IAKS UK event & Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Tour 22 Nov 2022

BArch (Dist), BSc (Hons) Arch, UWCC, RIBA

Tom is a Senior Principal in the London office of Populous and has a keen interest in how sports and entertainment buildings and events can enhance cities and communities. He has a great passion for sport and has been able to use this in the design and delivery of a number of high-profile projects around the world, including the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Emirates Stadium for Arsenal FC and the Olympic Stadium for the London 2012 Olympic Games.  He has also worked on other major sports events, including the ICC Cricket World Cup and NFL Super Bowl.

In addition to running major projects, Tom has co-authored the technical guide to Sports Facilities in the Metric Handbook and contributed to a series of international publications. He is a member of the IAKS Executive Board since 2017 and sits on the Sports Economy Sector Advisory Group for DIT (Department of Industry and Trade).  He has also spoken at a range of conferences and events around the world on the sustainability of sports and entertainment buildings.

Jon has worked in a variety of positions within the Event Operations Industry before laying down roots with Tottenham Hotspur where he has worked for the last 20 years. Previous roles include Operations/Event Manager (Wembley), Operations Director (Odyssey Arena/Belfast) and Director of Venues (Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games).

As Stadium Director, Jon has direct responsibility for the daily operation of the Stadium campus and leads on all operational/budget planning for the major events held at the stadium. To date the stadium has played host to English Premier and Champions League Football, a variety of NFL games, World Championship Boxing, Guns N Roses, Lady Gaga and both Rugby League and Rugby Union matches.

Malcolm is Professor of Building Performance Analysis at Loughborough University. He obtained a first degree in Mathematics and completed his PhD in airflow modelling of natural ventilation. As well as completing a range of research projects on indoor air quality and low energy building design, he has consulted for a wide range of buildings worldwide which have included design and simulation work for health care buildings, schools, theatres, sports venues and modern library buildings. His work is published extensively and has contributed to several awards for innovative building design. Currently, he is leading a project looking at the design and control of buildings to mitigate the risk of Covid-19 transmission.

Peter Curtis is a Project Manager with over 19 years’ experience of working in the sport and leisure sector.  Peter specialises in delivering wet leisure projects and his experience includes working with different client groups including sports clubs, local authorities, central government and universities.

Peter set up Hadron Consulting Ltd in 2014 with the aim of delivering projects in a more personal way.  Before setting up Hadron Consulting, Peter Curtis was a Director at Drivers Jonas and Deloitte,  responsible for delivering large scale, high value developments.  He was also a strategic advisor and provided programme management services to high profile clients on large scale projects, such as the Restoration and Renewal Programme for the Houses of Parliament.

Shaun Dawson leads the award winning Lee Valley Regional Park Authority which is responsible for the 4,000 ha Lee Valley Regional Park. The Regional Park consists of a range sport and leisure venues along with country parks and nature reserves and attracts 7 mill visitors a year.

Shaun has been involved in the London 2012 Olympic project from bid stage in 2003 to now leading the organisation which has guaranteed the future of three world class London 2012 legacy venues: Lee Valley White Water Centre; Lee Valley VeloPark; Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre. These venues are popular community assets and financially successful, hosting a range of community and commercial activities including over 20 major international events since 2012.

Shaun was a member of the UK Government’s Rio 2016 Advisory Panel and has spent time in Rio advising the City, State and Federal Governments on sporting legacy. He has also provided advice to Tokyo 2020 on venue design and legacy planning and has spent time in Tokyo where he met with representatives from Government and the Tokyo 2020 agencies.

He has extensive experience of strategic planning, business modelling, development and management of sports venues. A particular focus has been delivering viable and sustainable venues that are community focused and commercially driven.

Tom has significant experience working on multi-million-pound projects within the sports and leisure sector both in the UK and internationally. 

His passion for the Sports and Leisure sector was sparked by an opportunity to deliver Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in the UAE, where he coordinated design and oversaw installation for MEP systems in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Hoare Lea office. 

Sustainable and low carbon energy design solutions have always been a key focus for Tom and these principles have been applied on the many sports & leisure projects that he has undertaken.

Mike specialises in the design of sports facilities. He is an advocate of developing expertise as a springboard for innovative solutions in this specialist field, where the social spaces are as valuable as the fields of play. Notable examples include the multi award-winning Derby Arena, Lee Valley White Water Centre for the London 2012 Olympic Games and the University of Surrey Sports Complex.

Mike has travelled widely, researching and benchmarking facilities around the world and brings a national and international perspective to this field. He is a regular speaker at international conferences and is an active member of the International Union of Architects (UIA) sports and leisure working group. Mike is currently working on the Beacon of Light, for the Sunderland Foundation of Light, a building that harnesses the power of sport to transform lives.

