Chris Goldsmith
Chairman
After studying engineering and land economy at the University of Cambridge, Chris combined his knowledge of maths, science, law and economics to begin his career at a surveyors’ firm in London where he qualified as a chartered surveyor.
After eight years of honing his skills in the capital, the irresistible pull of entrepreneurship beckoned, and in 1989 he laid the foundation for Turnstone Estates, initially focused on commercial buildings and office conversions in Cambridge.
Thriving on the creativity and complexity of property development, Chris then masterminded the Cambridge Cattle Market leisure scheme. Now Cambridge Leisure, the creation of the city’s first ‘multi-leisure’ development highlights his expertise in working in partnership with council landowners to turn unused land into profitable schemes which benefit the local economy.
A collaboration with the University of Cambridge, one of several schemes with this prestigious institution, followed which delivered the outstanding Hauser Forum providing a functional and architecturally impressive home for innovative science and technology companies.
This developed into a passion for placemaking beyond Cambridge to the wider region. Through the identification and transformation of idle and unloved sites, Chris has completed numerous mixed-use developments throughout East Anglia including the delivery of much needed housing.
Inspired by making a positive change in the built environment, the subject of housing affordability is a key issue of concern for Chris who wants create a better balance between private ownership, rental properties and social housing – a testament to his commitment to creating inclusive and sustainable communities.
This passion for rebalancing in the built environment also propels his personal dedication to restoring balance in the natural environment and rewilding. This is particularly evident in his role as Trustee of the Heart of Argyll Wildlife Organisation which became a custodian of the beaver reintroduction in Scotland – the first ever formal reintroduction of a native mammal species in Britain.
Chris is also a Trustee of the Asmarley Trust which funds heart and lung disease research at the Royal Brompton Hospital and the Asmarley Centre for Genomic Medicine at Imperial College London.