Our people

Stuart has over 25 years’ experience with Barker, having been appointed Managing Partner in 2007. He is accountable for setting strategic goals, overseeing daily operations, monitoring financial performance, and driving business growth. He has developed strong positive client relationships and continues to lead on any new business opportunities, strategic partnerships, and acquisitions.

Stuart leads a fast-growing multi-disciplinary consultancy, which offers a full range of services, from project inception to post-completion assessments.  His cross-functional depth of knowledge and experience is primarily channelled within the education sector, delivering energy management and construction projects for schools, academies, and higher education establishments.

He is a strategic advisor to the Multi-Academy Trusts on estates and facilities management. In recent years his expertise in this area has afforded Barker, the Premises and Facilities Management award for Partners in Consultancy.

Email: swhite@barker-associates.co.uk
Tel: 01279 648058

Robert joined Barker in 2002 and is a Partner based in our Braintree office. A Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, he has over 20 years’ of experience in all core building surveying services and provides strategic estates advice to key accounts in the education, commercial, ecclesiastical, and public sectors.

An education specialist, he provides the following services: estates and energy strategy, asset management planning, project management, and capital funding applications.

Robert works closely with clients to plan and implement energy efficiency and sustainability strategies to save money, reduce carbon emissions and meet ESG objectives.

As a RICS Certified Historic Buildings Professional, he provides conservation consultancy for clients with listed and historic buildings.

Robert is an experienced APC Assessor and Chairman and is also an external examiner for Anglia Ruskin University

As a Partner, Robert leads the Business Development and Marketing function at Barker, builds relationships with key sector bodies and helps steer the strategic growth of the company.

Email: rgould@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 01279 648057

Michael joined Barker in 1998 and achieved partner status in 2010. He manages a team of surveyors heading up a key part of our educational sector as well as wider management duties across the practice.

An experienced chartered surveyor, Michael has a hands-on role in the design, project management and contract administration of refurbishment and new-build schemes for public sector, education, commercial and private clients.

With the majority of his professional life spent working in the education sector, Michael is an education specialist delivering projects from inception to completion including feasibility/development planning, identifying funding streams, bid writing, project management of new build and refurbishment schemes, and condition surveys/works.

Email: mmerrill@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 01279 648068

Richard is a Partner at Barker and leads the Architecture Department. He is dual-qualified as a chartered architect and professionally certified project manager with over twenty-five years’ experience in the public and private sectors.

A diverse portfolio of completed projects includes new school buildings, visitor centres, courthouses, commercial offices, and a variety of residential and mixed-use projects both in the UK and overseas. Richard led the development and managed Staffordshire County Council’s first strategic construction partnership after several years of leading an architectural team and has a broad knowledge of construction procurement.

Email: rpaynter@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 01279 648086

Will joined Barker in 2003 and is a Partner heading up the Project Management, Cost Consultancy and commercial team. Will became a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in 2000 and has over twenty years of relevant experience across all sectors of the construction industry. He is responsible for overseeing project management on all major schemes.

Previous project management experience includes major medical facilities, university buildings in Cambridge, aircraft facilities, and extensive experience in educational buildings.

Will works with a cross-section of clients from private individuals through to development companies and commercial organisations to provide project management services on new developments and opportunities.

Will is a principal designer under the CDM regulations and provides guidance and support for colleagues regarding health and safety on projects.

Email: wbidewell@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 01223 297244

James joined Barker in 2004 and is a Chartered Surveyor and Partner heading up the Building Surveying projects team at our Head Office.

James specialises in the design, specification, and contract administration of refurbishment and new-build schemes for the public sector, education, commercial, and private clients.

An education specialist, he provides strategic advice/management, securing funding and the delivery of projects to the educational sector.

Email: jjohnson@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 01279 648099

Tom joined Barker in 2020 and is currently a Partner based in our London office. Tom has over 15 years of experience in the built environment offering strategic and technical advice to a wide variety of clients across the UK.

Highly experienced in strategic estate advisory services, project management, estate planning, decarbonisation, net carbon zero strategy, and funding solutions.

Tom’s key focus is to support Barker’s clients as they transform their estates and decarbonise. He works across the education and public sectors and advises a number of sector bodies on estate management and energy reduction best practices.

Email: tdeacon@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 0203 9127812

Jonathan joined Barker following a successful career working in management consultancy within the education sector both at the central government and local level. This culminated in the formation of his own company, EO Consulting, which became part of Barker in 2018.

