We speak to Jordan Gresham about his role as group disposals director at Richborough. and the career path that took him there.
Tell us a little about your career to date.
I’ve always wanted to work in property, though I entered residential development – and then strategic land – almost by chance. At Nottingham Trent University, I studied Planning and Property Development, gaining a strong technical and commercial grounding, and placements with local authorities and national consultancies confirmed the sector was right for me.
After graduating, I joined Taylor Wimpey and spent over a decade in land roles across regional offices, ultimately becoming strategic land regional director for the North West, covering the Manchester and Warrington units and gaining experience across the full housebuilding lifecycle.
In 2021, I joined Richborough as regional director for the North, securing residential and mixed-use sites, guiding them through planning and taking them to market, which led to my current role.
Tell us about your current role.
As group disposals director, I lead all land sale activity across both the residential and commercial divisions. My team manages the process from marketing sites through to legal completion. We work closely with our network of trusted housebuilders and developers to match each site with the right delivery partner – someone who can bring the scheme to life for the benefit of the local community.
Our goal is to secure the best possible deal for landowners while ensuring the sites we sell are deliverable and commercially viable. My background in housebuilding gives me a unique perspective – I understand what developers look for in a site and what land promoters need to achieve. I often joke that I’m a ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’ and that insight really helps during negotiations.
We also support the planning and regional teams early in the process, advising on market trends or navigating technical and legal constraints, so that planning permissions are not just policy-compliant, but genuinely attractive to potential buyers.
What’s your favourite part of the job?
Definitely the ‘problem-solving’ and being the conduit between buyer and seller. Every deal is different, and understanding the psychology behind each party’s motivations is fascinating. For some landowners, legacy matters more than value; for others, certainty and timing are key. Balancing those priorities and creating win-win outcomes is the art of what we do.
What attracted you to Richborough?
I’d always admired Richborough’s reputation for promoting high-quality, sustainable developments and its ability to deliver planning consents on some of the UK’s most complex sites. There’s also a strong entrepreneurial spirit here. When we identified the need for a dedicated disposals function, the leadership team fully supported the idea and gave me the autonomy to build it from the ground up. That level of trust is rare and hugely rewarding.
What’s been the highlight of your time with Richborough so far?
Creating and growing the disposals function has been a real career highlight. I’m proud of how the team has evolved – we’re now three strong – and how we’ve streamlined the process, freeing up our regional teams to focus on acquiring and promoting new sites. It’s been great to see the positive impact on efficiency and outcomes for both the business, our clients and our housebuilding partners.
What are your industry predictions for 2026?
For residential land, I expect the need for more outlets to maintain volume will intensify, especially in the absence of any demand-side stimulus. Planning resource pressures will continue, and as always, success will come to those who adapt quickly to policy changes while maintaining quality and integrity.
Strategic land will remain central to delivering consented, de-risked sites to the market.
What’s one misconception about working in strategic land?
That it’s slow-paced because it’s ’strategic’. In reality, agility is key. It’s that flexibility that enables us to maximise the number of consented sites delivered to help tackle the housing crisis.
What career advice would you give someone considering a role in strategic land?
Get as much exposure as possible – planning, agency, housebuilding, they all give you valuable context. But don’t underestimate the importance of soft skills. Relationship-building, communication, emotional intelligence and a sense of humour are just as critical as technical knowledge. Be a good listener, pay attention to detail, and learn to read people. In strategic land, the numbers matter – but so do the people behind them.
