Gary Hunt – Chair of OPUN
Gary is leading Opun through partnership and association. Gary is a member of the East Midlands Development Agency (emda) Board and is champion for Land and Development with responsibility for all major projects throughout the East Midlands. Gary was a Leicester City Councillor for 23 years and former Lord Mayor and Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Planning, Regeneration, Highways and Environment function of the Authority. Gary acts as a Consultant in many areas of Regeneration, Funding, Inward Investment and Environmental Developments. Gary sits on the Committee of the East Midlands Reserve Forces and Cadets Association, and on various charitable and educational bodies including the Buckingham VC Memorial Fund, The North Memorial Homes Alms Houses Board & The Wyggeston School Foundation.
Farida Makki – Vice Chair of OPUN
As an architect Farida studied in Africa and at Oxford Brookes University where she also tutored. Achievements include promoting best practice in emergency response to shelter for the United Nations. Farida’s special interests are community led projects, innovative ways of team working and sustainable architecture. Farida is a visiting tutor on the final degree year Architecture courses at: Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham University and De Montfort University. Farida is a CABE enabler, a Building for Life Assessor, Opun Design Review Panel Member, an ARB examiner and Mentor to the Stephen Lawrence charity. For more information visit www.redmak.co.uk
Derek Latham
Derek Latham is an architect, landscape architect and conservation architect. Guided by a philosophy of adapting old properties for new functions, he published Creative Re-use of Buildings. Derek has served on the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (1993-2001) and the Heritage Lottery Fund (2000-2006). He has advised clients such as HRH The Prince of Wales, English Heritage and the National Trust. Derek is passionate about placemaking, was a Regional Representative for CABE and a founder member of Opun. Derek has worked on major projects in Sheffield; Derby (Pride Park); Leeds (Victoria Quarter); Birmingham (Jewellery Quarter) and Manchester (Empress Centre). For more information visit www.lathamarchitects.co.uk
Professor David Dernie
David is Head of Leicester School of Architecture, an architect and academic. He joined De Montfort University in 2009 from Manchester, where he was Head of Manchester School of Architecture. Having left Cambridge University with a starred distinction in 1988, he went on to become Rome Scholar in Architecture (1991-1993). He was elected a Fellow at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge (1999). His published books include; Exhibition Design (2006); Material Imagination (2005); New Stone Architecture (2003); Villa d’Este at Tivoli (1996) and Victor Horta (1995). His latest book, Architectural Drawings was published in 2010. In 2008 David became a biographee in Black’s Who’s Who for his work in architectural education. David is a Board member of Opun, and Chairs the Opun:CONNECT wider reference group, to guide Opun’s Design Support Service in the future.
Pranali Parikh
Pranali is an urban designer with over 12 years of experience of designing in the built environment to varying scales. Pranali began her career as an associate at the Vastu-Shilpa Foundation (VSF) in India, where she was involved in carrying out research led design work in the areas of traditional architecture, post-disaster regeneration and urban planning strategies. On moving to the UK Pranali joined a multi-disciplinary team at Atkins in Birmingham. Pranali is currently the Masterplanning Manager in the regeneration team of Derby City Council and is responsible for preparing the City Centre Regeneration Framework. Pranali is a guest lecturer at the University of Derby, and her book ‘Hindu Notions of Space Making’ was published in 2008. As well as being passionate about design of sustainable urban environments, Pranali particularly enjoys working with communities.
Julian Marsh
Julian is the founding partner of Marsh:Grochowski Architects LLP. He has been teaching and practising for over 25 years, won four National and thirteen Regional RIBA Awards and four Civic Trust Awards. He is an architectural advisor to The Arts Council of Wales Lottery Board, a founder member of Opun, Chair of Mozes, a community energy services company, a Visiting Professor of Architecture at Nottingham Trent University and Design Leader in Architecture at Sheffield Hallam University. Julian has specific expertise in sustainable, low energy design; community architecture and the provision of arts facilities. He is responsible for the widely published low energy house built for green activist, Alan Simpson and built innovative low energy buildings, including his own home The Meat Factory. For more information visit www.marsh-grochowski.com
Jo Fairfax
Jo is an artist and creative practitioner and considers everything can be an influence to the creative. Jo graduated in 1979 and worked on gallery based sculpture until trained in Holography at the Royal College of Art in 1996. He moved into the Public Art arena making Holograms within glass and developed other work publicly – making public sculptures, urban design, illuminating buildings and making films / animations. After undertaking a residency at the Holocentre, New York in 2002 where making a Holographic film. His work has included sculpture, architectural lighting, sculptural lighting, holograms, urban design, seat design, virtual reality, films, cartoons and writing. Jo is a NESTA Fellow. For more information visit www.jofairfax.co.uk
Mirella Barnes
Mirella has been involved in the economic development of the East Midlands since 2003 and more recently been improving skills of the people who live in the region. During this time, Mirella has been working at a strategic as well as operational level, building and maintaining a strong network of senior stakeholders across the region at the East Midlands Development Agency (emda), City and County Councils, business support agencies such as Chambers of Commerce, the CBI, Institute of Directors and Blueprint to name a few. Mirella was successful in securing the portfolio for skills on the Regeneration East Midlands Board but due to the funding restrictions and business needs, this position was not formalised. Mirella is currently employed by City & Guilds.
Mike Candler
Mike is an experienced cultural planner and arts professional, presently Cultural Quarter Project Director for Leicester City Council. His previous post was Head of Arts, responsible for leading, and developing the City’s diverse and extensive arts service.
During his 17 years with the City Council Mike has led and directed the development of Leicester’s Cultural Quarter (a £92M programme) and helped establish complex partner and stakeholder relationships e.g. Leicester Theatre Trust, Arts Council England, Leicester Arts Centre Limited, Leicestershire Economic Partnership. He has also delivered new flagship & state of the art ‘fit-for-purpose’ cultural facilities – Curve (inside out theatre), LCB Depot (creative industry studio / work spaces), Phoenix Square (Digital Media Centre / mixed use development) and public realm improvements within the St. George’s south area of the city centre.
Bridget Sawyers
Bridget is an Observer on Opun’s Board and Chief Executive of the Architecture Centre Network. She is a qualified architect and urban designer and previously ran a cultural regeneration consultancy whose clients included: the Homes and Communities Agency; Coventry City Council; Arts Council England; SMC Alsop; The Building Exploratory; Scottish Arts Council; Yorkshire Forward. Bridget was Head of Regions at CABE and prior to that Senior Architect at Arts.