Great British Speakers’ Top 15 World Architectures

It’s World Architecture Day 5th October, so we thought we’d assemble for you an inspirational team of Great British Speakers.

You’ll be pleased to know that given the current COVID lockdown they are all available online able to deliver virtual and hybrid talks.

So lets find an Architectural Great British Speaker…

George Clarke

Fresh from his sensational new series on the treasures of the National Trust, filmed entirely during lock down, George Clarke is a highly successful architect, writer, lecturer and TV presenter. George is passionate about the way architecture can transform our everyday lives and his aim is to make architecture popular and accessible to everyone, while at the same time creating award-winning homes for his clients.

When George presents, his natural warmth and energy shines through, and makes him a thoroughly captivating host. His knowledge and passion make him a highly credible expert in the field of property and architecture, and is perfect for those who are seeking a specialist in the subject.

To find out more and book George Clarke to speak, go to his full bio page HERE

Phil Spencer

Phil’s passion for property emerged when, after a stint working for an estate agent in Canterbury, he decided to head to University to complete a 4-year degree course in General Practice Surveying at London’s Southbank University.

It was on a chance screen test that Phil first met his long-standing co-presenter Kirstie Allsopp and luckily they immediately hit it off. Soon after, Location Location Location was born and Relocation Relocation followed shortly afterwards. Whilst Kirstie and Phil have become something of a double act and love working together, they have both gone on to present numerous other programmes showing their versatility as individual presenters and not just as a property duo.

To find out more and book Phil Spencer to speak, go to his full bio page HERE

Maxwell Hutchinson

Maxwell Hutchinson was President of the Royal Institute of British Architects from 1989 to 1991. He is a practising architect and regular radio and television broadcaster.

Maxwell has been running his own successful architectural practice in Central London for over 35 years. His better-known buildings include Skylines at Canary Wharf, JS Pathology’s Headquarters at Camden Lock and Aztec Row in Islington.

He continues to host keynote talks for corporate events and has also chaired three series of lectures at The Royal Academy of London, “The Architects Who Made London with Maxwell Hutchinson”.

To find out more and book Maxwell Hutchinson to speak, go to his full bio page HERE

HRH Princess Michael Of Kent

Lisa is a wizzard confectioner and pastry chef, vastly experienced in live a

Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent is the younger child of the late Baron Gunther von Reibnitz and his wife, the late Marianne, née Countess Szapary. She was born near Carlsbad in Bohemia on the estate of her maternal grandmother Princess Hedwig zu Windisch – Graetz and descends from ancient European lineage on both sides of her Family.

Having lived in Austria, Australia and on her father’s farm in Mozambique, the Princess moved to London from Vienna to continue her historical studies, including the History of Fine and Decorative Art at the V&A and subsequently formed her own interior design company, Szapar Designs.

It was the success of her first book that stimulated international interest in Princess Michael to give lectures on her specialist subjects, initially speaking to the French Institute in New York City which led to her long association speaking for the Metropolitan Museum and for Sotheby’s in the USA. For the past twenty years, she has pursued an active lecture career, speaking on various historical subjects.

To find out more and book HRH Princess Michael Of Kent to speak, go to her full bio page HERE

Kevin McCloud

Kevin McCloud is the host of the internationally acclaimed long-running series Grand Designs (Channel 4). With its growing success, the show is now broadcast worldwide, has an accompanying magazine and hosts annual live exhibitions. The show has even won a BAFTA for Best Feature.

As the popular face of Grand Designs Live, Kevin is a confident live speaker and is available for a wide range of events from corporate engagements to after-dinner and keynote speaking.

He has chaired many corporate events, including The RICS Awards, The RIBA Awards, the Aberdeen Sustainable Construction Conference, Bristol Planning Law and Policy Conference, The Northwest Property Awards, The Manchester Evening News Awards, and The Edinburgh Quatermile Launch.

To find out more and book Kevin McCloud to speak, go to her full bio page HERE

Kunle Barker

TV presenter on ITV ‘Love Your Home & Garden’, Property Expert, Problem Solver, and Social Entrepreneur. Kunle began his business career whilst studying for an MA at the University of Leeds.

Kunle has set up several successful companies including Illustrious Homes an award winning Construction and Design Management Company.

Kunle co-presented the ITV1 ‘Love Your Home and Garden’ working alongside Alan Titchmarsh

A committed social entrepreneur many of Kunle’s businesses offer opportunities for local residents to retrain and find new career paths. Kunle was personally commended by government leaders for his efforts to affect the lives of Londoners in a positive way.

To find out more and book Kunle Barker to speak, go to her full bio page HERE

Sarah Beeny

Sarah set up her first property development company aged just 24 along with her brother Diccon and now husband, Graham Swift. Since then, she and Graham have created a number of influential and exciting businesses.

Her passion for architectural heritage was brought to the masses in 2012 when Sarah, Graham and their 4 sons opened the doors to their exquisite home, Rise Hall to allow viewers of Sarah Beeny’s Restoration Nightmare to follow their long-term edit restoration project.

