Regional Management Board

Simon is a Senior Planning Officer and has gained his planning experience in central and local Government. He has focused on developing national and local planning policy, especially on retail, transport and infrastructure matters. Simon is a Chartered member of the RTPI and has been involved with the RTPI South East since 2018. He also supports the Kent Young Planners Network and has been a Steering Group member since July 2017. Simon takes a keen interest in infrastructure policy as well as issues surrounding community engagement in the plan-making process and promoting town planning as a profession. 

Laura is a Senior Planner at Gilling Planning. Prior to joining Gillings Planning she was a Senior Planning Policy Officer at Portsmouth City Council, having previously worked in the private sector, and has a range of experience consisting of environmental impact assessments, large infrastructure projects, planning appeals and residential developments. Laura was awarded RTPI South East Young Planner of the Year in 2019 and was elected as the RTPI Young Planner Trustee in 2020. Her main passions at work include creating effective engagement strategies, digitalising the planing process, biodiversity and connecting with future generations. Outside of work Laura runs a Brownie unit where she goes by the name of Flamingo, is part of a choir, loves a book or a podcast and enjoys long walks and bike rides. 

Jayanand is an Associate member of RTPI and an elected General Assembly member. He also represents the International committee of the RTPI. He has a Master’s degree in Built Environment and a Prince 2 qualification. Jayanand volunteered with Planning Aid England dealing with neighbourhood planning. In addition, he worked with a European funded organisation offering voluntary service for the construction sector. He has worked on numerous residential projects, both large and small in commercial and various other sectors. His skills have been considerably enhanced by working on a large number of diverse projects in the U.K.

Jeffrey is a chartered town planner and has extensive planning experience in the UK and Hong Kong. Jeffrey is currently working at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead as the Principal Planning Officer. Jeffrey has been elected to the RTPI Board of Trustees for 2022-2024 as Trustee for Young Planner. He has also held roles on the RTPI South East since 2018, as a member of the Regional Activities Committee, and later as Honorary Treasurer and a member of the Regional Management Board, supporting Region, the CPD development, minerals and waste planning, and the planning schools’ partnership in the Region. Jeffrey has a passion for volunteering in planning. Jeffrey was one of the UK representatives to attend the Young Planners Worksop of the European Council of Spatial Planners in Paris and Plymouth and was the Member of the International Committee. Jeffrey was also a member of the BOB-MK Steering Group to support the CPD training development. Before moving his planning career to the UK, Jeffrey was a member of the Faculty Board of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong. Jeffrey was also a Youth Ambassador of the Macao Urban Planning Forum, Hong Kong City Gallery, and the HKMTR Island West Line Community Project. Jeffrey has been rewarded with several highly prestigious scholarships and awards from his universities, employers, and the RTPI. Jeffrey is the winner of RTPI South East Young Planner of the Year 2018, the Finalist of the Young Planner of the Year 2020 and 2021, and the Finalist of the "Employee of the Year" 2018 in Surrey County Council.

Reece is a Senior Consultant at Lee Evans Partnership LLP, having worked in the private sector consultancy since 2015.

He both leads and contributes to the preparation, submission and negotiation of planning applications. He has particular experience in residential, commercial, and leisure developments, as well as strategic scale site promotions across the South East and, previously, in the home counties.

Reece was named the inaugural South East Young Planner of the Year in 2017, and a finalist for National Young Planner of the Year in 2018. He qualified as an Associate Member of the RTPI in 2017, and currently sits on the RTPI South East Regional Activities Committee. Reece also serves as the RTPI South East Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Lead for 2022.

Outside of work, Reece is a keen linguist and author having published his first bilingual poetry anthology in 2021.

Michelle is a Charted Town Planner with over a decade of experience. Michelle is currently an Associate Director at Boyer in the Wokingham office. Michelle previously worked for both a national housebuilder and in the public sector and she therefore, has a broad range of experience across London and the South East in different sectors.  Michelle works on a variety of projects but specialises in securing residential planning permissions in the Thames Valley. She has extensive experience in preparing, negotiating and managing complex development projects, working collaboratively with clients to develop planning strategies and securing positive outcomes for their assets.