Board Directors

  • Janine Cole, BBP Chair

    Sustainability and Social Impact Director, GPE

    Janine Cole is the Chair of the Better Buildings Partnership and Head of Sustainability for Great Portland Estates plc, a FTSE 250 Real Estate Investment Trust specialising in development and investment of property in Central London.  She leads on the development and implementation of sustainability strategy and reporting on ESG matters across the business.  A key responsibility is to integrate sustainability, wellbeing and community related matters into all aspects of the design, construction and operation of our buildings. As part of her role, Janine is also responsible for the Charities and Community Strategy and for ensuring it’s effective implementation.

  • James Manning, BBP Deputy Chair

    London Estate Strategy and Performance Lead, Grosvenor

    James is a London Estate Strategy and Performance Lead at Grosvenor. James is responsible for supporting Grosvenor’s property teams across its London Estate to deliver lasting commercial, social and environmental impact as well as embed sustainability within business activities, decision making and culture. He led the development of Grosvenor’s net zero carbon pathway, ThinkZero and launched Grosvenor’s Social Impact Strategy, People Positive. He is an active member of the BBP and is involved in a range of working groups including the climate commitment, net zero carbon and climate resilience working groups as well as the owner-occupier forum. He comes from a non-traditional property or sustainability background having started his career in management consulting delivering complex cultural change programmes and transformations across a range of sectors. James holds a First Class honours degree from University of Oxford with a B.A. in Geography and also holds a Masters in Environmental Archaeology and a postgraduate qualification in Sustainable Business from University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

  • Shuen Chan

    Head of ESG, Real Assets, Legal & General Investment Management

    Shuen is Head of ESG, Real Assets at Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) and is responsible for LGIM’s responsible investment strategy and integration across the portfolio covering real estate equity, infrastructure equity and private debt.  Shuen has been working for over a decade in the intersection of sustainable finance, climate change and impact investing, following a successful career in asset management and capital markets.  She was previously co-founder of a purpose driven ESG advisory firm that helped institutional investors to build the case for sustainable investments and the transition to a low carbon economy. Prior to that, she established a climate investment firm focused on nature-based solutions.  Shuen was previously a founding team member of one of the fastest growing credit asset management firms in Europe, European Credit Management, where she was Head of Structured Product Origination.  Shuen’s early career started in debt capital markets teams at Deutsche Bank, Macquarie and HSBC across Asia and Europe. Shuen serves on the CFA ESG Advisory panel and is also a co-author of the ESG certification learning materials. She is also an independent trustee of The Lightbulb Trust, a charitable foundation that supports social inclusion, equality and education through grant giving and impact investing. Shuen has a degree in Economics and an MBA from Imperial College and has been a guest tutor on climate change at Oxford University Saïd Business School on their Executive Impact Investing programme.

  • Abigail Dean

    Global Head of Strategic Insights, Nuveen Real Estate

    Abigail oversees the sustainability strategy, which positions Nuveen Real Estate as a global leader on environmental, social and governance issues, and ensures the business is well placed to pursue growth opportunities, whilst minimising the risk of accelerated depreciation and early obsolescence within Nuveen Real Estate’s portfolio of assets.  She joined the firm in 2016.  Abigail previously worked at JLL, where she led on sustainability for the property and asset management business, embedding it into core processes and deliverables. Particular achievements include the successful integration of sustainability into procurement and supply chain management, the roll out of a rigorous ISO14001 certified Environmental Management System and the standardisation of deliverables to clients. She began working in the real estate indsutry in 2008.  Abigail gradudated with a B.A., with honours, in English Literature from The University of Sheffield. She is an active member of the Better Buildings Partnership and sits on a number of their working groups. She has also contributed to the Word Green Building Council’s Better Places for People campaign, by taking part in the Health, Wellbeing and Productivity in Retail working group.

  • Rob Gibson

    Business Consultant, Coach & Mentor, Vistage Group Chair

    Rob Gibson is a Business Consultant, Coach, Mentor, and Chair at Vistage Group, bringing over 30 years of global senior executive experience in engineering, construction, and real estate. Having successfully developed high-performance environments in divisions generating revenues exceeding $400 million, Rob's skills include implementing growth strategies, integrating ESG principles, overseeing the design and operation of all business functions, and mentoring key staff and specialist teams.

  • Sonal Jain

    Head of Sustainability, Workspace

    Sonal Jain is the Head of Sustainability at Workspace, a FTSE250 Real Estate Investment Trust specialising in flexible office space in London. Sonal is responsible for ensuring the business delivers significant positive environmental and social impact, alongside shareholder returns. Sonal oversees the creation, implementation and monitoring of sustainability strategy, along with stakeholder engagement and communication on sustainability matters. As the Chair of the ESG committee, Sonal also operates Workspace’s ESG governance structure, ensuring there is leadership oversight and accountability on sustainability matters. Sonal has over 18 years of experience in sustainability and has worked globally in various roles across the built environment value chain. Prior to joining Workspace, she led the climate change and net zero programme at JLL and was also appointed as a senior advisor to COP26 climate champions built environment team. Sonal holds a Masters degree in Environmental Economics from LSE and in Energy Performance and Buildings from Arizona State University.  

  • Neil Pennell

    Head of Design, Innovation and Property Solutions, Landsec

    Neil Pennell is the Head of Engineering and Design for Landsec, the UK’s largest quoted property company. He leads an in-house specialist team responsible for the management of design, procurement and delivery of building service installations and infrastructure for all the Group’s major new development projects. Neil chairs an internal Environment Panel with responsibility at corporate level to ensure the Company’s environmental targets are met as part of Landsec’s long-term commitment to sustainable development. Neil is the Chairman of the Technical Committee of the British Council of Offices and has contributed to a number of their technical publications. He is a keen advocate of the application of new energy technologies and energy efficient systems in commercial and residential development and is a member of the London Hydrogen Partnership. Neil is also the chairman of the BBP Building Operations & Technology Working Group.

  • Harry Stokes

    Commercial Finance Director, SEGRO

    Harry Stokes is a Commercial Finance Director at SEGRO, where his responsibilities encompass strategic leadership in debt and equity capital markets, group management reporting, and financial planning. Harry has a comprehensive background in both commercial and financial domains,including joint ventures, investor relations, treasury, debt and equity capital markets, and the integration of ESG principles within the finance function.

  • Jane Wakiwaka

    Head of Sustainability, REM Ltd

    Jane Wakiwaka is Head of Sustainability at REM Ltd and is responsible for establishing REM’s sustainability strategy for the business, and for implementation across its assets under management. Prior to REM, Jane was Sustainability Director at The Crown Estate, where she set out and embedded The Crown Estate’s sustainability agenda and Net Zero Carbon Commitment across the business including the development, management, and investment of its real estate portfolio. She is an active member of the BBP, and most recently chaired the BBP’s Green Lease Toolkit working Group. She also actively participates at an industry level and has previously worked with organisations including: the BCO, REVO, BPF, UKGBC and GRESB (formerly the European Benchmark Committee Chair). She holds postgraduate qualifications in Sustainable Business and Sustainable Finance from the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainable Leadership, a Masters degrees in Climate Change Management from Birkbeck University and Urbanisation & Development from LSE, and a BA in Geography from LSE.