Gemma John is an accomplished applied anthropologist and sustainability advisor who has dedicated her career to promoting positive change within the built environment. She earned her PhD in 2009 and began her professional journey in planning and architecture with leading firms such as AECOM and Foster + Partners in London. In 2017, she founded Human City, a consultancy focused on driving social value through real estate investment, development, management, and operation. Gemma has worked with a diverse range of private, public, and nonprofit organizations across Europe and Africa, leveraging her expertise to conduct rigorous research and provide strategic guidance on sustainable development. Her commitment to driving meaningful impact is reflected in her extensive education, which includes coursework in Real Estate Economics and Finance at the London School of Economics and Impact Investing in Africa at the University of Cape Town. Gemma’s contributions to academia and sustainable development have earned her an Honorary Research Fellowship at University College London‘s Department of Anthropology and Adjunct Faculty status at the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainable Leadership. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and a Winston Churchill Fellow.
