ADVISORY BOARD

  • John has over 30 years’ experience in retail asset and property management, having led retail management teams at several market-leading organisations, including Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE, Montagu Evans, and Savills.

    His client portfolio spans high-net-worth individuals, local authorities, and major institutions such as M&G, British Land, The Crown Estate, and Aviva. Through this breadth of experience, John has built a strong professional network, enabling him to draw on specialist third-party expertise to deliver optimal outcomes for his clients.

    John’s expertise covers the full lifecycle of an asset—from initial concept and development, through construction and ongoing asset management, to refurbishment and redevelopment. He has also supported pre-acquisition due diligence on a number of shopping centres, working closely with both investment agents and clients.

    While recognising the challenges within the evolving retail market, John has a proven track record of identifying opportunities and delivering successful outcomes.

  • Ojay is the Chief Executive of the Association of Town & City Management. He works with government ministers, parliamentarians, UK Cabinet Office, economic development professionals, business leaders and place managers across the UK and Ireland to support town and city centres. He works on a range of policy issues including adaptation to an industrial revolution, tax reform, local government finance, transport, housing, planning, retail, crime, urban regeneration and the climate emergency.

    Ojay was the co-chair of the Sector Leaders Group on the High Streets Task Force, a ministerial-led programme supporting town centre regeneration in England. He is a board member of the International Downtown Association, an organisation based in Washington D.C that represents urban place management globally. He advises governments, business leaders and place managers across the world on urban economics. He coordinates the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Town Centres in the UK. And, he supports the Urban Climate Change Research Network to advance knowledge on the relationship between climate change and cities.

    Ojay was the lead author of the UK non-judicial parliamentary inquiry ‘High Street Britain 2015’, lectured at the Manchester Metropolitan University, is a former Director of the Institute of Place Management, has a Masters Degree in International Politics and helped bring forward the first ever Minister for Town Centres in the UK through the Portas Review.