Tell us about your yourself
I am a professionally qualified Chartered Management Consultancy Surveyor (FRICS) and Chartered Manager (CMgr FCMI) with a track record of delivery supporting public & third sector clients to make the most of their people, property powers and places.
I have extensive experience within the following:
- Delivering challenging regeneration and economic development projects in complex partnership settings
- Multi-agency responses to economic shocks and realising new opportunities, including freeports
- Working with LEP/Combined Authority, LA & LA pension funds to develop & place impact investment funds
- Affordable housing programmes
- Place Investment and development companies and funds
- Town Centre/High Street Regeneration Projects
- Corporate landlord and making better use of property & people
- Programme development and project technical appraisal services
- Politically sensitive programme reviews and turnaround plans
- Garden Communities – delivery, design and engagement support
- Cross-sector career coaching and mentoring of senior leaders and their teams
I am also a Trustee Director of a charity with a trading company supporting people into wellbeing & work.
Tell us where you have come from and what has led you to be an associate on EELGA’s Talent Bank:
My career has spanned a variety of fields ranging from strategy development to getting things done in complicated partnership settings:
- Local Government economic development and regeneration
- Local Government property
- Government agencies – developing and delivering economic development, regeneration and place investment programmes and projects
- Manufacturing and retail property in the UK and US
- Property development and investment across the UK including business parks, Cathedral cities, market towns and tourism.
Redundancy from a Government agency in 2008 allowed me to realise an ambition to work for myself. I have been privileged to support over 20 organisations and continue to help clients deliver their political and corporate priority projects. In 2017, I co-founded a profit-for-purpose business that works between Central & Local Government to drive up design and quality standards in place making and the built environment.
Which Sector/Industry do you work in?
I work nationally with clients at all levels of English Local Government including London Boroughs, LEPs and Combined Authorities.
What are the most significant challenges local authorities face post-Covid?
The most significant challenges posed by Covid-19 for local authorities are:
- Changing government restrictions which impact on future planning
- Considerable budget pressures
- The local economy
- Reduction in capacity for new initiatives
- The need for developing new income streams
- Repurposing operational land and property
- Leveraging property and people resources to secure local work and wellbeing priorities
While the challenges are great, there are still significant opportunities for the public sector and other partners working together to develop and deliver short and longer-term impact investment funds, programmes & projects for their communities’ benefit.
How does your specialist support/expertise influence positive change and results for our members?
I have an open honest engaging and enthusiastic approach which allows me to quickly build trust in a broad range of audiences including client colleagues, politicians, peers, partnerships and communities. Clients have complimented my ability to robustly challenge assumptions to get behind the issues. Backed up by a strong work ethic and coupled with a high level of professional and personal integrity this has allowed client teams supported by me to deliver challenging projects in complex multi-agency settings.
Clients value the breadth and depth of my knowledge and experience and my ability to innovate and test things out to improve the outcome. Coupled with my commitment to ongoing personal and professional development for both client teams and myself this ensures that I leave a positive legacy, an informed client team and ambassadors for my work.
Clients have described me as:
“ a rare combination of strategic vision and attention to detail”
“ a rare individual who has the ability to convey complex information in a way that others can understand, this is coupled with his ability to produce and develop relationships which result in trust and confidence with all levels that he deals with.”
“a tower of strength and sense in challenging times”
Could your organisation benefit from Chris Gill’s expertise? Express interest in contracting Chris by emailing info@eelga.gov.uk