Managing Director

David Campbell

I’ve always had an interest in the built environment and design, and this was further developed after I gained an MA in Housing from Bristol University in 1994, after finishing my initial degree in Glasgow. Since then I have spent my career pursuing this interest and passion both in the private and public sector.

This experience has provided me with a huge depth of knowledge about the development and delivery of various housing models, particularly for universities and colleges, together with an understanding of successful management and funding aspects. I also have similar experience within the healthcare sector.

I’m a firm believer in pushing and challenging conventional approaches and developing new ideas. I am a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and the National Housing Federation, which broadens my appreciation of housing and the ways in which it can make a difference to the way people live.

Outside of Alumno I have a keen interest in the arts and 20th century design. I also have a passion for music and cinema, and love spending time with my family and two young daughters.

Development Director

Ron Plunz

I have joined Alumno from a design and project management focussed background which led me from my beginnings in Germany, where I studied Architecture and worked on my first projects in Berlin to more recent projects in the UK. My involvement covered inception, design, procurement and construction stages of residential, student housing, commercial, refurbishment and mixed uses schemes of various scale.

In tandem with my design-led experiences as a lead consultant on various building projects I grew keen to explore value creation, business strategies in conjunction with sustainable aims or limitations. As a consequence I undertook a Master’s in International Business and Development at Birkbeck University of London which broadened my perspective on the business sector in general, stakeholder management and marketing & business strategies.

This somewhat complemented many of the responsibilities I had, for instance finding creative solutions to project specific problems often involving regulatory challenges or commercial assessments and strategic planning.

Apart from making most of my experiences to help creating new, distinctive and inspiring student homes, in my spare time I am continuing to discover London and surrounds. I also enjoy a good film or documentary and would love to travel much more and yes, I am still interested in excellent architecture, interior design and graphic design.

PR & Office Manager

Rebecca Dean

Since graduating in Law at Leeds Metropolitan University and qualifying as a solicitor, I’ve held a range of roles with law firms and in the creative arts. My role at Alumno involves ensuring that the day-to-day aspects of the business run smoothly, keeping everyone organised and liaising closely with clients.

I have a particular interest in my role in developing student focus groups and design competitions, where we ask students to get involved and have a say in how the buildings are designed. I love the buzz and excitement of this fascinating, busy and vibrant business, as well as working alongside a talented and experienced team.

Through my passion for the arts, I curate and oversee exhibitions at a West London gallery – a reflection of my true fascination with design and the creative industries.

Senior Development Manager

David Lindsay

I joined Alumno from an architectural and design management background. I’m interested in buildings which are design-led, innovative and sustainable.

I have a broad range of experience across all project stages including viability, planning, tender and construction. In practice I focused on large scale mixed-use residential schemes, but have also worked within the commercial and educational sector. Whilst working as a design manger, I gained vital exposure to the commercial and business side of development.

Post occupancy evaluation is also a key interest – understanding how buildings perform is the first step toward a more sustainable future.

Outside of work I enjoy climbing, cycling, travel, and anything else involving the great outdoors.

Development Manager

Jonny Darbishire

Originally from Yorkshire, I started my career in the built environment sector, training as a Quantity Surveyor at a main Contractor and working on listed high-end refurbishment projects. Following training, I have held positions at a northern based Residential Developer and also a top London based Project Management Consultancy where I lead project delivery from acquisition to completion and occupation. I have worked in a wide breadth of sectors from large scale data centre schemes and branded residences to hotels and leisure projects.

My drive and focus on delivering design led schemes, that enhance life in community and at a cultural level, make Alumno a really exciting place to work. I’ve always been drawn to development due to my interest in the buildings that people use and inhabit and in turn their tangible effect on local communities.

Outside of work, I’m a keen cricketer and enjoy trips to the theatre and spending time with my family.

Finance Consultant

Mevan Alwis

My work for a number of major public sector healthcare companies really paved the way for my role at Alumno, where I’ve formulated innovate funding and cash flow mechanisms designed specifically for public and private sector property development. This provides a solid foundation for everything we do and helps drive the business forward.

Particularly important was my time at Healthgate Group, which pioneered the concept of NHS hospital entrance retail malls. I also gained valuable experience as a founder member of BHE Development, which develops real estate in the healthcare sector.

James Abbott

Research Consultant

Jeremy Leach

BA (Hons.) Law, Masters in Business Administration (MBA)

Jeremy is a market research consultant undertaking qualitative, quantitative and desk-based research. Working originally in a number of marketing roles at the magazine publisher EMAP in the early 1990s, he went on to specialise in market research with a focus on Higher Education alongside organisations such as the Open University and BBC Education.

Jeremy has run his own small consultancy, offering a range of customised research services since the late-1990s and works closely with Alumno researching the demand for student accommodation along with developing assessments of the impact of student spending on the local economy.

Jeremy lives in Walworth in South London and is involved with the local area through The Walworth Society as well as active travel through Living Streets and the campaign group 20’s Plenty for Us.

Art Broker

Matthew Jarratt

Matthew has developed public art projects with sculptors and poets for several Alumno schemes. He works closely with the project design teams to identify creative opportunities, develop artists briefs and then identify artists and poets to respond to the commissions.

Based in Gateshead, Matthew works across the UK and China on arts commissioning, curatorial projects and cultural policy. he spent 15 years at Arts Council England as a creative broker helping to shape the North East culture-led regeneration, developing many new arts buildings and artist’s projects across the region. Matthew has worked on city arts strategies, major capital projects and funding at a senior level with the private sector, local authorities, universities, politicians and cultural leaders in addition to representing the North East cultural sector Brussels in 2009/10.

Matthew has a reputation for working strategically to broker imaginative opportunities for artists in partnership with private sector developers, local authorities and communities. Projects are always developed to be site specific to the local area and can range from small or temporary projects through to very large scale works such as the giant Temenos sculpture by Anish Kapoor which Matthew managed in 2010.

Matthew has a longstanding expertise in managing over 100 arts commissions within public and private sector developments, including £1.5m of new sculpture throughout the development of Newcastle’s Grainger Town, working with Lisson Gallery at the Venice Architecture Biennale and currently working on major new interactive water commissions with Berlin based artist Jeppe Hein.

Matthew continues to work on cultural policy and manages the North East Culture Partnership (NECP) which brings together Arts and Heritage leaders, local authorities, and Universities to shape cultural development in the region and in 2015 they produces the North East Case for Culture www.case4culture.org.uk which was launched at Houses of Parliament and cited in the DCMS White Paper as a national model of good practice in cultural policy.

You can find out more about Matthew at matthewjarratt.com