Greg Clark

Greg Clark, an urbanist, is an author, global advisor, chairman and non-executive director.

Clark has advised more than 300 cities, 50 national governments and a wide array of bodies including the OECD, Brookings Institution, the World Bank and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) on strategies for city development and investment.

He also advises global investors and corporate service companies on how to align with city leaders.

Clark was born in Wimbledon, London in 1962 and was educated at the Jesuit Wimbledon College.

Between 1980 and 1981, he spent time volunteering in Mexico City and New York, which was to ignite his interest in the world's biggest cities.

He went on to Cambridge University, where he was JCR President.

From 1986 to 1990 Clark's career began to focus on city economies and employment, including roles at the British Refugee Council, The London Borough of Lambeth, and the Local Economy Policy Unit (South Bank University).

He joined the Local Economy Policy Unit (LEPU) (at London South Bank University) from 1988 to 1991 as a research fellow in London economic development.

Between 1990 and 2006 Clark held leadership roles in London in the sphere of urban economic development including: International Director at the London Docklands Development Corporation (1990–94), managing director, Economic Development at Greater London Enterprise, & Chief executive of the London Enterprise Agency 'One London' (1994–2001); executive director of Strategy and Communications, London Development Agency (2001–04).

Between 1994 and 1996, Clark was selected as a Harkness Fellow based at Columbia University in New York City, where he read Globalisation and City and Regional Planning.

In 1995, Clark was selected as a Harkness Fellow and was based at Columbia University in New York City, where he investigated City & Regional Planning and Metropolitan Governance.

He spent much of 18 months of his Fellowship as a guest of the US Federal Government, assessing city and regional economic development in 12 US and Canadian Cities.

From 1996 to 1998, he worked as a research scholar in city economic development at the London School of Economics.

Clark is an executive, a non-executive, a writer and advisor.

His roles include:

He also holds some advisory roles including:

He was chair of the OECD Forum of Cities and Regions from 1996 to 2016.

Clark returned to London in 1997, and took up a two-year part-time role as a research scholar in City and Regional Economics at the London School of Economics.

In 2004 Clark was appointed Lead Advisor on City/Regional Economic Development, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2004–10).

From 2004 to 2018 Clark had a range of advisory roles with global organisations and institutions, and has undertaken reviews of more than 300 cities around the world, chiefly for the OECD, Brookings Institution, World Bank and Urban Land Institute.

He has directed comparative studies and assessments of London and New York City, British and Spanish Cities, UK and Canadian Cities, and UK and Chinese Cities.

He was a member of the Promote London Council (2009/2011).

He was Global Fellow at Brookings from 2010 to 2020.

Clark has supported public and private partnerships leading metropolitan strategies and plans that integrate transport, land use, and economic development.

His recent contributions include:

Books

Reports and Papers

Clark was previously a Commissioner on the UK City Growth Commission (2012 to 2014), Chairman of British BIDs (2010–14), a Commissioner on the West End Commission (2012–13), a member of the Lead Expert Group of the UK Future of Cities Foresight Project (2013–16), and a Chairman of the London Stansted Cambridge Consortium (2012–16).

He was a member of the Crossrail 2 Growth Commission (2015–16) and the West Anglia Task Force.

From 2018 to 2022 Clark was Group Advisor Future Cities and New Industries at HSBC.