1.
• Advisor to real estate companies on
communities, enterprise and social impact
• Founder of 4 x social ventures, now 7yrs+
• Raised £15m+ for projects from public and
private sources, generating many new jobs and
£0.5bn+ of new inward investment into cities
and their neighbourhoods
• Clients, partners and end users include
Grosvenor, Sanctuary Housing, Redrow plc,
Homes England, Morgan Sindall, U+i plc, igloo
Regeneration, Unibail Rodamco-Westfield,
Heathrow plc, Network Rail, City of Westminster,
London Boroughs of Camden, Newham,
Kensington & Chelsea & Croydon
• Awards include Sunday Times/'Maserati 100’
Entrepreneur (2016), Winner of 'Future Minds
Award for Innovation' (2011), Observer
Ethical Award (2011), Regeneration & Renewal
Grand Prix (2009)

2.
• David is co-Founder of Game Academy - a new talent tech venture for video game players
• Many communities in the world suffer disadvantage because of their social, economic and physical disconnection
• 91% of UK firms struggle to find workers with the right skills, in soft skills and a digital-first mindset
• There are 2.5bn video game players in the world. Some of the games that they play demand the very ‘soft skills’ that
employers are looking for. Players are also concentrated in places most exposed to the onset of automation and
intelligence technologies.
• Game Academy is a tech platform that helps gamers translate their in-game achievement out of game, skill up
through online educational courses that use commercial games and directs them to employment and educational
opportunities.
• The venture is underpinned by an unique dataset we have built that correlates game behaviours with career choices
• Game Academy was incubated by Zinc VC, a venture builder financed by LocalGlobeVC, Atomico and the London
School of Economics (October 2018– June 2019)
• Early engagement from major employers, digital recruiters, a top 10 global esports company and the British Armed
Forces
• Now at prototype stage, raising investment and starting to test an offline ‘campus’ in a vacant retail unit in East
London, a new category of meanwhile use

3.
onRedchuch Development Company

4.
• David is co-Founder of onRedchurch, an initiative to support the next generation
development of Redchurch Street, Shoreditch
• Coalition of property owners formed, including Redevco, The Rumi Foundation/Mylako,
Raycliff Capital, Redchurch Property LLP and others
• Association now forming of operators, including Folk Clothing, Aesop, AllPress and Albion
• Design competition in progress to identify a creative lead for a programme of improvement of
public realm, streetscape, pedestrianisation, facades, diversity meanwhile uses & events
• Regeneration programme designed to support the resilience and growth of the local
economy, aligned with new development in the area and London Borough of Tower Hamlets

5.
Recent Consultancies
• London Borough of Croydon: Proposal for a new Creative Campus, centred on
educational and edtech uses of ground floors and vacant properties (As Futurecity Associate
- launched MIPIM Cannes, 2019)
• Countryside Properties: Community Strategy for successful partnership bid with Kingston
Council for Cambridge Road Estate (As Futurecity Associate, Awarded, October 2018)
• London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea: support for public consultation on housing
redevelopment by Berkeley Homes at Kensal Canalside Opportunity Area (As advisor to
Iceni Projects)
• Westfield White City: Block C public realm and placemaking strategy (As Futurecity
Associate - in progress)
• Old Oak & Park Royal Development Corporation: Design & business planning of new
Local Economic Development Company to support placemaking, development of public
amenities and housing
• Heathrow plc: Creative uses strategy for Central Terminal Area to support masterplan

6.
Previous Projects

7.
Wild Blue Cohort angel investment network, Kensington & Chelsea (2014-)

8.
• With support from London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea & Westway Trust, David
founded an angel investment network in the local area
• Objectives: lower barrier to entry to entrepreneurship at most local level
• To date: 20+ HNWIs members, 30+ investments in 20+ early stage tech ventures
• 10 ventures have now progressed to Series B: 6 ventures to Series A: one failure