Jonathan builds strategic partnerships with clients. He presents practical and innovative solutions to the complex challenges faced by clients in estates and energy management.

By combining his vast sector knowledge with data and analysis he helps organisations to achieve their sustainability goals, deliver organisational transformation, and improve operational effectiveness.

Email: jcoyles@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 01279 647111

Daniel joined Barker in 2011, he is a Partner heading up the Cost Consultancy and Quantity Surveying team.

With over twenty years of experience in the construction industry, Daniel specialises in providing cost consultancy for public sector, education, and commercial clients across a wide range of new build and refurbishment projects.

Email: dbowler@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 01279 648052

Gareth joined Barker in 2024, based in our Essex head office.

He is a Chartered Civil Engineer with more than 20 years of experience in Civil Engineering solutions & has led both Civil & Structural Engineering teams on projects from conception to project delivery, with values exceeding a billion pounds both nationally and internationally.

He holds a deep understanding of Infrastructure Engineering, focused on a value-led design ethos to complex situations, which has allowed the positive integration of infrastructure into coordinated design masterplans across all sectors.

Email: garethwebber@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 01279 701 984

Edwin has over 15 years of extensive experience in delivering built environment and sustainability services across the planning, development, and building occupation lifecycles of major public sector education and commercial estates.

As an energy & sustainability specialist with extensive knowledge of the public and education sectors, Edwin brings a wealth of experience to the practice, including the areas of carbon reduction & energy efficiency measures, energy policy & strategy, project and programme management, as well as sustainable design advice.

Edwin’s key focus is to support Barker’s client base in achieving their carbon reduction and energy efficiency aims across their education and commercial estates.

Email: eoconnell@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 0203 9127811

Formerly the Director of Estates for a leading Academy Trust, Matt brings over a decade of ‘client-side’ experience in property management and capital project delivery.

He has over 14 years of experience working at the forefront of Education Estates management. Working with staff and colleagues across the Trust at the “C-Suite” level to the operational Facility Management teams. He has successfully developed and established a variety of strategic and tactical approaches to the management and operation of the portfolio of schools to provide property assurance, capital works programmes and business resilience.

Email: misherwood@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 0121 2892572

Adam has over 12 years of experience working as a consultant in the construction industry, delivering building services and design solutions for new and existing buildings, across all sectors.

He has extensive knowledge of working both client-side with developers on large residential and industrial schemes, as well as delivering retrofit building services projects in education estates, collaborating with stakeholders throughout the design stages.

Adam’s key focus is leading the building services design team to deliver innovative solutions to Barker’s client base across the education, residential, and commercial sectors.

Cem joined Barker in 2002. He specialises in the design, project management, and contract administration of both refurbishment and new-build schemes across the education and private sectors.

With extensive knowledge of education funding streams and a strong track record in bid management, Cem provides strategic support to clients looking to secure funding and deliver high-quality, future-ready facilities.

Email: corhan@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 1223 297245

Based in our Braintree Head Office, Charlie delivers building surveying, design, specification, contract administration and project management services to commercial clients and the public sector including schools, constabulary and fire services. More recently, he has been involved with workplace planning to reduce congestion as part of post-Covid requirements.

Charlie’s skills also include Condition Improvement Funding (CIF) bids and strategic School Condition Allocation (SCA) expenditure for education clients.

Email: cholmes@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 01279 648085

James specialises in the education sector, supporting schools and multi-academy trusts with compliance, Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) and School Condition Allocation (SCA) advice. He leads funding applications and provides end-to-end project management for both new-build and refurbishment projects, helping clients maximise investment and deliver lasting outcomes.

Email: jbowen@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 01279 790058

Paul is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor with over 20 years of experience working as a consultant in the construction industry. He has focused on delivering services in retail, banking, commercial and residential projects. Over the past 3 years, he has worked within the healthcare sector specialising in the NHS and nursing homes.

Prior to working within consultancy, he was client-side with social housing & healthcare providers, which helped him to develop a strong understanding of stakeholder key drivers and the focus on client objectives.

Paul has over the past 5 years been coordinating both the quantity surveying and project management functions for his clients and is keen to expand upon this service offering across the education and healthcare sectors. He has delivered complex projects within both industries that covered both refurbishment and new build elements with project values ranging from £1m to £35m.

Tel: 0121 4509078

Philippa joined Barker in 2009 and is a Chartered Surveyor and RICS Certified Historic Building Professional.

Philippa has been developing our estates and energy programmes. Combined with her experience in project and estate management she is assisting clients in effectively collecting and analysing their estates and energy data to facilitate bespoke client-focused data-driven estates and sustainability strategies.

