Joe Garrod is the Strategic Director of Place at Waltham Forest Council, where he has worked for almost eight years. During his tenure, he has led a wide ranging transformation programme that resulted in the council’s housing services being awarded a C2 rating—the second highest possible— by the Regulator of Social Housing. He also oversaw the construction and opening of Soho Theatre Walthamstow, a major cultural landmark for the borough featuring a 960 seat Grade II listed auditorium. Waltham Forest is recognised for its approach to inclusive growth and area based regeneration and is consistently ranked among the top ten council housebuilders nationally. A Chartered Surveyor, Joe has over 20 years’ experience delivering social infrastructure across the public and private sectors. He previously served as the Regional Manager for London in the Cabinet Office’s One Public Estate programme and was the Department for Education’s Launch Director for LocatED, the government owned property company established to acquire and develop school sites. In the private sector, he has worked with Cleanslate, a boutique developer and investor, and Navigant, a NYSE listed consultancy.