The Trowers Podcast

Partner Karie Akeelah and Ahmed Ismail, Managing Director at FTI Consulting, discuss the impact of Net Zero goals on the construction industry and the potential construction claims that may arise.

They assess the challenges of implementing Net Zero, such as the need for clear standards, compliance measures and the changes that may be required in construction contracts to address sustainability requirements. They also explore potential claims related to additional costs, delays, greenwashing, and insurance. The conversation highlights the importance of collaboration, clear standards, and government support in achieving Net Zero goals in the construction industry.

Partner Natalie Singh is joined by George Flynn and James Tarrant, Directors at Savills Financial Consultants to discuss the funding market in the affordable housing finance sector over the past 12 months and predictions for the next 12 months. They also touch on ESG and sustainable finance, as well as the challenges of decarbonisation and how innovative funding solutions, such as unsecured borrowing, could be potential options for the future.

In the final episode of the series, Alison Delaney and Yetunde Dania discuss the Care Leavers Covenant with Zahra Printer, former chair of the advisory board, and Matthew Gordon, CEO of Spectra. They explore the origins and purpose of the Covenant, which supports care leavers aged 16-25 in living independently. The conversation highlights the importance of empathy and ambition for the involvement of businesses with the Covenant and shares success stories and milestones achieved so far. The episode concludes with reflections on the impact of the Covenant and the future of supporting care-experienced individuals.

Partner Sam Folley speaks to Carl Buckingham, Head of Partnerships at Envevo and Paul Wood, Director of Vantage Building Consultancy to discuss the opportunities and challenges of electric vehicle (EV) charging in logistics properties.

The conversation covers the major opportunities for EV charging in logistics properties, including the value proposition for tenants, future-proofing assets, and sustainability benefits. They also discuss the need for more edge-of-city hubs and last mile hubs to support EV charging and the importance of collaboration and stakeholder engagement in the EV and logistics sectors.

Partner Chris Paul, Head of the Energy and Sustainability team at Trowers is joined by Antoine Pellet, Head of Retrofit Credits at HACT, to discuss how the retrofit credit model works and how it can be beneficial for landlords. Antoine provides insight on the wider social benefits involved with retrofitting and how HACT look to grow the model in the future.

In the penultimate episode in our Together We Care series we focus on the role businesses can play in improving the opportunities and experiences of care experienced people.

Hosts Alison Delaney and Yetunde Dania are joined by Dame Sharon White, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, and Sara Bailey, Senior Partner at Trowers & Hamlins, who share both their personal stories and how they have been influenced to support care experienced individuals.

During their conversation they also explore the initiatives and programs their respective organisations have implemented to build happier futures for care leavers with the conversation highlighting the importance of businesses being actively involved in their local communities, the benefits of supporting care experienced individuals and how other businesses can make a positive impact by getting involved.

Partner Katie Saunders discusses the role of public sector housing in the regeneration of communities in Manchester and the North West with Jacque Allen, the Chief Executive of Your Housing Group, and Mike Gaskell, the Chair of the Board of Your Housing Group.

They reflect on the impact of housing organisations in the North West in providing homes and creating a sense of place and belonging in neighbourhoods. They also discuss the changes and interventions in the housing sector over the years, the challenges faced by housing providers, and the need for a properly funded housing strategy and long-term planning.

In this episode, Alison Delaney and Yetunde Dania discuss the topic of adoption with the father of three adopted children, Simon. They explore his decision to adopt, the process involved, and some of his experiences of being a parent to adopted children. Simon also discusses the support available and offers advice to those considering adoption.

Partner Fiona Thomson speaks to Bob Tattrie, Managing Partner at Trebor Developments about the current opportunities in the industrial and logistics development industry.

They discuss the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and recent economic challenges as well as well as how to resolve issues such as land availability, finance costs and discrepancies between supply and demand.

The third instalment in our Together We Care series focusses on fostering. Hosts Alison Delaney and Yetunde Dania are joined by Carol Akotiah, who in 2016 took the decision to become a foster parent. Throughout the episode, Carol talks about her motivation to foster, the process involved and also reflects on her joyous experience of being a foster parent.

Following the publication of the Procurement Act 2023, Partner and Head of Public Procurement, Rebecca Rees speaks to Ian Makgill, Founder of Spend Network, about public procurement, data and artificial intelligence.

They look at the transparency reforms under the Act, how Spend Network use and analyse all the data that comes through the procurement lifecycle and the role artificial intelligence will play in shaping the future of public procurement.

In the second instalment in our Together We Care series, a Trowers & Hamlins and Little Bird People Development collaboration, Yetunde Dania and Alison Delaney speak to author, journalist and social worker, Rebekah Pierre.

