Why not curate places people are proud to live in and, in so doing, bring in money to fund public services?

Gelling bit the bullet, ditched his retirement plans and took the helm at This Land in a bid to do just that. Funded by Cambridgeshire County Council, the developer has amassed a hefty portfolio of land on which it hopes to build 2,000 homes.

Gelling has done the hard miles as a property professional and his CV shows he is a man undaunted by a challenge. After cutting his teeth delivering mixed-use development for Littlewoods Properties, he developed expertise building portfolios and driving development across the UK.