Ed Hunt is a graduate of Borough Road Sports College (Brunel University) and is the National Facilities Manager for UK Athletics. Ed has worked in the sport & leisure sector for over 25years, with experience encompassing Sport & Leisure Management (Pendle Leisure Trust and Hyndburn Leisure Trust) and NGB Sports Development and Facility Management (Swim England & UK Athletics).

Living in Greater Manchester, Ed is a keen runner and cyclist and has completed 7 marathons (including London, New York, Dublin & Amsterdam) and in 2022 achieved a lifetime ambition of cycling the length of the country from Lands’ End to John O’Groats.

MA MArch PGDip

Irina is a key member of the internationally recognised FaulknerBrowns’ sports and leisure team. Coming from Russia she has brought a global perspective on the design of sports facilities which challenges traditional models and drives innovation in the sector.  Having been involved in the design of a number of high profile sports projects, she is currently leading the design and delivery of a major sports facility for the University of Portsmouth that raises the national and international benchmark for sustainability and is on target to be the first BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ building of its kind.

In 2017, Irina was named the winner of the prestigious AJ/Curtins Inspiring Graduate Prize and she has received the National G4C Future Leader Award in 2018. She also represents the interests of young construction professionals in the North East as a co-chair of the regional Generation 4 Change Committee.

Mark is a Director of Engineering and the Sports Sector Leader at Max Fordham. For nearly 30 years he has been designing high-performance, sustainable sports buildings for universities, local authorities, and major events. His experience ranges from a series of Sport England "optimum" sports halls, to the Olympic Water Polo Arena for London 2012, to the multi award-winning Oriam (Scotland's National Performance Centre).

Mark has recently completed the Ravelin Sports Centre at the University of Portsmouth, one of the UK's most sustainable sports centres with a BREEAM 'Outstanding' rating. Mark is also a member of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard group for Sport & Leisure.

Tom Pinnington is a Director at The Sports Consultancy Ltd. Tom has over 20 years’ experience in strategic planning, feasibility and business case development for sport and leisure projects. He began his career at Sport England before moving on to consultancy.

The Sports Consultancy is based in London. Its senior team of consultants offer a wealth of experience in high profile sport and leisure assignments for public and private sector clients across the UK and overseas. Clients include public and private sector organisations including local and national governments, universities, national governing bodies of sport, international federations and professional sports clubs.

Sander van Stiphout is director of the consultancy branch of the Johan Cruijff ArenA and its program manager innovation.

His responsibility is to co-develop the mid- and longterm strategy of the stadium and achieve tangible goals for the stadium operator and for its main stakeholders Ajax, KNVB and the City of Amsterdam by driving innovation among partners such as corporates, research institutes, universities, SME’s and start-ups, while using the stadium as a fieldlab. Sander is co-founder of the Football Innovation Platform, a cooperation with UEFA, FA, KNVB, Ajax and City Football Group, also known for its Reimagine Football challenges.

Sander has worked on stadium projects worldwide, such as the Russia and Brazil World Cups, and was special stadium operations consultant to the Qatar Supreme Committee in preparation for FIFA World Cup 2022.

Tony Wallace is an experienced Sports and Leisure professional with over 20 years within the leisure industry working for GLL, London’s leading Charitable Social Enterprise and largest leisure operator in the UK.

Tony is a Regional Director for GLL, responsible for the successful strategic service delivery of sport, leisure and cultural services in London that include the iconic London Aquatics Centre and Copper Box Arena on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Tony has a strong background in operational Leisure and International Venue Management with extensive experience in facility management, project management, commissioning and opening new facilities, licensing, security, programming and promotion.

In his role Tony has gained extensive experience in the following areas; community sport, leisure, health and fitness delivery, elite sport provision, managing international sporting venues, athlete services and working with National Sports Governing Bodies.

Tony also has a track record for delivering high profile sporting and non sporting events from concept, through planning stages to successful delivery; this includes liaising with key stakeholders and event organisers. Highlights include; Aviva London Grand Prix 2005 - 2012, Coldplay in Concert 2005, Modern Pentathlon World Championships 2009 and 2011, Balfour Beatty London Youth Games, Tri Nations Swimming, Brasil Olympic Training Camp and more recently international events within the Copper Box Arena and London Aquatics Centre.

Tony has been an integral part of GLL’s Olympic Team since its formation and was part of the GLL team advising on the business planning and design of the London Aquatics Centre. He also played a lead role in launching the GLL Sport Foundation which has gained acclaim for its support of young athletes from leading people in the sports and political arena.

Tony is an Honours Graduate in Leisure and Tourism Management as well as holding a number of vocational qualifications including the Institute of Sports and Recreation Management Certificate.