Rebekah opens up about her experience of growing up in residential care and how this has led her to advocate for young people in the care system. She also shares her thoughts on what employers can do to support care experienced people to help them have successful careers.

In the final episode in our three-part series looking into local government governance, Partners Amardeep Gill and Scott Dorling conclude their conversation with Professor Catherine Staite, Professor of Public Management at the University of Birmingham, by discussing the changes that need to happen in order to better protect the sector from future failures.

They discuss whether a lack of transparency has been a common theme in recent failures and what the top priorities should be for local government going forward.

In the second episode in our series exploring local government governance, Partners Amardeep Gill and Scott Dorling continue their conversation with Professor Catherine Staite, Professor of Public Management at the University of Birmingham.

Catherine shares her views on the best ways councils can properly reflect on their governance systems to see if they are working as effectively as possible and also the role of Overview and Scrutiny in preventing failure.

In our new Governance Podcast series, Partners Amardeep Gill and Scott Dorling will be speaking to Professor Catherine Staite, Professor of Public Management at the University of Birmingham, where they will be examining what good governance looks like for local authorities and the lessons that can be learnt.

In the first episode they discuss whether it is possible to identify some of the common themes coming from the recent local government failures and what the key signs are that a system isn't working.

Welcome to our new podcast series 'Together We Care', a Trowers & Hamlins and Little Bird People Development collaboration. In this series we will be speaking to a number of different individuals about their personal experiences of the care sector in order to gain a broader understanding from the voices of care experienced people, foster carers, adopters and businesses. This podcast series is about inclusion, social mobility, acceptance, and how businesses can better understand and play an active role in supporting people who are care experienced.

In the first episode, co-hosts Yetunde Dania, Head of Trowers & Hamlins' Birmingham office and Alison Delaney, Founder and Director of national award winning management consultancy, Little Bird People Development, share personal stories of being fostered and adopted at young ages to where they are now. 

In the final instalment in our Cyber Voices series, Associate Amy-Rose Hayden speaks to Vishvas Nayi, Head of Cyber Operations at CyberQ, about the biggest takeaways from National Cyber Security Awareness Month and the advice he would give to a board of directors on how best to manage cyber risks.

Welcome to Trowers & Hamlins' Cyber Voices Series, a dynamic exploration of all things cybersecurity, in celebration of National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Join us as we engage with the brightest minds, experts, and leaders in the field, offering insights, best practices, and the latest trends to help you stay safe in our digitally connected world.

In the first episode, Partner Charlotte Clayson speaks to Dean Armstrong KC from Maitland Chambers about the current threats and opportunities for the UK cyber security sector.

Ahead of the 30th anniversary of the opening of our Abu Dhabi office, Resident Managing Partner, Saleem Adam spoke to Magdalena Konig, General Counsel at AIQ, on the city’s move from an oil and gas town to the melting pot of AI.

In the final instalment in our three-part series exploring the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) framework, Partner Katharine Lewis finishes her conversation with Dr Stephanie Hime, Managing Director of Little Blue Research by looking at how the TNFD framework works compared to different environmental reporting standards and how the framework might evolve over time.

In the second instalment in our series exploring the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) framework, Partner Katharine Lewis continues her conversation with Dr Stephanie Hime, Managing Director of Little Blue Research, where they discuss how reporting can help organisations know how nature impacts their financial performance and the steps businesses can take to prepare for the implementation of the framework.

In the first episode in our three-part series exploring the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) framework, Partner Katharine Lewis is joined by Dr Stephanie Hime, Managing Director of Little Blue Research, to breakdown what the TNFD framework is, who it applies to and how it can be applied to businesses in the real estate sector, transport sector and public sector.

Over the course of the last two years, our Public Sector team has been undertaking a deep dive into the various public sector service delivery models available.

In this podcast, Partner Amardeep Gill and Peter Chapman, Tax Director at KPMG, are joined by Jan Britton and Frank Wilson, the Executive Directors of Publica, a not-for-profit Teckal company owned by four local councils.

Together they discuss the benefits of the Teckal model and how it has enabled Publica to effectively deliver more for the local communities, residents and businesses that they serve.

Partner David Cordery speaks to Katerina Papavasileiou, Director, ESG & Responsibility at investment manager, Federated Hermes, about Hermes' main ESG targets and the reporting standards they use to measure the performance of the Social aspect of ESG. Katerina also shares insight on the changing attitudes towards the biodiversity impact of developments and the importance of collaboration with Government when it comes to biodiversity offsetting.

Partner Lizzie Pillinger speaks to Jamie Bunce, CEO of Inspired Villages, about how the organisation has committed to ensuring that all future retirement villages will be Net Zero as well as the positive social impact integrated retirement communities can have on people of all ages in the broader community.

