About - futureground

Like-minded partners working to see long term results

Positive impact, regenerative action, ongoing value. It should all last, even in a fast-changing world.

Futureground took root in 2016 when we stepped back from the individual stages of the property lifecycle to consider both the minutiae and the whole. Since then we have become a critical friend to many, helping to create a positive impact that endures.

We have always wanted the built environment to have a good legacy.

What it looks like in practice

Each client’s situation is different but we’ve also seen the same kinds of stories play out time and again.

A local authority is uncertain whether their net zero carbon plan is bold, deliverable and will achieve what is needed
A company wants to move beyond compliance to unlock real value and opportunity from sustainable business
An organisation has a sustainability plan but is struggling to create the right culture and ways of working to get results

To learn more about the results of our work, check out our case studies or get in touch.

A handpicked network of sustainable place strategists

Futureground is built upon the experience of strategists who know how to make everything work on the ground. We have lived in and therefore understand the industry, and our cross-sector perspective gives you a clear view of the opportunities in your project or organisation.

Nick James

After 20 years of making sustainability happen in the property industry, Nick founded Futureground in 2016.

He brings a deep understanding of the property ecosystem to the table, having held senior sustainability roles across the board – in investor, design, contractor, consultant and developer organisations. His cross sector and whole lifecycle understanding has enabled him to deliver on complex, innovative and often sensitive projects.

Nick is also an associate of the Design Council Expert Network; a trustee of Bath Share and Repair; and a panel member on both Design: South West Review Panel and Enfield Council’s Place and Design Quality Panel.

Ellen Grist

Ellen is a chartered civil engineer with a doctorate in applied innovation in construction. Her research focuses on the adoption of low impact construction materials in the built environment.

After spending five years designing building structures in Ramboll and then Fenton Holloway, she now focuses on the delivery and evaluation of innovation in practice.

Ellen is also the Research and Evaluation Lead for the Bristol Housing Festival, and she is founder of At The Well cafe-laundrette – a social business born from her passion for community building and collaborative consumption.

Jenny Ford

Jenny has over 12 years of experience in the residential building sector. Founder of Materials in Mind, she is a sustainable buildings consultant and architectural technician who brings systems thinking and a designer’s mindset to the table.

With a background in sustainable development, she has helped many organisations enhance stakeholder engagement, resource management and the social experience of the built environment.

Donna McKitterick

A sustainability communications specialist, Donna enables people to connect to an organisation’s sustainability story. She is Director of Coriander Cows, a consultancy that connects people to sustainability through creative communications, behaviour change campaigns and engaging strategy.

She is also an Associate Consultant for Ethicore, a change agent for the third sector. She has worked with organisations including Sky, Hammerson and Habitat for Humanity.

Jennifer Decker

Jennifer is a stakeholder manager with 25 years experience in the retail/construction sector. She is also a partner at QSA, where she helps organisations create circular business models.

She developed the sustainability strategy for a UK railway client; led a US bank’s global carbon reduction programme; took the lead on sustainability at New Nuclear Build for the Hinkley C and Sizewell projects. She also led the original sustainable clothing action plan for WRAP/Defra to create the SCAP 2020 sector agreement.

Jez Sweetland

Jez is Project Director at the Bristol Housing Festival, a Futureground collaborator organisation. He has initiated and managed strategic development in a number of settings, and he believes collaboration is the key to lasting development.

A former CEO of guildhall Barrister’s Chambers and CEO of a charitable national skills training organisation, he went on to found the Bristol Housing Festival in 2018.

Jessie Wilde

Jessie is Deputy Project Director at the Bristol Housing Festival, and she is jointly responsible for its development and delivery.

A social innovator, Jessie has an extensive background in developing key stakeholder relationships and supporting organisational growth. She has previously worked for a leading anti-slavery organisation, and she is motivated by social justice, equality and her conviction of the dignity of every person.

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How we work

Today, finding a way forward in the built environment requires us to reassess the thinking behind the processes and culture that brought us to this point.

In a sense we are advocates of jazz over classical music. A sustainability strategy cannot set out precisely what the equivalent of the third french horn should play in two decades time. But it is possible to establish the key, core themes and motifs, and we can equip players with skills, instruments and the instinct to know when to play.

For us, that starts by taking ideas and strategy and grounding them in a whole system approach.

Memberships

“Futureground brought a fresh pair of eyes and a breadth of experience.”

“If someone asked me whose views on sustainability I value from strategic down to an operational level I’d always recommend Nick.”

‘They brought an understanding of the strategic planning side along with a practical knowledge of how things are working on the ground.”

“They distinguish themselves from the mainstream by delivering a truly tailored outcome genuinely co-created with their clients.”