Matt has over 20 years’ experience at Bond Bryan and is the Chief Executive Officer leading the output of Bond Bryan’s teams across all studios nationally.

Over the last 15 years he has played a leading role at Bond Bryan in numerous major Further and Higher Education projects, including Bradford College’s award-winning David Hockney Building, Sheffield Hallam University’s new city centre gateway Charles Street Building, and the double RIBA award-winning National College for High-Speed Rail, Doncaster Campus.

Matt is an experienced designer specialising in developing solutions that are driven by the educational vision of our clients.

As Chief Executive of London Higher, Diana is responsible for leading the organisation’s aim of being a voice for London’s universities and higher education colleagues. Diana joined London Higher from the University of Warwick, where she led the institution’s Government affairs function.

Diana has previously worked in government as a policy adviser to three Ministers of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, advising on all aspects of Higher Education policy. Prior to this she was the first Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and she has published widely on several aspects of UK higher education policy.

Diana holds a PhD in German from the University of Cambridge and has held academic positions at universities in Canada, Germany and the UK

Lewis is Director of Public Affairs and Campaigns at the Association of Colleges, the membership body for colleges in England, and Director of The College Alliance, a network which brings together college leaders and senior government officials from across the UK and Ireland. Prior to this, Lewis was Director of the Independent Commission on the College of the Future, a UK-wide review which set out a vision for the role colleges can play for people, productivity and place, with a series of nation-specific and thematic reports. Lewis worked previously for a decade in a number of different roles at the National Union of Students, and at two Westminster-based think tanks.

Lucy is Associate Director - Facilities & Student Accommodation at the University of Plymouth, delivering in-house and outsourced services.  She is chair of the Association of University Director’s (AUDE) Strategic FM group, leading a group representing FM’s across the UK’s higher education sector.

With 30 years experience in facilities management, Lucy has previously held similar roles in university, local authority and charity sectors, leading and developing teams and services.  She is a Fellow of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) where she was a non-executive director, Chair of Members’ Council and chaired the Sustainability Special Interest Group. 

With over 14 years in Higher Education, Brett is the Systems and Digital Information Manager at the University of Warwick, known for advancing service delivery through strategic digitisation of Estates data. Originating from a customer service background, Brett ensures a stakeholder-centric approach to operational efficiency.

As Vice-Chair for BIM4Estates, an AUDE Special Interest Group and Nima affiliate, Brett shares insights across Higher Education and Healthcare sectors. Expertise includes diverse systems such as CAFM, Compliance Software, Wayfinding Applications, AutoCAD, and ArcGIS, with a focus on efficient BIM integration from projects to stakeholders.

A NEBOSH General Certificate holder with distinction, Brett blends managerial proficiency in Facility Management, People Management, and Administration. A graduate of the AUDE 21st Century Leadership Programme, Brett champions operational efficiency in the digital transformation of Estates departments, actively contributing to industry conferences and shaping the future of Higher Education through visionary leadership.

With a rich background spanning eight years in Estates Departments at Universities, I've immersed myself in roles centered on information management and Building Information Modelling (BIM) across project delivery and operations. My focus is on utilizing BIM's transformative potential to elevate asset management strategies by optimizing space and asset data, and ensuring efficient management of documentation within our Client Side Common Data Environment. 

Over the past three decades, Anita Edson has cultivated a career that reflects a profound commitment to the advancement of academic environments through strategic estate management and development.

Beginning her career as a Quantity Surveyor and moving into Project Management, Anita has ascended through various leadership roles, each offering unique challenges and opportunities to influence the physical landscape of education. Her role as Director of Estates & Campus Facilities at Cardiff University marks the pinnacle of this journey, where her strategic vision and passion for sustainability are driving significant improvements in campus facilities and infrastructure. Anita's career is highlighted by a series of successful projects that not only enhance the aesthetic and functional aspects of campus environments but also contribute positively to the academic community and the wider society.

David is a Director within the University of Glasgow Estates Directorate. David’s role is to lead a diverse multi-disciplined team, providing strategic professional leadership, support and guidance in all matters relating to projects and a £1.8 billion capital programme.

The University of Glasgow estate comprises circa 400,000 square metres in 300 buildings of which 108 are listed and 430 Hectares of land. The University has been inspiring people to change the world for over 570 years and is recognised as an iconic place of learning and research throughout the world. With recently completed and forthcoming projects the University will transform its campus as part of a £1.8b development plan, the single largest estate’s project in its history since the move from the city’s High Street in the 1870s.

