Meet the team
Connect with the senior 'Invest Waltham Forest' team at the Council. You can hear more about the work they do to curate inward investment that supports residents and businesses, in the video below.
For broader information about investment opportunities in the borough, please contact invest@walthamforest.gov.uk.
Joe Garrod
Acting Strategic Director of Place
Email: joe.garrod@walthamforest.gov.uk
Joe Garrod is the Acting Strategic Director of Place at Waltham Forest Council, where he has worked for six years. He has also been the council’s Corporate Director of Housing, Corporate Director of Change, and Director of Capital Delivery.
A chartered surveyor by profession, Joe has over 20 years of experience delivering new social infrastructure, working for both the public and private sectors. Previously, Joe was the Regional Manager – London for the Cabinet Office’s One Public Estate programme. He was also the Department for Education’s Launch Director, managing the establishment of LocatED, the government-owned property company established to acquire and develop school sites. In the private sector, Joe has worked for Cleanslate, a developer and investor, and Navigant, an NYSE-listed consultancy.
Jonathan Martin, BSc, MRICS
Director for Inward Investment and Higher Education Academic Relationships
Telephone: 020 8496 6749
Email: jonathan.martin@walthamforest.gov.uk
Jonathan is a Chartered Surveyor and his current role focuses on securing Inward Investment across the borough, within the Economic Growth team, including, regeneration, business, property, and housing.
Ian Rae
Corporate Director for Regeneration, Planning and Delivery
Email: ian.rae@walthamforest.gov.uk
Ian is a Chartered Town Planner with almost 20 years of public sector experience. He is responsible for leading teams to deliver the Council’s Growth Strategy, including Planning, Culture, Regeneration, and Employment, Business and Skills.
Fay Cannings
Senior Inward Investment Manager
Email: fay.cannings@walthamforest.gov.uk
Fay has over 20 years experience in regeneration, community investment and small business growth in the public and private sector. Fay is part of the IWF team focusing on growth of the service and establishing the innovation hub.
Will Teasdale
Director of Area Regeneration Delivery
Telephone: 020 8496 4207
Email: will.teasdale@walthamforest.gov.uk
Will leads a team focused on securing economic growth, mixed-use development, regeneration, transport and sustainable infrastructure projects across the borough’s growth areas and town centres.
Sarah Parsons
Assistant Director, Place and Design
Telephone: 07570167985
Email: sarah.parsons@walthamforest.gov.uk
Sarah leads the Place and Design Team, focused on strategic planning across the borough. With almost 20 years’ experience across the public and private sectors, she leads on planning policy, area based planning and master planning, infrastructure planning, raising design quality, and ensuring the preservation and enhancement of our built and natural assets.
Rebecca Davey
Assistant Director, Employment Business and Skills
Telephone: 020 8496 6619
Email: rebecca.davey@walthamforest.gov.uk
Rebecca has over 20 years of experience in economic development and regeneration. Currently she is working on strategies to ‘Keep, Seed and Grow’ Waltham Forest’s business base.