Behind the scenes at RedBook, there has always been a handpicked collection of esteemed insider figures who ensure it offers clients access to the best talent in the country. Every year, each member of RedBook’s Advisory Board works with the RedBook team utilising their network, knowledge and expertise to help select new Partners from their respective disciplines. To date, the Board has included the likes of art historian and former director of the V&A, Sir Roy Strong, and the conservationist and founder of Knepp Rewilding project, Charles Burrell.
Over the past 6 years, RedBook has evolved in its scope and scale. Having taken over the running of the business from founder Sandy Mitchell in 2025, CEO and now owner Tom Adams has set about ensuring the new-look RedBook Advisory Board reflects this.
Today, a broader panel of voices is revealed, including the former editor of House & Garden, Hatta Byng, the architectural historian Jeremy Musson and Yolande Barnes, Emeritus Professor of Real Estate at UCL, who was responsible for setting up and running the Savills Global Research department.
‘I’m delighted to unveil our new-look Advisory Board at RedBook,’ says Tom. ‘While eternally grateful for all the support that our previous Board has given us, the new Board is a direct reflection of how far we have come—and how far I want to take things in the future.
The mission of our Advisory Board has expanded. Not only will it ensure the company and those it works with remain at the forefront of design, but it will also help challenge our thinking and help us to build an ever-stronger future.
RedBook’s Founding Director Sandy Mitchell, who established the property consultancy in 2011, takes on the role of chairing the Advisory Board. ‘The very idea of RedBook, to find the best project teams, while also saving clients’ time, cost and stress on their high-value projects, was first and foremost Sandy’s vision,’ says Tom. ‘His role at the helm of the Advisory Board will help to ensure we continue delivering on that promise.’
Sandy says: ‘The Advisory Board has proved over the past 15 years to be of tremendous value to RedBook. I’m extremely proud to have taken on the role of Chairman from the wonderful Sir Roy Strong. And I am really delighted that our longstanding Board members have been joined by new figures of unrivalled authority in the worlds of interior design, garden design and project-market analysis.’
Hatta Byng will advise on all matters regarding interior design. She says:
‘As editor of House & Garden for a decade, I’ve enjoyed discovering rising stars, gained satisfaction in seeing the success of brilliant teams and celebrated the work of established designers. I’m keen to bring this insight to the team at RedBook.’
Gardens writer and editor Clare Foster will advise on all matters to do with landscape design. ‘With more than 20 years’ experience as Garden Editor of House & Garden, I know many of the country’s leading landscape designers and have every confidence I can dip into this extensive network to match RedBook’s clients to their ideal designer,’ she says.
Jeremy Musson, former architecture editor at Country Life magazine, has previously held a seat on the Board and today returns to act as an expert voice on traditional architecture. He says: ‘RedBook is a vital force in the world of fine houses and it’s a pleasure to return to the Advisory Board.’
Long-standing Board member and leading authority on conservation, Dr Simon Thurley, remains an advisor on conservation architects and listed buildings. ‘Tackling a significant project on a listed building can be daunting to the uninitiated. It can be complex, frustrating and, at worst, confounding. As RedBook expands its scope and scale, it continues to demonstrate that the right approach–and the right advisors–can make all the difference.’
Author and journalist Dr Dominic Bradbury will also continue in his role advising on contemporary architects and contemporary design. ‘I’m very much looking forward to the many creative conversations to come with my fellow Board members, as well as the architects and practices that help to make RedBook so special.’
Prof Yolande Barnes’s work pivots on thinking about real estate in ways that most people in the industry aren’t thinking yet, says Tom. ‘That determination to peer around the corner to see what might be coming mirrors our vision here at RedBook, too.’ Yolande joins the Board in a new position to advise on research and data, with a particular focus on the annual RBi.
‘In the 20th century, refurbishment, build and maintenance costs went unnoticed in an atmosphere of automatic, ever-rising capital value growth, but, in the 21st century, we have to look much more closely at what truly creates worth,’ she says. ‘Making informed decisions using the RBi will help create sustainable value and prevent a home from becoming a wasting asset.’
