Jonathan Smales, Executive Chairman

Meet Jonathan Smales

He’s an urban and environmental geographer and sustainability specialist.

He’s an expert in city and neighbourhood planning, design, regeneration and real estate.

He sits on CABE’s national design review panel, specialising in large infrastructure projects.

He was a member of the Mayor’s Advisory Panel for Design for London.

He’s turned an animal testing lab into an HQ for Greenpeace UK.

He’s transformed 400 acres of coal spoil into a national flagship for sustainability.

He has three large children, a medium sized Sussex wood and a small dog.

Tell me more:

Jonathan works across the businesses in the Beyond Green Group, delivering consulting work as well as leading its strategic land and property development portfolio and projects.

He’s currently working on sustainability visioning, masterplanning and projects for the renewal and regeneration of Earls Court for Capital & Counties and is assisting Aviva Investors with delivery planning for its 6,000 home sustainable urban extension to Rugby. He led the Beyond Green team in its work on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and its Legacy, on Climate Change strategy for the City of Manchester, for the BP Pension Fund at Harlow and on sustainability strategies for East Manchester, Places for People Group, CABE and the Housing Corporation.

Having trained as a fast-stream civil servant and worked in the NHS and local authority public services, in 1986 Jonathan became MD of Greenpeace UK and international trustee. In 1990 he founded the not-for-profit business which became the Earth Centre Charitable Trust – a pioneering sustainability and National Millennium project. During that time he also advised the Mayor of Hanover on plans for the 2000 World Expo. He co-founded Beyond Green with Joanna Yarrow in 2001.

Follow Jonathan on Twitter.

The facts:

BA(Hons) Geography, Newcastle University
IHSM (Institute of Health Services Management)

Recent projects:

Advisor to Sir Howard Bernstein on climate change and city strategy, and the development of a plan for a world-leading sustainability city quarter in Manchester
Special advisor and leader of the design enquiry for Rugby sustainable urban extension (6,200 homes) for Aviva / BT
Project Director, Olympic Legacy Masterplan Framework: sustainability vision and strategy for the 10,000-home post-Games plan for the 2012 Olympic Park
Overseeing assembly of a portfolio of land for large-scale sustainable developments for Beyond Green Developments