About us

Since joining Assael in 2016, Cathy has been leading projects at feasibility and planning stage ranging from a commercial building on a prominent site in the City of London and a residential development in Ealing, to a large masterplan in central Moscow.

With her dedication to designing contextual, holistic and sustainable buildings, Cathy founded our Sustainability Group and successfully achieved ISO14001 certification in 2016. She is also one of the key team members developing Assael’s progression into the design of homes for ‘later living’ whilst promoting housing design quality and innovation.

Away from the office, Cathy is a keen runner and has raised over £6,000 for various charities by running four marathons, 12 half marathons, nine 10ks, and 116 5ks.

Having worked with some of the UK’s largest developers and housebuilders, Adam’s expertise lies in the design and delivery of large-scale residential projects. Since being at Assael, these have included Westgate House for Barratt London, Staines-upon-Thames for London Square, and Bristol’s Box Makers Yard for Legal & General.

Adam thrives on working with people and, with a Masters in the specialist field of landscape-led regeneration in the UK, his focus is always about the social and experiential aspects of a scheme and the urban redevelopment of communities. 

Outside of architecture, Adam feels most at home adventuring in the mountains and woodlands of Cumbria, but, never one to decline a challenge, he cycled the 1,500km to MIPIM Cannes in 2018, raising £4,000 for children’s charity Coram.

Adam joined Assael in 2016 after working at practices in both London and Manchester. He is accomplished in leading a wide array of projects, from small-scale residential developments and extensions, to the refurbishment of a listed arts club building.

Since joining Assael, Adam has worked on a variety of residential-led projects, including the design and planning application for Lewisham Retail Park, the detailed design for Phase 1 of Charter Square in Staines-upon-Thames, and the design of Imperial Phase One in Bromley-by-Bow. Adam is now leading the team on three large projects; the Build to Rent development over the new Nine Elms Station, Vulcan Wharf in Newham- a co-location project of light industrial and residential, and the mixed-use Stone Foundries project in Greenwich.  

Aside from his passion for reinforced concrete, Adam is a keen photographer, illustrator and artist. He often exhibits his paintings, including contributing to Article 25’s 10×10 auction in 2017.

Adam has led a wide range of projects through all work stages, from feasibility studies through to planning and implementation, since joining Assael in 2012. These projects vary significantly in size from a terrace of four townhouses in Greenwich, to a scheme of over 600 homes as part of a wider masterplan in Staines-upon-Thames.

Adam has also spent time broadening his knowledge of the Build to Rent sector, including analysing existing for-sale permissions to assess their suitability for conversion, writing design guides for several clients, and designing new Build to Rent schemes across the UK, including in Barking, Coventry and Milton Keynes.

His wealth and variety of experience led to his promotion to Associate Director in 2018.

Adam enjoys both words and pictures.

Alastair excels in the detail design and construction of complex residential projects, and he has experience ranging from high-end housing to the refurbishment of a Grade II listed church. Since joining Assael in 2005, Alastair has led the implementation of several projects, including the luxury apartments at Meritas Court in Bayswater, the award-winning Macaulay Walk in Clapham, and two of our new Build to Rent developments at 21 Young Street in Kensington and Pontoon Dock in Newham.

Alastair also has a Masters in Construction Law and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators; he advises the teams throughout the practice on appointments, legal matters, technical standards and construction detailing.

Outside of work, Alastair enjoys making things and breaking things, in equal measure.

After graduating with a degree in French and International Relations, Hannah joined Assael in 2014 to support our teams in preparing design reports, planning submissions and, using her creative skills, artist’s impressions for their projects.

Hannah became our Research and Business Development Manager in 2018. She now compiles submissions for bids and competitions and conducts research into new business sectors and services, including Later Living and off-site construction.

Hannah is also covering chair of our Giving Something Back committee, organising fundraising events for charity. Most significantly, she is responsible for leading Assael’s partnership with Regenerate RISE, a local charity in Putney, including managing a group of our illustrators to produce the first ‘Assael Illustrated Cookbook’ which raised over £1,000. 

Julie joined Assael in 2019 with HR experience spanning many different industries, including luxury fashion at Harvey Nichols and engineering at BMT, before moving into and focusing on the built environment. As well as working for architectural practices, Julie led a project during her MSc in International Human Resource Management that looked at Women in Architecture, and she contributed to a forum promoting more Women on Boards across the built environment.

