Our people

We model the change we want to see.

We hold impressive experience in leading major project delivery, having worked at the front-line and business leadership levels for the UK’s largest contractors and consultancies.

Our friendly team has taken on pioneering roles in shaping government and industry policy, leading academia in R&D initiatives and providing strategic direction and support for both multinational corporations and SMEs.

As a verified B Corp, we care about the built environment and how it shapes society. Our people bring energy and clarity to help our clients do the right things, better.

Discover more

Jamie Hillier

Partner

John Handscomb

Partner

Ellie Jenkins

Partner

Alex Gee

Consultant

Elizabeth Cook

Consultant

Penny Anderson

Head of Social Impact

Katie Rudin

Consultant

Sophie Elliott Shircore

Business Manager

Rob Littlewood

Partner

Policy portal

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What’s with this Lemon?

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Jamie Hillier

Partner
Contact
Linkedin Twitter
jamie.hillier@akerlof.co.uk
07791 718 377

With a penchant for tweed and jackets with leather arm patches, Jamie began his career as a quantity surveyor, before climbing the ladder to lead major projects for a Tier 1 contractor.

Eventually expanding his book collection beyond copies of SMM7, Jamie has interest in a broad range of subjects linked to delivering better outcomes for society and the environment.

His strategic insights on MMC and behavioural science have made their way into numerous government, industry and academic publications, including the Construction Playbook, Transforming Infrastructure Performance Roadmap to 2030, the Platform Rulebook and the RIBA DfMA Overlay.

John Handscomb

Partner
Contact
Linkedin Twitter
john.handscomb@akerlof.co.uk
07305 486 581

Construction is in John’s blood. Learning from his father who was a planner and project manager, John began his career by working on some iconic projects in both the public and private sector.

As a procurement expert and integrator of new ways of working, John has pioneered the integration of platform principles, DfMA processes and supply chain within over £5bn projects in the last 15 years, for some of the largest building programmes in the UK. Despite his considerable expertise, John keeps it simple, communicating complicated ideas with ease and helping to equip the industry with new knowledge and skills.

Outside of Akerlof, John enjoys his executive role with technology start-up ScanTech Digital, spending time with his family, taking trips down the football, playing a bit of golf with friends and the odd pint. 

Ellie Jenkins

Partner
Contact
Linkedin Twitter
ellie.jenkins@akerlof.co.uk
07549 120 134

For Ellie, it’s all about the people. If she can lift someone’s day or shape a project to deliver better outcomes then every bit of effort is worth it. Our team, clients and partners all make her eager to wake up and start another day, and it’s her mission to link up with as many brilliant, inspiring and active trailblazers in our sector, preferably over good coffee.

A change-maker herself, Ellie has been the driving force behind the Value Toolkit, an industry-wide collaboration to awaken businesses towards the virtues of value-based decision making. She combines social value and sustainability expertise with a deep understanding of complex stakeholder engagement, managing an extensive network of strategic relationships across a diverse portfolio of industry and government bodies.

All this keeps Ellie pretty busy, however when she gets a free minute, you’ll find her upside down practising vinyasa yoga, adventuring with friends and family or with her head in a book studying for her master’s.

Alex Gee

Consultant
Contact
Linkedin Twitter
alex.gee@akerlof.co.uk
07745 528 323

With a background in business management, Alex brings a versatile set of skills in setting strategy, conducting market research, data analysis and risk management to improve business outcomes.

Open-minded and enduringly optimistic, Alex’s ability to sensitively manage a diverse range of views allows him to bring together stakeholders to make balanced, informed decisions, demonstrated through his leadership of Akerlof’s ethics committee and facilitation of numerous client workshops.

Alex has a taste for adventure and can often be found travelling the world, meeting new people and experiencing different cultures. If you’re lucky enough to catch Alex whilst he’s in the country, you’ll find him hard at work helping our clients to recognise and harness their potential, in response to changing market dynamics.

