HOPS Conference 2026: Speakers

Chris Cox – Chair of Heads of Planning Scotland and Assistant Director, Planning and Development for South Ayrshire Council

Christina (Chris) Cox is Assistant Director for Planning and Development at South Ayrshire Council and is the current Chair of Heads of Planning Scotland. Chris is a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and has worked in a variety of Planning Authorities since 1989. Her current role, which she has been in since 2022, involves leading services delivering Council led developments, regeneration, asset management, energy efficiency, community asset transfer, building standards as well as planning services.

Dr. Hugh Ellis – Director of Policy at the TCPA

Hugh’s responsibilities at the TCPA include leading on policy development, and briefings and engagement with central and local government. In 2018 he led the secretariat for the Raynsford Review setting out a blueprint for a new planning system in England. Since 2015 Hugh has co-authored four books, including ‘Rebuilding Britain’ and ‘Town Planning in Crisis’ with Kate Henderson, ‘The Art of Building a Garden City’ and ‘New Towns: Rise Fall and Rebirth’ with Katy Lock for RIBA. Hugh has worked closely with parliamentarians on successive rounds of planning legislation culminating Levelling Up and Regeneration Act. Hugh is currently leading on the promotion of Healthy Homes legislation and on long term planning for the climate crisis. He has a Doctorate in Land Use Planning and is Honorary Professor of Utopian Studies at the University of Sheffield.

Stephen Penman – Chief Executive of South Ayrshire Council

Stephen Penman has been chief executive of South Ayrshire Council since November 2025. He joined South Ayrshire from North Lanarkshire Council, where his direct responsibilities included business strategy, performance, community partnership and communications. Before joining local government as a head of service in 2009, Stephen had a successful career in the media.

Craig McLaren – National Planning Improvement Champion

Craig McLaren is Scotland’s first National Planning Improvement Champion. This role was established in the 2019 Planning Act to monitor planning performance and support improvement; to identify, share and apply good practice; and to establish strategic challenges and broker action. Craig is based in the Improvement Service and took up post in September 2023.

Prior to that he was Director of Scotland, Ireland and English Regions in the Royal Town Planning Institute; Director of the Scottish Centre for Regeneration in Communities Scotland/ Scottish Government; Chief Executive of SURF (Scottish Urban Regeneration Forum); Scottish Policy Officer at RTPI; and a planner in the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

Craig writes a regular column for The Planner magazine’s website called Planning Positive and is a Fellow of the RTPI, the RSA and the Academy of Social Sciences, and an Academician of the Academy of Urbanism. He has sat on the Boards of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, Built Environment Forum Scotland, Greenspace Scotland, Resilient Scotland and the Jim Boyack Memorial Trust.

Karen Shaw – President of the Planning Officers’ Society England and Head of Planning Strategy and Geographic Information at Nottingham City Council

Karen Shaw is Head of Planning Strategy and Geographic Information at Nottingham City Council, President of the Planning Officers Society and also Secretary for the Planning Officers Society Spatial Planning Network.

Karen is a Chartered Town Planner and has over 25 years’ experience working in the public and private sectors in planning. In her current role she is responsible for preparing the Local Plan for Nottingham City and managing a GIS Team which provides both corporate and planning functions.  Her experience at Nottingham has also involved working jointly with the partner authorities in the Greater Nottingham to develop a Spatial Plan covering the whole conurbation. She has also been involved in a broad range of complex and challenging planning issues covering plan preparation, housing, retail, heritage and site allocation matters during her career.

Most recently, Karen has been awarded The Planning Magazine’s Woman of Influence Award 2026 in recognition of her national voice in the planning arena representing local authority views on planning matters.

Harriet Lavender – Treasurer of the Planning Officers’ Society Wales and Head of Planning at Pembrokeshire County Council

Harriet is Head of Planning at Pembrokeshire County Council and has developed a versatile and successful career in Town Planning spanning 18 years gaining expertise in Development Management, Enforcement, Policy, Built Heritage & Conservation and Building Control. She has predominantly worked for Pembrokeshire County Council undertaking several roles but has also worked in a specialist planning and heritage role for the Council of the Isles of Scilly. She is a passionate champion of the profession, mentor to young planners and advocate of women in planning and leadership. Most recently she has become the corporate lead for water quality issues affecting Pembrokeshire and addressing Natural Resources Wales’ nutrient neutrality requirements as part of a National Nitrates Taskforce.