9.
The People’s Supermarket, Holborn (2010-)

10.
• With chef Arthur Potts-Dawson and retail expert Kate Wickes-Bull, David co-founded this
adaptive re-use of vacant retail premises on Lambs Conduit Street, London
• A co-operatively managed shop where members can volunteer time to win a discount on the
cost of their shopping
• Founded 2010, the store trades c £1m p.a t/o. Created 20+ new, on-going jobs.
• Started up by David with finance from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Fredericks Foundation,
London Borough of Camden and others
• Subject of Channel 4 Television series (TX 2011), visited by Prime Minister, featured by
media in Japan, USA, Australia and cited as flagship ‘sharing economy’ venture in the UK
• Winner, Observer Ethical Award (2011), European ‘Future Minds’ Award for Innovation (2011)
• Clone ventures founded in Bristol, Brighton, Paris and six more cities in France

11.
Middlesbrough Urban Farming (2007-)

12.
• ‘Space left over from planning’ in towns and cities often leads to urban blight
• The deprivation of many communities in the UK is compounded by ‘food deserts’
• In 2007, 1000+ people in Middlesbrough grew food in almost 200 public places. They
learned to cook with the produce that they grew. In the Summer, 8000 people attended an
outdoor ‘town meal’
• David co-founded the initiative with designers, architects and food specialists, as part of the
Design Council/One North East financed Dott07 sustainability initiative
• Project delivered as a public-Third Sector partnership between Middlesbrough Council,
Groundwork, Middlesbrough PCT, Sure Start and the Arts Council
• Project continues today as the ‘Middlesbrough Town Meal’, credited with enabling £10m+ to
be raised for a new horticultural training centre in Stewart Park, Middlesbrough

13.
The Castleford Project (2002-2009)

14.
• David founded this area-based urban regeneration project and ran it as Project Director,
supported by a partnership that included the City of Wakefield, Homes England (English
Partnerships), Yorkshire Forward, The Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Arts Council England
and many others
• Nine public spaces in the town were improved, two new community groups formed and the
lead project – a new pedestrian bridge – won the public space ‘sister’ of the Stirling
Architectural Prize (2007)
• The initiative was televised by Channel 4 as Kevin McCloud and the Big Town Plan
• Alongside the capital programme: extensive community-building revenue activity, including
the adaptive re-use of buildings, educational projects, street improvement initiatives and new
arts ventures

15.
• For PIK Group, Russia: Design of a programme of offline and online engagement of
residential communities for large-scale housing developments in Moscow (2017)
• For AGS: Design of a programme to improve relationships between commercial and
residential tenants in a mixed-use development, Holloway, London (2015-16)
• Sanctuary Housing: designed community initiative, Shirgreen Neighbourhood Challenge
(2010-2012)
• Heart of Slough: community lead on Morgan Sindall LABV bid (2011)
• ISIS Waterside / Glasgow City Council: advised on adaptive re-use of disused factory
space into neighbourhood film, art and performance space (2010)
• Municipality of Wood Buffalo: creation of a new town plaza, Fort McMurray, Alberta (2013)
• Strelka Institute, Russia: lead on plan for revitalization of Tikhvin, Leningrad Oblast
• Jamie Oliver Group: consultancy on future direction of Group & Foundation for new social
impact outcomes (2017). Became ‘B Corp’ (2019)
Other urban regeneration, development and support for real estate includes:

16.
• Former Producer, Director, Executive Producer of factual television documentaries and
programmes for Channel 4, BBC, CNN, NatGeo and other US broadcasters (1986-2015)
• 100hrs+ of programming, single documentaries and series since 1991, stand alone and for
strands such as Omnibus, The Late Show (BBC2), Dispatches. History, arts, foreign affairs,
current affairs, food, authored & observational programmes.
• Studied History & History of Art, University of York (1983-86). Presented youth current affairs
series for Channel 4 (1983).
• In support of best practice in the development/regeneration sector, David has been invited to
present his work to professional conferences in the U.K. and overseas, including Russia,
Greece, China, Hong Kong and the USA.
• Travelled extensively for work, throughout Central, Eastern and Western Europe, China,
Vietnam, Japan, the Sahara and Kalahari Deserts, West Africa. Visited Russia eight times.
• Based at Second Home, Holland Park. Founder Member, Conduit Club.
Background

17.
Contact
David Barrie
Email: David@davidbarrie.net
Mobile: 07775945302
Web: http://davidbarrie.me