Julie’s interests align perfectly with Assael’s culture. She is passionate about developing people, enjoys coaching individuals to help them achieve their work/life goals, and she continues to mentor students from Kingston University and London College of Fashion. Julie’s also a keen runner, yogi and spinner, and she’s often ‘giving something back’ by fundraising for Winston’s Wish charity.

James is a Chartered Landscape Architect with 17 years’ experience in landscape and urban design. He joined Assael in 2020 to lead on the division’s current projects and business development strategy. James provides early design input on most projects at Assael to ensure landscape and urban design thinking underpins the practice’s wider design approach.  

In line with his main professional interest, James is currently completing his masters in Sustainable Urbanism with research on delivering green infrastructure through intensification of industrial locations in London. He employs a participatory approach in his practice and has experience engaging with stakeholder groups to develop projects at all scales, including smaller estate regeneration schemes, town centre improvements and district-wide landscape frameworks.

James stays closely involved in the profession, mentoring junior professionals on the Landscape Institute (LI) Pathway to Chartership, and outside of work James enjoys gardening (obviously), playing bass guitar, and he cycles and runs…very slowly.

Olivia graduated from the University of Reading with a BA Honours degree in Film and Theatre Studies in 2009 and spent a year working as a Project Manager for Opera Holland Park before joining Assael in 2010.

Alongside her role as PA to Chairman John Assael, Olivia is our Practice Manager, looking after recruitment, the administration team, marketing and memberships. As a meticulous organiser and party planner, Olivia also manages all business entertainment and events, from our cocktail parties, sailing days and wine tasting evenings to MIPIM, property dinners and conferences. She organises all staff socials and events at Assael too, including the annual summer and Christmas parties.

After graduating from the University of Leeds with a BA Honours degree in History of Art and Sociology, Rebecca joined Assael as Team Administrator in 2011.

Rebecca was shortly promoted to PA to Director and worked on numerous feasibility projects and planning submissions before becoming the practice’s Quality Manager in 2014. As Quality Manager, she coordinates our Management Information System, ISO standards and management meetings. Rebecca also led the practice in achieving ISO14001 certification in 2016 and now organises our annual Assael Green Week – a variety of activities, CPDs and interactive sessions to showcase and build upon our commitment to sustainability, health and wellbeing.

Rebecca also coordinates our international marketing events and activities, as well as managing our overseas office in Bahrain.

Since joining Assael in early 2011, James has worked on a number of projects with some of the UK’s largest developers, including Barratt London, London Square and Legal & General.

James’ expertise focuses on high-density residential developments, including Build to Rent, urban regeneration and sustainable architecture. Most significantly, James designed and delivered 11 Code 6 townhouses at our Renaissance development in Lewisham, some of the first homes to achieve this level of sustainability in the UK. He thrives on working collaboratively to achieve a shared goal, liaising with stakeholders, local authorities and other consultants.

Outside of architecture, James is an avid sportsman, most notably playing Ultimate Frisbee, captaining and coaching a top European team and representing Great Britain between 2012 and 2014.

Liz joined Assael as Head of Interiors in 2019 to lead on the division’s current and future projects and the business development strategy. 

Liz brought with her an array of professional experience, from JP Morgan to David Collins Studio to four years at Martin Brudnizki Design Studio where she worked across a range of sectors, including high-end residential, commercial and hospitality. 

Most recently whilst at Rolfe Judd, Liz led the concept design, full tender package, and later, under her own company L Works, oversaw the installation of Sailmakers. Sailmakers is Greystar’s Build to Rent development in Millharbour comprising 327 ‘multi-family’ apartments and 2,800 sq m of shared residents’ amenity space across two towers.

Liz is trilingual (English, Swedish and Bulgarian), holds three passports (UK, Sweden and US), and has a diverse range of interests, including skiing, arts, music and ballet. 

Per Anton joined Assael in 2016 with a diverse range of experience, from high-end residential to schools and facilities for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. 

Per Anton has played a key role in some of Assael’s major developments, including the detailed design for Union Wharf, Chiswick High Road and Chatfield Road, and the design, development and construction of Blackhorse Mills and Box Makers Yard, both for Legal & General. He undertakes technical design reviews practice-wide to share this wealth of knowledge.

As a former classical ballet dancer, Per Anton has a keen eye for clean lines and form, something that influences his other creative passions: oil painting and photography. He’s often seen in his studio painting away, and recently held an auction at Assael, raising money for Art in African schools.

Since joining Assael in 2011, Alex has led the team on many projects, including the implementation of Rainsborough Square in Fulham and the planning and detail design of Union Wharf in Greenwich.