Partners Ayda Habboush and Darren Ashworth speak to Matt Walton, Senior Director, Development UK & Ireland at InterContinental Hotels Group, about the regenerative effect hotels can have on the economy. Together they discuss their recent work with Gloucester City Council on a £107m regeneration project, which will feature Gloucester’s first 4 star hotel, as well as the important role public/private partnerships have in helping to shape truly transformative regeneration projects.

Partner Chris Paul speaks to Fred Pilbrow, Senior Founding Partner at Pilbrow & Partners, about embodied carbon in construction materials, the current lack of legislation around embodied carbon and the ways architects are tracking the environmental impact of various different materials. Fred also discusses his involvement in the M&S Marble Arch redevelopment project.

Senior Partner, Sara Bailey, speaks to Pete Gladwell, Group Social Impact and Investment Director at financial services firm Legal & General, about L&G's mission to build fairer economic growth. Pete shares insights on L&G's ESHG model which incorporates health factors into the traditional ESG metric and how they look to implement it in every investment decision. He also explains why they place such importance on internal policies when looking to establish the organisation as a responsible business.

What role does the High Street have in urban regeneration?

Sara Bailey, Senior Partner at Trowers & Hamlins speaks to Simon Chatfield, Head of Build to Rent at John Lewis Partnership about how John Lewis has entered the Build to Rent sector and the links it has with urban regeneration. Simon also shares insight on how the High Street is evolving and the steps that John Lewis are taking to ensure that the Social element of ESG is at the forefront of its business model in the housing sector.

Welcome to the launch of our responsible business podcast series, putting people and planet at the heart of business. In our first episode, Partner Nicola Ihnatowicz speaks to Lisa Rickman-Orpen, former Group HR Director at Audley Group, who shares insight on the crucial role employers play in driving the ESG agenda, as well as providing top tips for HR professionals who are at the outset of their ESG journey and looking to become an employer of the future.

Partner Katie Dyer speaks with Luke Cross, Director at Social and Richard Petty, Head of Affordable Housing at JLL to give an update on social housing valuations and property charging in this challenging market. Together they discuss the opportunities for housing associations to significantly increase the value of their portfolios, ensure that the valuations are as accurate as possible and meet increasing investor expectations through capturing more ESG and other data and insights on their assets and liabilities.

How does regeneration fit in with the levelling up agenda?

In the latest recording from our Rethinking Regen series, Senior Partner Sara Bailey speaks to Pat Brown, Director of Central, a consultancy centred on the dynamics of cities and the process of achieving change, about the future of regeneration in London.

Pat discusses her London 3.0 initiative that looks at how London can develop in the future and also shares her views on what is needed to create a successful regeneration project as well as the role of the private sector in contributing to levelling up.

What is impact investing and why is there such a demand for it?

Senior Associate Nicol Ong speaks to Shabnam Mokhtar, Managing Director at SHAPE Knowledge Services, a leading consultant to the Islamic financial services industry about the benefit of impact investing on the Islamic finance market.

They also discuss the challenges of measuring impact investing and how it parallels with Islamic finance.

We are rethinking regeneration. Continuing in our series we are speaking to experts who are leading the way in regen across the UK. In this episode our Partner Patrick Morris talks to Tim Atkins, Director & Strategic Advisor at TJP Consulting. Tim recently joined TJP Consulting having been Managing Director for Place & Growth at Cheltenham Borough Council for just under seven years. They talk about the Golden Valley development and the opportunities it is creating in Cheltenham, what makes a scheme regeneration, rather than redevelopment and what contributes to a successful regeneration scheme.

Partner Lizzie Pillinger speaks to Jenny Buterchi, Partner at PRP and Steve Connor, Development and Business Manager at Phoenix Housing about intergenerational living and the opportunities and challenges that it presents. Jenny and Steve discuss their experiences of delivering intergenerational living schemes and provide insight on how designs can differ for different generations.

Recorded in August 2022, Partner Elias Moubarak and Senior Associate Nicol Ong spoke to Muazzam Bin Mohamad, Head of Investment Stewardship and Norazha Ismail, former Head of Sustainability at Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) about PNB's ESG journey and its new sustainability framework which features 10 ESG commitments that aim to help PNB produce more sustainable returns. Muazzam and Norazha also provide insight on how the ESG and sustainability ecosystem in Malaysia is developing as well as the challenges organisations can face when looking to implement ESG targets.

We are rethinking regeneration. In this new series we are speaking to experts who are leading the way in regen across the UK. In this episode our Senior Partner Sara Bailey talks to Mary Parsons, Regeneration and Partnerships Director at Lovell Partnerships. With experience spanning the development, construction and regeneration industry, she has been involved in some of the largest housing-led regeneration programmes in the UK working across the private and Housing Association sectors. They talk about the evolution of regeneration, what regeneration actually is and how the private sector can contribute to the Levelling Up agenda.