David is an experienced Project Management professional with an architectural background, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building and an RICS Accredited Mediator. He has more than 40 years’ experience in the construction sector and has been at the University of Glasgow for over 8 years previously leading the Western Campus Development encompassing 6 projects with a capital value of circa £730m.

Helen has been working as an architect, urban designer, community builder, workplace consultant, briefing specialist and change manager for over 20 years now although she can’t quite believe it! She has been grappling the thorny issue of shared working environments across government, the commercial sector and more recently with Universities since 2006.

Despite a recent break to attempt the significantly more challenging role of motherhood, she has been Head of Strategic Space at the University of Exeter since 2012 and been working with AUDE to develop their approach to Space Management for a number of years. During the first year of the pandemic, Helen acted as Project Manager for University “Restart” and chaired a series of popular national sessions for AUDE on the constantly changing considerations around space.

Designing spaces to support the evolving pedagogical and technological changes in learning environments has been a key theme over recent years through continuous dialogue with the academic community. Helen is also Co-chair of the AUDE Space Management Interest Group. 

With over 10 years of experience leading Space Management and Timetabling at Warwick University, I have played a pivotal role in overseeing space reconfiguration and capital development planning as the Secretary to the senior committee. Additionally, I lead the Teaching and Learning Spaces Development Group, where I manage the budget for investments in teaching rooms. My expertise lies in strategic planning, supported by forecasting, and strong analytical skills. Prior to my tenure at Warwick University, I spent 11 years at the RSPCA, where I contributed to their business planning processes and spearheaded various strategic change programs. My diverse background in both academia and the non-profit sector has equipped me with a unique perspective on organizational development and strategic management.

Phil has been an Estates Professional for 25 years and is currently working in the life science sector for the Institute of Cancer Research for the last 6.  He is charted member of the CIOB and has many years of working in project management and construction.  He has worked in many other industries including Healthcare, Education, Defence, Sport, Hospitality and Leisure.

Working on the largest PFI contract in the country in 2010 for Aspire Defence followed by the prestigious role of Facilities Director at Wentworth Club, Phil has gained massive valuable experience in some interesting and varied client roles, sometimes dealing with vastly rich entrepreneurs.

Paul Davis is Deputy Director of Estates & Facilities at Birmingham City University and chair of AUDE Professional Development Group. He is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Project Management.

He is a forward thinking, enthusiastic leader with a track record of delivering significant and influential projects, implementing strategic initiatives and leading change within complex organisations. With over 25 years of experience working within the Higher Education estate sector, he has built up an exceptional knowledge and skills in capital project management and strategic planning and is passionate about encouraging career development in others.

Before joining Birmingham City University in 2020, Paul’s HE experience includes a senior project management role at the University of Birmingham before moving to the University of Wolverhampton where he progressed to Assistant Director of Estates. 

Karen joined University of York in 2014 as Land and Buildings Manager. As a Chartered Surveyor she predominately manages the leasehold portfolio with assets ranging from for residential colleges to a donkey field.

Projects undertaken by Karen support all teams within the department delivering a range of strategic initiatives. Current projects include estate rationalisation disposing of leasehold and freehold assets, preparation of Development Brief, strategic review of the University’s residential estate along with property management of 1800 student rooms under a joint ownership arrangement.

In 2020 Karen was elected chair of the AUDE Estate Managers Group stepping down in May 2024 at the AGM. Karen was a founding member of the group and hosted the Group’s first conference in 2017.

Having undertaken a degree in surveying at Bristol, Karen’s career started in the Newcastle in private consultancy.  An opportunity arose to move to North Yorkshire and a new role at Harrogate Borough Council, as Estates Manger. At Harrogate Karen managed a diverse portfolio and lead on several economic development initiatives and the capital disposals programme.

Stephen Wells has worked as a Director of Estates in the Higher Education (HE) sector for over sixteen years in a variety of different Universities.  Currently Stephen is the Director of Estates and Facilities at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich. Stephen is a chartered member of the Institute of Building, with a degree in Project Management for construction and an MBA.  Prior to working in the HE sector Stephen held similar roles within the NHS.
Stephen holds a number of non-executive roles, external governor at PETROC, a further education provider in mid and north Devon and is also a co-opted member of the resources and employability committee at the University of Bedfordshire.  Stephen has also just finished his term as past Chair of the Association of University of Directors of Estates (AUDE); and continues to lead the special interest group for AUDE on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), AUDE is the representative body for higher education estates and facilities management (FM) in the UK.