CHAIR

Cath moved to East London in 1985 and is a Hackney resident. As an Executive Headteacher in Tower Hamlets and Greenwich, she brings leadership, management and governance experience to the Trust. Cath has considerable experience of working on charity Boards and is Chair of Bow Arts Trust and of the Box Clever Theatre Company.

TREASURER

Originally from Edinburgh, Derrick Turner has lived in North East London (London Fields, Bethnal Green, Clerkenwell, Bow) since 2013, and has served as Treasurer of HHBT since the start of 2015. He is a Chartered Management Accountant with over 18 years experience in the Real Estate sector, currently with the Relentless Group in Manchester. He also serves as Treasurer of Co-op Homes, based in Teddington, and sits on the Audit and Investment Committees of Richmond Housing Partnership.

Patrick lives in Hackney and was an architect and a consultant for Urban Regeneration. Until retiring, he was Divisional Director for Urban Regeneration at architects Levitt Bernstein. Over many years he has developed considerable experience of managing charities serving communities in London. Previously as Chair of the Hackney Society he helped found the HHBT, and has also been a board member of other environmental charities in Hackney and London.

Hannah Parham is Head of Partnerships for London and the South East at Historic England, where she works principally on heritage at risk projects, grants, heritage-led regeneration. Hannah's career began at English Heritage, as an advisor to Government on the listing of buildings for special architectural or historic interest. Since then, she has worked in private practice - as Director of Historic Buildings Consultancy at Donald Insall Associates, a conservation architecture practice - and for the Churches Conservation Trust, where she led capital projects to rescue historic buildings at risk. In addition to her voluntary role at Hackney Historic Buildings Trust, Hannah is a Trustee of The Landmark Trust, a charity which sensitively restores historic buildings and makes them available to everyone for self-catering holidays. She is also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

Robert moved to East London in 2013 and has been a resident of Hackney since 2020. An experienced property management professional, mobilising and managing prestigious mixed-use estates and trophy commercial buildings in central London. He is passionate about sustainable developments and studies History and American Studies at university.

Janet has lived in Hackney since 1985. She is also the Chair of Hackney Society which organises events, publishes books about Hackney’s history and has groups scrutinising and advising on planning applications and buildings at risk.  She is also founder of Hackney History Festival, a month long celebration of Hackney’s diverse heritage which started in 2024.

Regine Kandan is an Architect and an associate at Donald Insall Associates with over 15 years’ experience working with historic sites. Her portfolio fuses contemporary design with careful adaptation of heritage environments. Current projects include repairs at the Palace of Westminster, interior projects for Historic Royal Palaces and a retrofit project for Grosvenor Estate. Her strengths and experience lie in the sensitive adaptation and reuse of historic buildings to ensure the longevity and continued use of our built heritage. At the core of her interest is the desire to conserve and celebrate the ‘sense of place’ in the context of her work. In the past, she has critiqued and advised on student work at the University of Manchester and Nihon Fukushi University. Regine is also a member of the Hackney and Newham Design Review Panels.

Crispin Truman is the director of the Rayne Foundation, a UK grant-making trust supporting charities in social care, community development and the arts. He has over 25 years’ experience of charity leadership, working across sectors and with all levels of government. He was previously CEO of CPRE, the countryside charity, CEO of the Churches Conservation Trust for 14 years and of Revolving Doors Agency before that. Crispin has chaired and been trustee of several organisations including UK and European heritage networks, Rethink Mental Illness, the London Cycling Campaign and was chair of governors at Stoke Newington School in London. He was awarded the OBE for services to charity and heritage in 2017.

Nick is a digital transformation and change specialist with over 16 years’ experience leading major change programmes across public and private sector roles. He currently works in the Civil Service, where he focuses on technology transformation and strategy. Nick studied History of Art and Anthropology at university, with a focus on the late medieval period in East England. He is particularly interested in the intersection between the heritage, arts and education sectors, and in how to engage and excite the public around the historic buildings the Trust cares for.