Union Wharf, which has adopted a volumetric construction, is a renowned precedent in the Build to Rent (BtR) sector, and Alex has continued to grow his knowledge in both DfMA and BtR on Blackhorse Mills in Walthamstow and Avon Street in Bristol, both for Legal & General.

Alex has since authored Assael’s first ‘modular design guide’ and his strong technical ability sees him advise all staff on construction methods, with a growing expertise in pre-manufactured solutions.

Away from work, Alex spends time denying accusations of being a plane spotter. His hobbies include travel, golf, watersports and….plane spotting.

Allan joined Assael as an architectural assistant in 2011 and qualified as an architect the following year. Since being with the practice, Allan has been instrumental in numerous projects, ranging from large scale urban residential masterplanning and Build to Rent in London and Manchester, to the conversion of a Grade I listed building set within landscaped gardens in Cheshire. Allan’s professional achievements at Assael resulted in his promotion to Associate Director in 2019.

Allan is accomplished in leading projects from the feasibility stage through to planning, tender and construction, and has played a key role in the development and delivery of the practice’s design and BIM Level 2 standards.

Out of the office, Allan is a long-distance runner, competing in marathons and setting his own personal goal of running 1,000 miles in a calendar year.

Ed joined Assael in 2012 whilst studying for his Masters in International Architectural Regeneration and Development.

He has played a pivotal role in many of our high-profile projects including the implementation of Rainsborough Square, the revival of the Grade II listed Ham Mill, the 2,000-home Margarine Works in Ealing and a mixed-use development in Abbey Wood.

More recently, Ed has been leading on two of our key co-living developments in Wandsworth – Garratt Mills in Earlsfield and Chatfield Road in Battersea, both for The Collective, as well as a large co-location project in Waltham Forest. 

Alongside his role as Associate Director, Ed is one of the Trustees of our Employee Ownership Trust, having been elected by staff in 2019.

Outside of the office, Ed is often found running around frantically after footballs, cricket balls and tennis balls, He’s also our golf captain and endeavours to organise events for clients and staff, although his competitiveness has made it difficult to find willing participants…

Having joined in 2000, Rob is currently the fourth longest serving employee at Assael.

Rob heads up Assael Visuals and manages a team of three visual artists who work closely with and support the architectural teams through the design development process. This includes producing images and animations for pre-applications, public consultations and design and access statements, as well as sophisticated marketing material for clients’ upcoming developments.

Rob is also a skilled photographer and is often out on site capturing Assael’s work from early stages of construction through to completion.

Outside of Assael’s virtual world, Rob enjoys walking in the countryside with his wife, two young daughters and his dog, George. He also has a love/hate relationship with his garden.

Emily is passionate about design and heads up the internal design review process at Assael.

She is dedicated to creating thoughtful and contextual schemes that are ‘of their place’, and is experienced in leading the team on the renewal of difficult and constrained sites, often involving heritage buildings, such as Carriageworks in Bristol and Ham Mill in Stroud. Emily has also been pivotal in many of Assael’s urban design and masterplanning projects, including Dreamland in Margate, Margarine Works in Ealing, and Millbrook Park in Barnet.

Emily is a keen artist and illustrator and loves incorporating hand drawings into her architectural work. Over the past few years, she has also raised over £2,000 for charity Article 25 by getting involved in their 10×10 Drawing the City art auction.

Since joining the team in 2010, John has played a pivotal role in gaining planning consent for many of Assael’s key projects, including the revival of Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, Cleveland Street in Westminster, the Royal Academy of Dance in Battersea, and Boston Road in Ealing. He was also project architect for the implementation of the Tower at Great West Quarter in Brentford.

He is now leading a large team on the design of a new, contemporary commercial building in the City of London, and a residentially-led mixed-use development in Richmond.

Alongside his project work, John is part of the team developing strategies to improve the later living sector in the UK. He is also a founding member of Assael’s cycle club and of the practice band, Tender Package. The band competes annually in the industry’s Construction Rocks to raise money for Land Aid, winning Best Performance in 2016 and 2017.

Stephen joined Assael with a wealth of experience across a range of sectors and tenures. He has since played a key role in some of Assael’s major developments, including North Wharf Gardens in Paddington and the revival of Riverside Studios in Hammersmith.

After leading the team on the delivery of our award-winning 21 Young Street in Kensington, Stephen’s proficiency led to his promotion to Associate Director in 2018. He is now leading a large team on the implementation of many of our projects, including Cleveland Street in Westminster and Imperial Two in Bromley-by-Bow.