As a Certified Historic Buildings Professional she provides conservation consultancy for private and municipal clients, advises on conservation strategies and works to listed and historic buildings.

Email: pgould@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 01279 648051

Sebastian has over 16 years of experience delivering high-end architectural design and managing complex development projects across the residential, high-rise, and large-scale sectors.

As an Associate Partner Architect at Barker, Sebastian brings extensive expertise in leading ambitious schemes. His portfolio features super-prime residential developments, large mixed-use towers, and luxury housing projects.

Sebastian’s key focus is to strengthen Barker’s architectural capability and support clients with a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary service that integrates design with our engineering and BIM expertise. He is also working towards being listed on the RIBA Principal Designer Register (General and High-Risk Buildings), underlining his commitment to excellence in managing complex, high-profile developments.

Email: sebastianpitman@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 01279 648 053

Juan is a registered RIBA Conservation Architect who, through the years, has developed a particular interest in conservation projects. He has extensive experience working on residential, conservation, urban design, and community projects through all RIBA stages.

He is involved in all aspects of design, technical detailing and presentation. His technical knowledge and detailing skills are valuable assets to the team.

Adrian joined Barker as a Building Surveyor in 2017 and specialises in contract administration and project management.

His extensive experience covers a range of public sector projects including schools, universities, constabulary and fire and rescue services.

Email: abrowning@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 01279 648090

Andrew joined Barker in 2021, he is an Associate Building Surveyor in our projects team based in Cambridge.

Andrew has over ten years of experience undertaking a range of projects to deliver building surveying, contract administration and project management services to commercial, residential, and public sector clients.

Ben works for Barker as an Associate Building Surveyor in the Braintree Office. He specialises in design, specification and contract administration; managing projects from inception to completion to deliver work on programme and within budget.

Ben has a wealth of experience in project delivery, particularly within the education sector, and with wider experience in undertaking condition surveys and feasibility studies to support various types of funding applications, such as CIF Bids, T-Levels, and business cases.

Robbie is a Building Surveyor in the projects team. He specialises in contract administration and project management of refurbishment, extension, and new-build construction projects for education, commercial, and private clients.

Robbie is currently studying to achieve his RICS Chartership, with Barker Associates supporting his training towards this qualification.

Cornelius joined Barker in 2022 from a global hotel chain and leads our building services engineering team. He is a Chartered Engineer with extensive experience in design, project management, and contract administration of electrical engineering-based schemes across the public and private sectors. This extends to include new builds, refurbishments, extensions, and energy efficiency projects.

Cornelius manages a team of engineers, oversees key accounts, and helps develop our service offering across traditional and sustainable project programmes.

Email: cfong@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 01279 701966

Daniel joined Barker in 2019 as a Structural Engineer and was appointed as an Associate to provide support and develop Barker’s Structural Engineering services.

Daniel has over 22 years of experience on projects in the residential, commercial, and education sectors providing a wide range of engineering solutions on new build, refurbishment, and remodelling projects.

Email: dclaydon@barker-associates.co.uk

Tel: 01279 648076

Neil is an experienced Structural Engineer with over 16 years working as a Consulting Engineer in the construction industry.

He has a proven track record of leading and delivering projects ranging from bespoke housing to large, complex residential and commercial projects, providing cost-efficient solutions and ensuring project delivery is on programme and within budget.

Andrew joined Barker in 2024 as a Senior Civil Engineer based at our Head Office in Braintree, working within the Structural & Civil Engineering Team. He brings a wealth of experience in the residential sector, with a strong track record of delivering complex infrastructure and drainage solutions on large-scale regeneration projects.

He has played a pivotal role in major residential schemes valued at up to £1 billion, consistently delivering practical, cost-effective designs that support programme certainty and align with planning requirements. He is recognised for his collaborative mindset and unwavering commitment to engineering excellence.

Tom joined Barker in 2018 becoming an Associate in 2023.  Based in our Cambridge office, Tom specialises in cost reporting, valuations, and procurement matters for commercial, education and local authority clients.

Tom is experienced in the full range of quantity surveying services both pre and post-contract and ensuring that the clients are kept aware of financial planning, financial reporting and budget control.

Donna joined Barker in 1999 and is the practice manager. Donna manages the day-to-day operations of the practice ensuring quality and compliance is rigorously maintained. She manages the administration team as well as personnel and all applicable regulations.

Email: dwagstaff@barker-associates.co.uk 

Tel: 01279647111