4 X 4 Series (2026 Edition) – Week 1

Peg Alexander is an award winning broadcaster, presenter and journalist and occasional writer across TV radio, podcasts and events. A colourful, warm, optimistic northerner, she’s all about the world we live in and life in general - people, politics, the planet and cake. She’s a regular on Jeremy Vine on 5, on Steph’s Packed Lunch and BBC England radio.

A former politician, broadcasting is her second career. Before moving into the media she was a charity CEO and is an expert on people powered communities and change - particularly in housing. She now combines both careers.

Architecture is in her blood. Her father was the architect, architectural historian and broadcaster Patrick Nuttgens. She grew up discussing the purpose of buildings, design, community and places as a regular tea time topic.

Ian Tod, now retired, was the founder of the 4 x 4 talks ‘Making Places’ 2001 – 2012. He led a Leeds based practice from 1977 to 2012, which oversaw projects such as Hunslet Housing Cooperative, Design Innovation Centre, Yorkshire Dance Centre, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Park Lane College and College of Music phase two to name a few.

Ian was also joint curator and designer of the William Morris Today Exhibition at the ICA in 1984, and joint author, with Michael Wheeler of an illustrated history of utopian ideas in 1977.

Jess anchors the Page\Park Leeds office and has led their growth in the region since she joined the team in 2019.

She has particular experience in housing and urban regeneration; and is bringing her expertise to a number of community and heritage projects, championing the importance of protecting our social/community infrastructure. Projects she has supported regionally includes Leeds Town Hall (ongoing), Leeds Playhouse, Ripon Workhouse Museum (ongoing) and Morley Town Hall (ongoing).

Jess is part of Page\Park's sustainability focus team and is helping to amplify conversations internally and externally about reducing carbon, working closely with clients to find sustainability roadmaps that work for them.

Alongside her work at Page\Park Jess has also held a longstanding teaching position with Newcastle University, where she shares her passion for retrofit, housing and regeneration with undergraduate students. She is also involved in the West Yorkshire Chambers steering groups and advocates for inspiring and quality developments across Leeds, and a committee member for the Leeds Society of Architects.

Mark has been with Page\Park since 2015 and is a leading member of their Arts and Culture team. He has worked on numerous theatres, cinemas and other arts venues during his time at Page\Park, and has a particular interest in projects that re-energise and refresh cultural buildings to make them accessible for all.

With a passion for architectural heritage, Mark's experience has largely focussed on working with historic buildings, addressing how we can repair and protect these urban assets whilst sensitively adapting them to meet the needs of contemporary audiences.

Most recently, Mark was the architect for the redevelopment of the much loved Hyde Park Picture House in Leeds, and continues to work on various other cultural projects across the UK, including his current work with Scottish Opera in Glasgow.

Pippa Hale is a contemporary artist based in Leeds. Her practice centres around history, geography and play and includes large-scale installations in heritage venues, the public realm and museums and galleries in media ranging from foam and inflatables to iron and digital technology. She is interested in rooting artworks to their locations, often working with local communities in their conception, production and delivery to connect people to places.

Last year she completed a new playable artwork ‘Play Revolution’ for the National Railway Museum in York and is currently working on commissions for Cambridge City Council with Playful Anywhere and Hilary Cox Condron. This year will also see the launch of Ribbons, a seven metre high sculpture celebrating women of Leeds commissioned by Leeds Arts University and Rachel Reeves MP and located at Playhouse Gardens.

Pippa is a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors and a member of the Artists Union England.

Since May 2020, Abigail has been Director of External Relations and Strategic Partnerships at LEEDS 2023 Year of Culture. She is responsible for designing and delivering LEEDS 2023's communications and external affairs strategy, as well as overseeing its research and evaluation framework. Previously, she spent over a decade at the social change organisation the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) leading its public engagement, grassroots and digital transformation strategy. Prior to JRF, Abigail worked in the field of architecture, first as Head of Press at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) where she helped to launch the Stirling Prize on Channel 4, and then in Melbourne, Australia working for Denton Corker Marshall.

Kully is Creative Director and CEO of LEEDS 2023 Year of Culture. She has spent her 30+ year career changing systems and structures in the arts world that are barriers to inclusion including pioneering the ways that theatres involve young people and taking performances to spaces that could be more easily accessible by the public. The former artistic director of National Theatre Wales and the first artistic director of Cast at Doncaster knows Leeds well, she was artistic director of Leeds theatre company Red Ladder and launched the Transform festival at Leeds Playhouse. In 2020, Kully won the inaugural Cultural Icon category of the Northern Asian Power List.