As well as delivering projects to the highest standard, Stephen’s greatest satisfaction comes from guiding younger architects, ensuring they become well-rounded professionals with a creative approach to design and meticulous attention to detail.

John is an architect with over thirty years of experience running his own award-winning practice.

He is recognised as one of the industry’s top employers, being passionate about the profession and looking after the next generation of architects, and was appointed Fellow of the RIBA in 2019 for his contribution to the profession. John has also been a judge for the RIBA Regional Awards, WhatHouse? Awards, WAN Awards and British Homes Awards and continues to search for and reward examples of great design year after year.

In the educational sphere, John is a Visiting Fellow at Oxford Brookes University, who awarded him Honorary Doctor of Design in 2017, and is President of their alumni association, The Doric Club. He is also an external examiner at The Bartlett and London Metropolitan Universities and lectures at many architectural schools across the country including Cardiff, Nottingham and Westminster.

John is a Fellow of the RIBA, and formerly a nationally-elected member of the RIBA Council and their Honorary Treasurer. He is also a Trustee of the Architects’ Benevolent Society and the Master of Students at The Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects.

With over 30 years as an Architect and 15 years in urban design, Russell co-founded the practice with John Assael. He has a strong passion for creating a sense of place, and continues to direct design on many of Assael’s projects. 

Russell spent many years spearheading Assael’s skills in the design of professionally-managed Build to Rent communities in the private rented sector, including extensive research in the US and producing design guides for the UK. Most significantly, he co-authored both editions of the Urban Land Institute’s Build to Rent: A Best Practice Guide, which was sponsored by the British Government.

Russell is Chair of the Urban Land Institute’s UK Residential Council, advises on MHCLG’s Build to Rent Joint Committee, and is a member of the Urban Design Group and the Architecture Foundation.

Russell also oversees Assael’s international work and is often travelling to Bahrain, Russia and beyond, when he’s not sailing –  with 20 years of experience on the water since gaining his RYA Yachtmaster Offshore License.

Pete’s particular interest lies in designing complex mixed-use schemes in urban areas, transforming listed buildings or those in conservation areas with sensitive but ambitious interventions. He has led the design and delivery of many of our award-winning projects, including the renewal of Macaulay Walk, Ham Mill and Bristol’s Carriageworks.

Pete is currently furthering our existing commercial portfolio by embracing new ways of working. His projects at Battersea Park Road, Bromley-by-Bow and Creechurch Lane all include the provision of innovative models for creative, flexible and affordable workspace.

Since joining Assael, Pete has got married, had two children, travelled to every continent around the globe and designed, converted and built three houses… however Nottingham Forest are still in the Championship! Fifteen years later, he remains enthusiastic about designing and creating inspirational places.

Félicie is an experienced architect with both French and British qualifications. She specialises in residential-led urban regeneration and has been instrumental in the design of many of Assael’s key projects since joining in 2000. Alongside being one of our Build to Rent experts, Félicie is currently leading on several research initiatives including ‘later living’ design and the development of Assael Exteriors, our urban design and landscape division.

Félicie, as a recognised professional, participates in many industry-wide and governmental panels; she was personally invited to join Lord Heseltine’s National Estate Regeneration team and is a regular speaker at design and construction events throughout the UK and abroad.

Aside from work, Félicie pursues her artistic endeavours, drawing and painting regularly for charity as well as attempting to keep her personal sketch diary going.

With a particular specialism in the residential sector, Loren’s focus is on conceptualising and delivering prestigious mixed-use regeneration schemes. Her ambition for designing places that have unique, individual responses to their context has resulted in schemes that are rich in identity yet sensitive to their settings.

Over the years, Loren has led a large team on the successful design of numerous high-profile projects, including Young Street in Kensington, Imperial Two in Bromley-by-Bow and Margarine Works in Ealing.

As one of the directors leading in Build to Rent, Loren’s passion for fostering communities has naturally evolved into her overseeing Assael’s Interior Design division.

Loren’s love of travel saw her take a break to backpack around Asia and South America in 2011 and now has two small children who share her enthusiasm for travel and adventure.

Rory joined Assael in 2011 and has a wealth of experience in designing residential and mixed-use architecture for housebuilders, residential developers and institutional investors.

Rory led the implementation of Assael’s Renaissance masterplan in Lewisham, and the design of both Union Wharf, our award-winning modular Build to Rent project in Greenwich for Essential Living, and Blackhorse Mills in Walthamstow for Legal & General.

