development of co-living spaces. In 2015, she was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and British Council Fellowship to research the design and use of public libraries.
Read more
Stewart Martin
Chartered Surveyor
Stewart is a Chartered Surveyor who has advised lenders, investors, developers and occupiers for over 30 years. He has worked on complex restructuring projects, often involving multiple stakeholders with competing objectives. These include unviable schemes that had to be re-designed. Although most of his professional experience has related to adding value strictly in its financial sense, Stewart now focuses on measuring social value for projects that adapt and enhance the built environment to reflect people’s changing living and working practices – particularly the workplace as it is increasingly influenced and shaped by technology, wellbeing, etc.
Read more
Simon Kinneir
Associate Design Researcher
Simon’s expertise is in the fields of graphic design and product design. He specialises in design research to inform the development of products that facilitate independence and control for people in their everyday lives. He is also skilled at investigating and understanding sensorial experiences in the built environment. Winner of the Design Council’s ‘One to Watch’ award, he has worked in the Age & Ability Lab at The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, and at Graphic Thought Facility. His clients include Wallpaper*, the Design Museum and Royal Free Hospital.
Read more
Luke Ward
Associate Experience Designer
Luke’s nine-year career spans a variety of design and strategic disciplines from architecture and the designing of retail and brand experiences to UX research, service and product design. His work is guided by close observation of the brand, environmental, behavioural and cultural contexts and nuances of a project. In all his work, his goal is to increase quality engagement for end-users while delivering positive social and commercial impact. His clients include a range of design agencies and industry-leading brands such as Cunard, Jaguar Land Rover, Virgin Group, Remy Martin and Samsung.
Read more
PARTNERS

As a corporate partner, we advise Design Council clients, helping them tackle some of the toughest economic, societal and environmental challenges in the UK and beyond. Insights from the Design Council’s network of experts also inspire and deepen our thought leadership.

Social value and impact management experts Envoy Partnership help measure, demonstrate and enhance social impact for our clients. Human City has, in turn, helped strengthen Envoy Partnership’s offering in the area of strategic socio-economic development.

We work with data and technology firm CACI to dig beneath the surface and understand how people engage with their built environment: where they live, what they do, when they do it, how they engage and why.

IDK is a team of architects, design researchers and social engagers. As purpose-led organisations, Human City and IDK partner on projects where there is a clear need for fine-grained research into local needs to shape places that make a positive social impact.

Bayfield takes a pioneering approach to designing executive education programmes for real estate professionals. We work with them to deliver innovative training in ESG and social value, the future of cities and spatial research methods.

This online speakers platform aims to reimagine and energise the built environment by fostering connection, collaboration and the creation of new urban insights. We regularly contribute to its Future Places Forum on topics related to urban living.