Elizabeth Cook

Consultant
Contact
Linkedin Twitter
elizabeth.cook@akerlof.co.uk
07506 642 790

Elizabeth is one of those people who makes life brighter. Exceptionally creative, a natural wordsmith with a keen eye for detail, she has a unique ability to distil complex ideas into compelling content. We all want her working on our projects.

If you need someone that will go the extra mile, it is Elizabeth. A trusted project manager to many of our clients, she is adept at juggling tasks while keeping a level head and producing outputs to be proud of. There isn’t much she can’t turn her hand to, from creative graphics to bid management.

When Elizabeth isn’t charging up a hill after her german shepherd George, you’ll find her quietly crafting something beautiful or working away in her garden.

Penny Anderson

Head of Social Impact
Contact
Linkedin Twitter
penny.anderson@akerlof.co.uk
07355 094 442

After completing a degree in Public Policy and Management, Penny began an exciting career in bar management which led her to live all over the country, travel throughout Europe, meet her now husband and learn a great deal about people and cultures.

Whilst working for a main contractor in the north of England, she saw that clients were asking more and more about social value and seized the opportunity to make a difference.

Penny is now a social value specialist with over 14 years’ experience, having developed far-reaching corporate social value strategies for Tier 1 contractors and consultancies. Intent on achieving real change, she inspires and leads others to understand how even small changes in behaviour can shape our world for the better.

Katie Rudin

Consultant
Contact
Linkedin Twitter
katie.rudin@akerlof.co.uk
07970 253 914


Katie draws on her broad experience working as a designer, client and main contractor to shape and implement business strategies that deliver lasting change.

Perpetually fascinated by architecture (and probably one of the reasons she always trips over her feet), Katie brings a confident and positive outlook to make the built environment a more diverse and inclusive sector that enriches people’s lives.

She loves a challenge, and when she’s not running the London Marathon, cycling or hiking up hills, Katie is picking up awards for collaboration and leveraging her expertise in design standardisation, MMC, DfMA and offsite technologies to achieve better outcomes for our clients.

Sophie Elliott Shircore

Business Manager
Contact
Linkedin Twitter
sophie.shircore@akerlof.co.uk
07734 013 679

A trusted and capable business manager, Sophie delivers invaluable support to our team, having worked as a PA for a number of CEOs prior to joining Akerlof.

Dedicated to doing good, she enhances the quality of our delivery across all aspects of our business. Whatever project Sophie gets involved with, her organisation and creativity shines through.

An early morning workout before anyone else is awake gives Sophie a head start to her day, and when she’s not watching her kids on the football pitch, she thoroughly enjoys getting stuck into sewing, baking and even her children’s lego sets.

Working with Sophie is a pleasure and you’ll find she’s always happy to help. We’re just a little wary of her ability to successfully order goods online… however if you’re ever in need of a coat that’s 10 sizes too small, Sophie’s got that covered.

Rob Littlewood

Partner
Contact
Linkedin Twitter
rob.littlewood@akerlof.co.uk
07827 258 016

Despite falling into construction cost management by chance rather than choice, after 18 years in the industry, Rob hasn’t looked back.

A fervent adopter of pre-manufactured solutions, Rob is enthusiastic to modernise delivery through the use of technology, which has led him to harness the power of AI to create automated cost estimates, cost plans and even bills of materials in manufacturing.

From a young age, Rob has been involved in a variety of sports, including travelling the country to compete in national table tennis competitions, against people who now play for team GB in the Olympics! Nowadays, Rob is a keen road cyclist and amateur chef; though unsuccessful in his efforts to lure his two children away from their spaghetti hoops.

Ultimately, Rob is a great listener, who, against a backdrop of market volatility, helps our clients to navigate real change (just don’t ask him to put up your shelves).

Our name is shared with George Akerlof, a Nobel Prize-winning economist.

His seminal paper, Market for Lemons, demonstrated the devastating consequences of making decisions under the conditions of quality uncertainty and unequal information between buyers and sellers, increasing the chance of buyers ending up with a ‘lemon’.

This 50-year-old concept continues to retain parallels within the construction industry.

Through our insight and experience, we can rebalance this information asymmetry on behalf of our clients, levelling the playing field to deliver better outcomes.