Rory continues to lead on several Build to Rent projects while heading up Assael’s Sustainability Group and ‘green’ practices. He is also co-leading our research and design strategies for purpose-built developments and communities for later living, particularly those designed specifically for rent. 

Outside the office, Rory likes to relax and keep abreast of current affairs and emerging trends.

Since joining Assael in 2007, Tim has been responsible for the design of many high-profile projects in London, including the redevelopment of the iconic Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, Cleveland Street in Westminster and the Royal Academy of Dance in Battersea.

A decade on, Tim’s tenacity and commitment to creating high-quality, lasting and inventive buildings led to his promotion to Director. He now oversees the design quality of all projects at Assael, as well as directing on the graphic and visualisation output across all divisions. He is also currently co-leading on Assael’s development in the workplace sector and has recently designed a contemporary building in the City in line with changing trends towards co-working and flexibility.

Alongside design, Tim enjoys traveling, football, surfing and Netflix, perhaps a little too much.

Gigi has run our accounts and personnel departments for over twenty years. She first joined Assael as Administration and Human Resources Manager, was then promoted to Company Secretary and then went on to become a member of the Board in 2001.

Gigi is responsible for maintaining statutory records and financial planning, monthly accounts, salaries and reports, ensuring all staff records and practice policies are up to date.

Gigi graduated from the Gothe Institute in 1987 and spent five years working in the design and fashion industry before joining Assael in 1994.

John joined Assael Architecture in 2000 as IT Systems Manager and was promoted to Operations Director in 2017.

After receiving his Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Warwick, John spent seven years working in the manufacturing industry, designing hydraulic and pneumatic systems.

John now provides strategic direction for business information systems, communications and other areas at the forefront of IT at Assael. He is also responsible for various areas of business operations including facilities management, archiving and business continuity planning.

After many years working with CAD and information systems, John now explores developments and opportunities in BIM and related areas of PropTech.

Hoda has worked with Assael since 2010, building a strong network of clients and opportunities in the Gulf region.

Her experience includes the interior design and delivery of schools, health centres, palaces, villas, offices, hotel suites, the VIP lounge at Bahrain International Airport and many exhibitions within the Gulf states, as well as further afield.

Hoda was the first woman to enter the sphere of engineering at the Gulf Technical College in Bahrain, and the first woman to run for the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1985. She is Chairman of the Women’s Committee of the Arab African Unity Organisation for Human Rights and Anti-Terrorism and Chairman of Affaq for Advanced Projects Association, honoured by His Majesty the King of Bahrain in 2015.

Tom joined Assael with a range of experience, from small, private residential projects where he worked closely with the end users from conception to completion, to much larger retail and commercial projects, including the design of a flagship store in Central London and the implementation of Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal Forecourt Interchange.

Using his depth of experience, Tom works across all RIBA stages at Assael, leading a team on various implementation and numerous feasibility projects, from delivering small residential developments in Barnet, Brentford and Chelsea, to designing large-scale Built to Rent schemes and masterplans in Bahrain.

 Tom is a keen sportsman; he founded our tag rugby team, plays in the football and softball teams, and takes part in charity fundraising events including Assael’s pool tournament – which he’s won twice.

Sarah joined Assael as Front of House Manager in 2011, ensuring the smooth running of the Assael studio, from welcoming guests, to looking after the maintenance of the premises. 

Sarah has an ever-expanding role at Assael and now works alongside our Commercial Director to deal with the day-to-day running of the company accounts, financial reporting and fee appointments. 

Sarah was also previously a member of our Giving Something Back committee, organising Assael’s involvement with Race for Life, Jeans for Genes Day and Christmas Jumper Day, as well as being part of our in-house Sustainability Group.

After completing her degree in architecture, Sarah joined Assael in 2011 to assist the project teams on feasibility documents and planning applications. With an eye for graphic design, Sarah shortly began refining the practice’s templates before branding became her full time role.

She now manages our brand identity, press and communications, website, bids, filming and photography. She works closely with PR consultants, creative agencies and clients, and designs all marketing material in-house, including brochures, exhibitions, award submissions and investor booklets.

Alongside her work in corporate communications, Sarah trains all staff in InDesign, helps the students with their portfolios, and designs bespoke books for staff retirement gifts. She also curated 70 welcome boxes for staff when we moved offices in 2015, leading to The Sunday Times Innovation in Engagement Award. 

Sarah has recently completed her studies with the Chartered Institute of Marketing to further her role.