Jez has initiated and managed strategic development in a variety of settings. His previous positions include CEO of Guildhall Barrister’s Chambers, and CEO of a charitable national skills training organisation. He founded the Bristol Housing Festival in 2018 and believes collaboration is the key to lasting social development. Jez lives in Bristol with his wife, Joanna and his three children.

Jessie is passionate about social justice and equality. Her previous positions included roles working for a leading anti-slavery organisation and she has an MSt in Social Innovation at the Cambridge Judge Business School. As co-founder she is jointly responsible for the development and delivery of the Housing Festival. Her work is motivated by her conviction of the value and dignity of every person.

Ellen is a Chartered civil engineer with a background in systems thinking. Her doctoral research explored innovative and sustainable materials and technologies in construction, and she has written a number of academic papers on this topic. Ellen is passionate about community development and reducing environmental impact through shared facilities. Ellen also manages a popular cafe-laundrette in Bristol.

Nicola was appointed as Chaplain For Housing in Bristol Diocese and Associate Curate to the Bristol Cathedral in July 2021. She became Associate Vicar at St Peter’s Lawrence Weston and St Andrew’s Avonmouth in June 2024 and continues her role as Chaplain for Housing,

She is passionate about serving the community of Bristol and building partnerships between local communities, businesses, charities and faith organisations and currently chairs the Bristol Temporary Accommodation Action Group (TAAG).

Her background is in Occupational Therapy and she lives in Bristol with her husband, two daughters (and two dogs!)

Jessie has an MSc Sociology and is passionate about the role of social housing in reducing inequalities. She has been involved with the Housing Festival supporting the founders since its inception. Jessie leads on key projects including Bristol’s entry to the Climate Smart Cities Challenge, which included consultation work for UN-Habitat. Jessie also leads on Housing Festival design competitions, which she facilitates through an innovation lens to help developers achieve social outcomes. She has a background in communications and is invaluable in helping our team with building stakeholder engagement, event management, policy research and reporting.

Andrew joins the Bristol Housing Festival having worked with various charities in Bristol over the past 10 years. His passion for housing comes from seeing how poor, unsuitable accommodation often plays a significant role in social and educational exclusion. Andrew lives in Bristol with his wife and 2 children.

Sarah has spent the last 15 years working to improve the process of planning permission in England, most recently as Managing Director at Planning Portal.

Sarah believes that everyone deserves a home and is driven by the country’s need to build more affordable, sustainable and high-quality houses in the places we need to live and work.

Alongside her work with Housing Festival, Sarah works with other organisations using technology and data to improve the planning process, as well as providing leadership and innovation consultancy to SMEs.