Our team

Following a number of marketing and business development roles, both in the UK and Europe, Richard has nearly twenty years’ experience of commercial and corporate services leadership roles with leading membership and third sector organisations. At the RTPI he is responsible for the Human Resources, Information Technology, Facilities, Governance, Marketing, External Affairs and Communications functions. He also leads the institutes’ commercial development activity including the national events programme and membership growth activity. Outside of work Richard holds a Burnley FC season ticket, keeps hens and is a listening volunteer with the Samaritans.

Caroline is a chartered town planner and experienced planning academic. Her research and teaching interests focussed on green and blue health, cycling and walking, sustainability and urban form.

Over the years she has been involved in several international research collaborations and is currently part of the child-focussed cities network with researchers in Brazil, Australia, Africa and Europe. For the last six years Caroline was Senior Editor at the journal Cities & Health - helping to develop a place for the dissemination of cross-disciplinary research spanning academic, policy and practitioner boundaries in urban planning, public health and policy. 

Caroline is the Director for Scotland, Ireland and English Regions. In this role she leads the Institute’s policy, public affairs and member services work in Scotland and Ireland and is the lead Director for our work in our English Regions. 

Outside work Caroline ferries her children to and from sporting activities and is Membership Secretary at Edinburgh diving club, where her daughter is a competitive age group diver. She spends not enough time on her allotment and also likes to knit and sew. 

Mark is a Chartered Town Planner with over twenty years’ experience working in the public sector in Wales.  This included development management, planning enforcement, appeals and policy followed by management and leadership roles.  Prior to starting at the Royal Town Planning Institute in March 2024, Mark was a Head of Service with responsibility for planning, building control, regeneration, highways and flooding.  He also has seven years’ experience of the planning system in Northern Ireland, having been commissioned by the Department for Infrastructure to advise on measuring planning performance and by a District Council to review its planning service and advise on the implications of the 2022 Northern Ireland Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee reports.

Mark is a past Chair of the Planning Officers’ Society Wales and of the South East Wales Strategic Planning Group, was an external examiner for Cardiff University’s School of City and Regional Planning, and is a past member of the RTPI’s General Assembly.  He is passionate about the role of planners in making the world a better place, and the collaborative approach with all built environment professions that is needed to achieve this.

As the Director for Wales, Northern Ireland and Planning Aid England, Mark is responsible for leading the Institute’s policy, public affairs and member services work in Wales and Northern Ireland and is the lead Director for our planning advice service delivered by approximately 400 volunteers for Planning Aid England. 

Outside work, Mark lives with his partner and Wilson the beagle, Sebastian the cat and Karma the chameleon.  He enjoys travel, caravanning, photography and socialising.

Andrew is a Chartered Town Planner and urban designer and has worked in consultancy, local and national government planning roles since 2000. As Director of Education and Profession at the RTPI he is responsible for Institute-wide education policy and accreditation procedures, student advice and support including the new RTPI Bursary project, member’s lifelong learning and CPD monitoring and standards, and the RTPI Future Planners volunteer initiative to promote planning as a career choice to young people.

Anil is the Chief Technology Officer at the RTPI. 

Simon is responsible for all external channels including public affairs. He has extensive experience in the professional and membership space, having worked for four separate membership bodies including the Institution of Civil Engineers, The Russell Group and The Association of Colleges. He also spent five years working in Government communications for the Department for Business where he finished his time as Press Secretary. His primary focus is the long-term value of awareness campaigns and the use of clear communications tactics involved in supporting Pillar Three of the corporate strategy. Prior to working in comms he was a national newspaper journalist in Ireland and spent time living in Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow.

Andrew is a Chartered Town Planner and urban designer and has worked in consultancy, local and national government planning roles since 2000. As Director of Education and Profession at the RTPI he is responsible for Institute-wide education policy and accreditation procedures, student advice and support including the new RTPI Bursary project, member’s lifelong learning and CPD monitoring and standards, and the RTPI Future Planners volunteer initiative to promote planning as a career choice to young people.

Anil is the Chief Technology Officer at the RTPI. 

Kate is a Chartered Marketer with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and has over 20 years’ experience working in marketing, communications and events roles in membership, and an early career in consumer PR. Kate is responsible for implementing RTPI’s new brand strategy and creating and developing marketing plans and campaigns that support the delivery of the corporate strategy.