Kate Bentley, Director of Planning and Building Control Belfast City Council

Kate is currently the Director of Planning and Building Control at Belfast City Council where she is leading on improvement and culture change and delivery of the Council’s growth ambitions. She began her career at Newcastle City Council, focusing on retail planning and city centre redevelopment. Later, joining Warrington Borough Council, she managed the Planning Policy team and expanded it into the Policy and Programme team, overseeing Economic Development and collaborating with the Urban Regeneration Company.

After relocating to Scotland, Kate led the Planning Service at Angus Council, integrating Community Planning and Spatial Planning to enhance public engagement. Kate also led organisational development work at Angus Council using a systems approach to improvement and demand management, grounded in engagement and Service Design.

Since moving to Belfast, Kate has led on the adoption of the City’s first Local Development Plan, and has delivered significant developments across the city, including delivery of the city’s first 770 unit Build to Rent development. Kate has chaired the Heads of Planning group in Northern Ireland and was recognised as a Woman of Influence by the RTPI in 2025 as a result of her role in the Regional Planning Improvement Programme.

With over 25 years local authority experience, Kate leads transformational work using systems approaches to improvement, grounded in engagement and has a passion for ensuring that Planning makes a positive difference. She believes that built environment professionals are facilitators not gatekeepers and that they should have a strong customer focus, not just for applicants, but also for those who want to be involved in shaping places around them.

Tony Cain – Policy Manager at ALACHO

Now working as the Policy Manager for the Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers (ALACHO), Tony’s career includes work in both central and local government and the Scottish Housing Regulator.

His previous post as Head of Housing and Customer Service with Stirling Council included strategic leadership of customer service, equalities, internet communications and advice. He has also worked on secondment to the Scottish Government developing policy in relation to private sector housing. Tony is a former chair of Under One Roof and Shelter’s Scotland Committee. He is also a member of the First Tier Tribunal Housing and Property Chamber. Most recently he spent a year on secondment to Clackmannanshire Council as their head of housing.

Dearbhla Lawson – Director of Planning Services at The Land Development Agency

Dearbhla leads the LDA’s planning services function, working with partners to optimise state land usage, build the pipeline and progress plans to deliver sustainable urban development.

A key focus is on identifying public lands that could be better utilised for housing. Dearbhla leads a strategic approach to planning and land management to unlock the potential for brownfield and strategically located lands across Irelands cities and urban areas.

Prior to her current role, Dearbhla worked in public and private sector roles in Ireland and UK in Cambridgeshire as Head of Transport & Infrastructure and Strategic Planning and prior to this at the Government Office East of England.

Mhairi Donaghy, Associate Director at Scottish Futures Trust

Mhairi works in the Place, Housing and Economic Investment team at Scottish Futures Trust, the Scottish Government’s infrastructure centre of expertise.  She is an economic development professional and RTPI Affiliate with over 30 years’ experience across place, regeneration and housing in both public sector delivery and private sector consultancy roles. Working with Scotland’s Towns Partnership (where she is the Vice Chair) and Scottish Government, she has been leading SFTs efforts to stimulate town centre living, helping project managers to promote the wide range of impacts and benefits that housing can bring to our town and city centres.

Jamie Dunne, Legal Director at Brodies LLP Solicitors

Jamie Dunne is a legal director in the Risk, Government and Compliance team at Brodies. He is an accredited specialist in public procurement law, convener of the competition committee of the Law Society of Scotland, and a recognised leader in the field of subsidy control law. He regularly advises local authorities and development agencies on complex development arrangements and innovative models for unlocking development. Jamie is ranked by both main law firm directories in both local government law and EU and competition law. He teaches public law at the University of Edinburgh.

Chris Kelly – Director at EKOS

Chris is an economist and economic development specialist with over 20 years’ experience advising on regional growth, place-based development, and infrastructure investment. He combines quantitative and qualitative analysis with expertise in HM Treasury Green Book business cases, options appraisal, feasibility studies, and economic and social impact modelling.

He works extensively with national and local government, enterprise agencies, universities, and industry partners to shape investment strategies and deliver evidence-based decisions.

Hanna McCulloch – Child Poverty and SAVVI Programme Manager at the Improvement Service

Hanna McCulloch is Programme Manager for Child Poverty and SAVVI with the Improvement Service. She supports local authorities, health boards and their community planning partners in their work to tackle child poverty. Through SAVVI, she supports local partners to use data to identify those at highest risk of poor outcomes and to intervene to provide preventative support. Before joining the Improvement Service, Hanna worked in a range of policy, research and engagement roles for organisations such as Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), Capability Scotland and Shelter Scotland.