With over 20 years experience, Sarah is one of the most familiar and trusted names in the world of property and has written regular columns for national newspapers and magazines, in addition to numerous books.

To find out more and book Sarah Beeny to speak, go to her full bio page HERE

Griff Rhys Jones

Griff Rhys Jones is a presenter, actor, screenwriter, sought-after events host and popular after-dinner entertainer, probably best known for his comedy sketch work on the BBC, most notably Not the Nine o’clock News and Smith and Jones.

He’s also presented a range geographical documentaries, on everything from Mountains and Cities to Rivers, and hosted the travel documentaries, Slow Train Through Africa and Griff’s Great Britain for ITV and multiple episodes of the Three Men go to… series, on BBC2 with fellow comedians Rory McGrath and Dara O Briain.

To find out more and book Griff Rhys Jones to speak, go to his full bio page HERE

Roddy Clarke

With a background in restoration, Roddy has a passion for the positive social and environmental impacts design can have, especially within the home.

Striving towards a circular economy, Roddy works as a journalist and speaker focusing on what true sustainability really means today.

After moving to London, and as his passion grew, Roddy then focused his energy on the furniture retail industry. Working on product development he used his expertise, in dealing with antique items, to inspire his creative thinking when developing new, contemporary pieces.

It was here that Roddy also gained experience styling interior products for shoots.

Whether presenting, hosting or speaking it’s this combination of creativity, empathy and flair that gives Roddy a unique set of tools to really add value to your event.

To find out more and book Roddy Clarke to speak, go to his full bio page HERE

Neil Oliver

Neil qualified as an archaeologist in 1988 and his fieldwork experience covers everything from the early Stone Age in Scotland to the examination of the World War II coastal fortifications of Kent and Northern France.

He also trained as a journalist, working on publications such as The Scotsman, The Herald, The Guardian, The Edinburgh Evening News and The Daily Record.

If it’s been buried in the ground during the last 10,000 years, Neil has dug it up. The human story here is a million years old, and counting. The tolerant, easy-going peace we enjoy has been hard won and the places Neil has seen have given him a unique view and understanding of our history.

Audiences can expect a captivating lesson in the history of Britain, and its surrounding isles, as well as stories from his adventures around the world – all told with Neil’s great wit and humour.

To find out more and book Neil Oliver to speak, go to his full bio page HERE

Dr Anna Keay

Anna Keay is a historian and broadcaster, and Director of building conservation charity the Landmark Trust. Born in the West Highlands of Scotland, Anna was educated at Oban High School in Argyll and Bedales in Hampshire.

From 1996 to 2002 Anna worked as a curator for Historic Royal Palaces, which looks after the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and the Banqueting House in Whitehall. From 2002 until 2012 she was Curatorial Director of English Heritage, responsible for curating and presenting to the public 420 historic sites across England, from Stonehenge to Kenwood House. She is now Director of The Landmark Trust, and as such responsible for major building restoration projects across the UK.

To find out more and book Dr Anna Keay to speak, go to his full bio page HERE

Oliver Heath

Oliver studied architecture at Oxford Brookes University and then completed a postgraduate in architectural studies with distinction at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.

He went on to work in the exhibition and set design before winning the BBC’s Young Designer of the Year in 1998. Following this, he set up the interior and architecture practice, Blustin Heath Design, with business partner Nikki Blustin.

Oliver regularly presents seminars on the subject of sustainable homes and lifestyles at prestigious design events such as EcoBuild, Grand Designs Live, 100% Design, the Ideal Home Show, and the National Home Improvement Show. He also vets the Eco Trail at Clarion events Top Drawer and Pulses trade shows at Olympia.

He has recently completed a full environmental refurbishment of his own home in Brighton, with which he hopes to promote the concepts of “practical and style led sustainability” to a wide audience- demonstrating principles of low energy living, reuse and ingenious recycling.

The house has since been awarded Super Home status by the Sustainable Energy Academy for reducing its carbon emissions by over 75% and in March 2011 was awarded the British Institute of Interior Design’s Retrofit award.

To find out more and book Oliver Heath to speak, go to his full bio page HERE

Jonnie Irwin

Jonnie has always had an appetite for the outdoors and studied Estate Management at Birmingham City University and before sitting his finals secured his first job with a surveying and business transfer specialist. Like most graduates, he worked across a range of departments and it was here that Jonnie gained his knowledge and passion for the world of business and property.

In addition to A Place in the Sun, he is also one of the lead presenters of The BBC’s flagship property show Escape To The Country. Harking back to his rural roots, his warm upbeat style makes him a very likeable presenter, both with the couples he helps and in the VT’s out and about.

To find out more and book Jonnie Irwin to speak, go to his full bio page HERE

Roma Agrawal

Roma is a structural engineer who spent 6 years working on The Shard. She was described by the Telegraphs as “the new voice of women talking about science and engineering and making it cool”.

Roma is passionate about trying to encourage young people into pursuing careers in science, technology and engineering and is an advocate for promoting women’s roles in the industry.

Her book, Building Storeys (2017, Bloomsbury) showcases the amazing people and challenges which have been solved through history to create our modern world.