Continuing our conversation of the key cyber security issues facing organisations for National Cyber Security Awareness Month, Partner Charlotte Clayson and Senior Associate Liz Mulley provide top tips on how to prepare for a potential attack. Joined by guests Neil Belton, Director of Technology Risk and Paul Kelly, Head of Cyber Services at business advisory service, Azets. They discuss best practices, current cyber security trends and the crucial role staff within organisations play in preventing cyber-attacks.

In celebration of Black History Month, Interim Diversity & Inclusion Manager at Trowers, Reg Amoah speaks to Morenike Ajayi MBE, Founder of Career Nuggets, an information hub for BME (Black Minority Ethnic) individuals, who want to advance in their chosen careers. Together they discuss the Black History Month theme of Action Not Words and how Morenike has adopted that approach throughout her career on the various projects she has worked on and the ways people regardless of ethnic background can take action against racism.

As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month we will be exploring the salient issues relevant to organisations from a cyber perspective.

In this podcast, Associate Matt Whelan speaks to William Taaffe, COO at Lockdown Cyber Security where they discuss the reasons why secure communication is essential for businesses. They address the everyday risks businesses face when communicating both internally and externally as well as the changing nature of technology.

Senior partner, Sara Bailey speaks to Scott Corfe, Research Director at leading cross-party think tank Social Market Foundation (SMF), about our pending report on prioritising social value in real estate and investment sectors.  

They discuss recommendations and the industry wide collaboration needed to maximise social value and ensure the S in ESG is embedded into real estate.

How can organisations and directors implement sustainability-driven governance?

Partner Tom Reynolds speaks to Michele Kythe Lim, CEO at the Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia (ICDM) as part our ESG Perspectives series, about the key role of governance in the ESG agenda and how diverse leadership can help drive business.

Michele discusses the evolution of governance in Malaysia, the value of ESG metrics and the importance of having diverse voices at board level.

How can modern methods of construction help tackle ESG related issues?

Partner David Cordery speaks to Tunde Agoro, Head of ESG at Hydrock about the state of play for ESG in the construction industry.

They discuss ESG metrics and whether a standardised approach leads to box ticking as well as the impact of technology and the role of government.

What are the key ESG factors that businesses in Southeast Asia should be focussing on?

In the third and concluding episode of the ESG Perspectives series with abrdn, Partners Tom Reynolds and Elias Moubarak finish their discussion with Danielle Welch-Rose, ESG Investment Director for abrdn in the APAC region by addressing whether there is a war for talent amidst the ever increasing importance of ESG matters and Danielle's work as head of abrdn's Sustainability Institute.

Continuing our examination of the levelling up agenda, Partner Amardeep Gill speaks to Nick Walkley and Kat Hanna from Avison Young about the ambition, scope and likely success of the flagship policy. They discuss the role of devolution and where they think resources should be focussed when trying to create a more equal and balanced UK, as well as the advice they would provide to Government on how to progress the levelling up agenda.

Partners Tom Reynolds and Elias Moubarak speak to Danielle Welch-Rose, ESG Investment Director for abrdn in the APAC region, about the increasing importance of ESG metrics on return on investment. In this second episode in the series, they discuss how ESG principles can help drive better corporate governance as well as the differentiations between regions across Southeast Asia.

Tom Reynolds and Elias Moubarak speak to Danielle Welch-Rose, ESG Investment Director for abrdn in the APAC region. They discuss the ESG agenda and what opportunities and challenges it presents in the asset management industry across Southeast Asia. Discussion themes include; the role of governance, ESG acting as a way of attracting talent and the differentiation of challenges between different regions.

Two years on from the murder of George Floyd, Yetunde Dania, Head of our Birmingham office speaks to Ed Cox, Executive Director of Strategy, Integration and Net Zero at the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) about the impact it has made over the past two years and what the future holds. They discuss Yetunde's role as Chair of WMCA's Race Equalities Taskforce, the work it is doing to create positive change as well as the work and vision of WMCA to reduce racial disparity across the region.

Senior Partner, Sara Bailey speaks to Siobhan Jared, Senior Business and Customer Performance Manager at TFL about her role and the importance her team place on social value and driving positive culture change through their various initiatives. Siobhan also speaks about her work philosophy and how she looks to empower her team through her democratic approach to leadership.

For Mental Health Awareness Week, Senior Partner Sara Bailey spoke to Maria Hatch, Client Relationship Director UK & Ireland at Greystar. Together they discuss the connection between mental wellbeing and the physical spaces that we live in and the importance Greystar place on ensuring residents of all ages have access to mental health support.