Following a number of marketing and business development roles, both in the UK and Europe, Richard has nearly twenty years’ experience of commercial and corporate services leadership roles with leading membership and third sector organisations. At the RTPI he is responsible for the Human Resources, Information Technology, Facilities, Governance, Marketing, External Affairs and Communications functions. He also leads the institutes’ commercial development activity including the national events programme and membership growth activity. Outside of work Richard holds a Burnley FC season ticket, keeps hens and is a listening volunteer with the Samaritans.

Simon is responsible for all external channels including public affairs. He has extensive experience in the professional and membership space, having worked for four separate membership bodies including the Institution of Civil Engineers, The Russell Group and The Association of Colleges. He also spent five years working in Government communications for the Department for Business where he finished his time as Press Secretary. His primary focus is the long-term value of awareness campaigns and the use of clear communications tactics involved in supporting Pillar Three of the corporate strategy. Prior to working in comms he was a national newspaper journalist in Ireland and spent time living in Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow.

Béatrice is International Lead at the Royal Town Planning Institute.  She is leading and coordinating the development and delivery of the international function and activities of the Royal Town Planning Institute, including the implementation of the Institute’s International Strategy.  She is a Chartered Planner with 13-years working in the private and public sector on a wide range of projects including international collaborations.  She recently completed a secondment with the Royal Institute of British Architects delivering a strategic capacity development component on behalf of the UK Built Environment Advisory Group as part of a multidisciplinary team working with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Global Future Cities Programme in partnership with UN-Habitat.

Caroline is a chartered town planner and experienced planning academic. Her research and teaching interests focussed on green and blue health, cycling and walking, sustainability and urban form.

Over the years she has been involved in several international research collaborations and is currently part of the child-focussed cities network with researchers in Brazil, Australia, Africa and Europe. For the last six years Caroline was Senior Editor at the journal Cities & Health - helping to develop a place for the dissemination of cross-disciplinary research spanning academic, policy and practitioner boundaries in urban planning, public health and policy. 

Caroline is the Director for Scotland, Ireland and English Regions. In this role she leads the Institute’s policy, public affairs and member services work in Scotland and Ireland and is the lead Director for our work in our English Regions. 

Outside work Caroline ferries her children to and from sporting activities and is Membership Secretary at Edinburgh diving club, where her daughter is a competitive age group diver. She spends not enough time on her allotment and also likes to knit and sew. 

Mark is a Chartered Town Planner with over twenty years’ experience working in the public sector in Wales.  This included development management, planning enforcement, appeals and policy followed by management and leadership roles.  Prior to starting at the Royal Town Planning Institute in March 2024, Mark was a Head of Service with responsibility for planning, building control, regeneration, highways and flooding.  He also has seven years’ experience of the planning system in Northern Ireland, having been commissioned by the Department for Infrastructure to advise on measuring planning performance and by a District Council to review its planning service and advise on the implications of the 2022 Northern Ireland Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee reports.

Mark is a past Chair of the Planning Officers’ Society Wales and of the South East Wales Strategic Planning Group, was an external examiner for Cardiff University’s School of City and Regional Planning, and is a past member of the RTPI’s General Assembly.  He is passionate about the role of planners in making the world a better place, and the collaborative approach with all built environment professions that is needed to achieve this.

As the Director for Wales, Northern Ireland and Planning Aid England, Mark is responsible for leading the Institute’s policy, public affairs and member services work in Wales and Northern Ireland and is the lead Director for our planning advice service delivered by approximately 400 volunteers for Planning Aid England. 

Outside work, Mark lives with his partner and Wilson the beagle, Sebastian the cat and Karma the chameleon.  He enjoys travel, caravanning, photography and socialising.

Lucy is an event and sponsorship professional with over 20 years of experience in the event industry, responsible for managing wide range of events in the UK and abroad. She started her own event company specialising in incentive travel and celebratory corporate events. In her current role, Lucy is responsible for the management of the event team to deliver a programme of high-profile flagship events for the RTPI. Additionally, Lucy manages the sponsorship for events and supports the Head of English Regions in the delivery of the event strategy.