Our Trustees

Leah Tattersall - Chair

Leah has over a decade of property experience, spanning land acquisition and development, property management, lettings, sales, and project management. Currently a Land Manager, she leads residential development site acquisitions across South West England and South Wales. Leah holds a BSc(Hons) in Real Estate Management and is qualified with NFoPP in Residential Sales, Lettings, and Property Management. Leah joined the board in 2022 and assumed chairmanship in May 2024.

Toby Saunders - Treasurer

Toby is a Chartered Wealth Manager with over a decade of experience in helping clients to protect and grow their wealth. Toby joined the Charity of Alderman Steevens in 2018 and is also a trustee of the Bristol Benevolent Institution.

James Hawkins

James is a Partner in the Corporate team at Knights solicitors, handling a wide range of commercial work for owner-managed business and family-owned businesses.

The work he does for owner-managed businesses ranges from their formation, working with the businesses whilst they grow, and assisting them on acquisitions and/or disposals of the business in order to realise the owner manager’s investment. James takes a highly commercial view on these transactions and works hard to understand his clients’ objectives and how their business operates.

James is a director of Bristol Spaceworks Limited, an enterprise agency based in the east of Bristol which provides affordable work space to business start-ups.

Richard Clarke

Richard was born and educated in Bristol. He has been involved in the property industry, most of his working life, across the South West. He became a Trustee at Alderman Steevens in 2007, having also served as Vice Chair of Lantra, President of the Canynges Society. Richard was Trust and Chair of Bristol Zoo for almost 25 years and still serves as their Ambassador. During Richard’s professional life he has had client-side, Consultancy, Funding and Developer experience. He has twice served as Regional Chair of Home Builders Federation and represented Construction Leadership Council for the region.

Phillip Bate

Phillip Bate is the Director of Business Banking at Triodos Bank UK. Triodos focus on financing charities and social enterprising working to bring about positive social, cultural or environmental change in the world. He first joined the business banking team in 2018 and prior to his roles at Triodos, Phillip worked across finance, risk and business banking departments.

Phillip brings a broad range of experience, including underwriting, risk management and lending across asset classes. He is also a qualified chartered accountant with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

Rebecca Stanton

Rebecca is a Solicitor who specialises in contentious and non-contentious Planning and Environment law. She has acted for housebuilders, landowners and Agriculture sector clients, on negotiation of infrastructure agreements and providing advice on policy and legislation to help with any issues that arise during the planning process. She also has experience defending criminal prosecutions brought by the Environment Agency, and local planning authorities in a Planning Enforcement context. Her legal training included working for Registered Providers in the Social Housing team of a national law firm, which is where her interest in and knowledge of the Social and Affordable Housing sector began.

Hannah Eshelby

Hannah has over 12 years' experience in the property industry, of which the last 8 years were spent at Jones Lang LaSalle, based out of Bristol but covering the wider Southwest and Wales region. Hannah works for Alder King Property Consultants specialising in residential development agency and financial viability and has a wide range of experience acting for both the public and private sector clients throughout the living markets and sub-sectors such as traditional Build-to-Sell, Build-to-Rent, Affordable Housing, Student (PBSA), Co-Living and Later Living and Care assets. Hannah is also a RICS Chartered Surveyor and Registered Valuer.

Hannah has been a Women in Property Committee Member and the South West Mentor Champion for the last 4 years as well as currently having the role of President for the Residential Agent in Bristol Development Society for 2024. Hannah became a Trustee of Alderman Steevens in April 2024.

Peter Fitzgerald

Following completion of a Masters in Physics and Meteorology and latterly a PhD in Climate Science, Peter transitioned into a career in Banking and Finance. Having held positions across Retail/Branch Banking, Global Payments and Commercial Credit Risk, Peter is now a Relationship Director supporting Small and Medium sized businesses, with a focus on Agricultural clients. Peter joined the Alderman Steevens trustee board in 2024.