Meet the AoU's newest Board Directors
Concha Aranda Iglesias and Ben Copithorne join the Academy's Board this spring
The Academy of Urbanism is delighted to welcome two new non-executive Directors to the Board. The AoU Board helps steer the work of the Academy and support delivery of a range of key projects. Most recently, the Board established a new set of Strategic Priorities for the AoU as the organisation enters its third decade, which you can read here.
For information on all staff and Board members, visit theaou.org/people
Concha Aranda Iglesias
Concha Aranda Iglesias is a Senior Urban Designer with over eight years of international experience shaping masterplans and strategic placemaking projects across the UK, the Netherlands, and Spain. Currently an Associate Urban Designer at Foster + Partners in London, she has contributed to major regeneration and city‑shaping initiatives.
Having lived and worked in London, Rotterdam, and Madrid, she is skilled at adapting design thinking to diverse cultural and urban contexts. She brings a blend of creative design, and technical expertise with a people‑focused approach to teamwork, communication and project leadership working closely with clients, city authorities and communities to shape resilient and inclusive urban environments.
Concha holds an MSc in Urbanism from TU Delft and a Bachelor of Architecture from the Technical University of Madrid.
Ben Copithorne
Ben has worked in real estate and regeneration for three decades helping clients to build reputations and to get things built. He is managing director of Camargue, an employee-owned PR and communications agency working across the UK.
He is passionate about storytelling and connecting placemaking and place-shaping objectives with the audiences for whom they are relevant. His experience is wide-ranging and includes strategic land and new settlements, energy infrastructure, corporate real estate, ports & logistics, hotels & leisure and large-scale brownfield regeneration. He works with developers, investors, local authorities, portfolio holders and professional services clients.
Ben is a firm believer in the power of collaboration and the value that comes from sharing. He is a former council member for the National Infrastructure Planning Association (NIPA) and champions bringing all voices into the design and development process to achieve the very best outcomes. As a local resident, he is also invested in unlocking the opportunities across the Oxford to Cambridge growth corridor and maximising its good growth potential.
He studied and has an MA from the University of Oxford.
Pictured: The AoU Board and staff at Congress: Healthy Urban Living in Utrecht, June 2025