Felicia Szloboda – Child Poverty and UNCRC Project Officer at the Improvement Service

Felicia Szloboda is a Child Poverty and UNCRC Project Officer at the Improvement Service, where she works with Scottish local authorities to support the implementation of children’s rights and strengthen efforts to tackle child poverty through policy and practice improvement. She has prior experience in international human rights monitoring and rights-based accountability. Alongside her role at the Improvement Service, she is a PhD researcher at the University of Edinburgh. Her research explores the development of human rights monitoring framework with a particular focus on children’s rights to adequate housing.

Paul Cassidy – Sustainable Design Officer at South Ayrshire Council

Paul Cassidy is a Sustainable Design Officer and Certified Passivhaus Designer at South Ayrshire Council. As a key member of the in‑house Professional Design Services team, he specialises in sustainable building design and project delivery. Paul plays a central role in shaping and implementing the Council’s sustainable design strategy, which he has supported with the creation and rollout of the councils Sustainable Design Guide. He leads projects that integrate passive design, high‑performance standards and a holistic sustainability approach across the Council’s estate. Paul designed and delivered the award‑nominated Bridge Street Depot in Girvan, a flagship development recognised for its A+ building energy performance and innovative passive design. He is committed to delivering practical, future‑focused solutions that support and advance the Council’s Net Zero ambitions.

Alex Rathmell – Capacity Building Manager at the Scottish Climate Intelligence Service

As Capacity Building Manager at the Scottish Climate Intelligence Service (SCIS), Alex leads a team that works with all 32 of Scotland’s Local Authorities to plan and deliver area-wide climate programmes. Alex brings extensive experience in local government climate action, most recently managing the Local Net Zero Accelerator – a £19m DESNZ-funded programme developing investment partnerships with three Combined Authorities. Alex has held leadership positions at innovative energy and carbon companies including EP Group (consultancy), Energiesprong UK (whole-house retrofit), EEVS Insight (energy efficiency analytics, co-founder). Alex is a Chartered Engineer, MBA, and has a Masters in Electrical Engineering from Imperial College.

Kevin Anderson – Assistant Director, Policy, Strategy and Performance at South Ayrshire Council

Kevin is the Assistant Director for Policy, Strategy and Performance at South Ayrshire Council, bringing more than 20 years of public sector experience across local government, the NHS and the Crown Office.

He began his career with South Ayrshire Council in 2006 as a Housing Policy Officer, progressing in 2008 to Co‑ordinator for Housing Policy and Strategy. In 2015, he was seconded to the Council’s Business Improvement Team, where he contributed to organisation‑wide change and service development. The following year, he moved to North Ayrshire Council to lead the Place Directorate’s Transformation Programme, returning to South Ayrshire 16 months later as Housing Policy and Strategy Manager.

Kevin was appointed a Chief Officer in 2024. His portfolio now includes Housing Strategy, Community Planning, Best Value, Corporate Policy and Performance, Equalities, Sustainability and Climate Change and Corporate Communications. He is committed to improving outcomes for communities and is a strong advocate for the role of local government and community planning in driving meaningful public sector reform.

Robert McKinnon – Senior Land & Partnerships Manager, Scotland at Keepmoat

Robert has over 26 years of residential land acquisition and pre-development experience, which spans across the whole of Scotland, with the majority of this being focused on Brownfield land. His background is in Land Economics, with a particular focus on Planning, Law, and Pre-Development Management. Robert benefits from being Co-Chair of Homes for Scotland’s Strathclyde Home Builders Committee, as well as having a position on the Homes for Scotland National Planning Committee – both Committees’ purpose being to develop planning policy, both at a national and local level. Robert is currently working with Keepmoat Homes, the 6th largest home builder in the UK – his role being to assist in the expansion of the Scotland business through new land acquisitions.

Drew Murphy – interim Scotland RESP Manager at NESO

Drew is interim manager of the Regional Energy Strategic Planning (RESP) Scotland team at the National Energy System Operator (NESO). As well as leading the team, he has a focus on how the energy transition can enable heat and transport decarbonisation, and supporting partnership working with Local Government. He previously led the development of Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (LHEES) policy at the Scottish Government and has over 15 years of experience in the energy sector delivering heat decarbonisation, renewable energy and fuel poverty related policy and projects.

Nick Wright – Principal at Nick Wright Planning

Nick is a Fellow and member of the General Assembly of the Royal Town Planning Institute. Except for a couple of years working with VSO on community-based housing in Indonesia, he has worked in Scottish planning since he was a planning postgrad at Strathclyde University in the late 1980s; fortunately he takes his work a lot more seriously now than he did then. He has been self-employed since 2004, and has the great privilege of working with communities throughout Scotland on community-led planning and placemaking.