John Sherlock

David Ward-Perkins

David Smith

Since founding JDD in 2004, John has emerged as a leading expert in visitor logistics and configuration of visitor destinations. He has developed JDD's computer models to predict visitor flows and financial activity. A former Marketing Director for a UK PLC, John has a degree in Engineering Science from Oxford. He is accredited by The Arts Society (formerly NADFAS) and also lectures on architecture with Cunard, P&O, Swan Hellenic and Voyages of Discovery.

David Ward-Perkins was co-founder and director, for 15 years, of ACCES, a consultancy based in France, specialised in large international projects in travel and tourism. Within JDD, David applies a marketing-led approach, and has developed innovative ways to identify opportunities and the potential of a visitor destination.

David Smith, a founder-dircetor of JDD, died in October 2016. He was a Chartered Accountant, and worked with all JDD's major clients, developing the detailed financial models that form the core of the business plan. David was previously Finance Director of a £200M turnover retail group, and had extensive experience in financial planning and negotiation of funding.

Paul Askew

Sarah Bing

Russ Canning

Paul is a specialist in the development of business to business and consumer marketing strategy. He has worked with JDD clients on concept and strategy development and on economic regeneration issues. Outside JDD, he is a director of Whetstone Group, which combines commercial consulting (e.g. regeneration strategy for the City of Dundee) with start-up and early stage business planning, modelling and funding. Previously, Paul was a director of the strategic marketing consultancy SRU. He is a full member of the Market Research Society and has a degree in Politics from Durham University.

Sarah has twenty years' experience in the heritage sector, having reached a senior position in the Historic Houses Association before launching and running an entrepreneurial publishing and business development company. She has experience of the range of activities associated with historic sites, including film and TV work, and understands the complex relationships between differing heritage bodies, tourism and government. She also has experience of communication, interpretation and education issues.

Russ Canning has over 30 years' experience of landscape planning and design in both local government and in private practice. He has achieved planning, design and sustainability awards in the UK, Hong Kong and the USA. He was Senior Landscape Planner for Leeds City Council and then Principal Landscape Architect at West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council. He then became a Director of Brian Clouston and Partners, Hong Kong, before moving to Cobham Resource Consultants (CRC), which later joined the Scott Wilson group, where Russ became a Director. In July 2004 Russ established his own consultancy, was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, an Expert Advisor to the National Heritage Memorial Fund and a non-executive Director of the National Forest Company.

Norman Hudson

Ian McDonald

Richard McGillan

With training in Estate Management and Recreational Land Management from Aberdeen, London and Reading Universities, Norman set up the recreation and leisure department of Savills before setting up his own business. He was Technical Adviser to the Historic Houses Association and is still retained by them to advise members on commercial development. He served as Member of the Council of the National Trust, as part of the British Tourist Authority Heritage Study Mission to the USA, and he is Chairman of the Country Houses Foundation – a grant-giving body.

Norman has lectured at the Architectural Association, the Manchester Business School, The European Union of Historic House Owners and the International Castles Institute. He has published guidebooks to numerous historic houses, and was the founder and editor of Hudson’s Historic Houses and Gardens, the near-definitive annual guide to Britain’s heritage property open to the public.

Ian established his practice Strategic Planning Advice Limited in 1993. Before that, he was a founding member of Roger Tym & Partners, Urban and Land Economists and a Partner of that firm for 19 years. He has extensive experience of the strategic planning and implementation of major developments, economic evaluation and regeneration.

Ian provided economic and planning advice on the creation of Bedfont Lakes, a large former gravel working site in West London that had been subject to uncontrolled landfilling. Here a country park of nearly 190 acres has been created, including a large area now designated as an SSSI. The scheme has won awards and created the largest new park in London in the 20th century. Ian also produced a strategy for Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, addressing the conflicting interests of nature conservation, tourism, quality of life in Cheddar village, archaeology, movement and access and inclusion of all groups.

Richard McGillan is Director of SteersMcGillan Design Ltd, a multi-disciplinary communications agency for the tourism, cultural/heritage, educational and sustainable sectors. They create and develop brand integration through mixed-media including print, signage, web and e- coms, advertising and strategic marketing.

SteersMcGillan's client list includes: Buckingham Palace, The British Museum, The Crown Estate, The Environment Agency, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Foster + Partners, Historic Royal Palaces, Museums Association, The National Trust, National Council for Voluntary Organisation, Royal Academy of Arts, The Royal Landscape, South East Tourism and Windsor Castle