Joe Montgomery has joined the Urban Land Institute (ULI) as its new Chief Executive for Europe with responsibilities covering the expansion of its services and membership across Europe, and increasing the collaboration between public and private sectors in real estate and city development. He has joined ULI from the UK Government's Department for Communities and Local Government, where he was director general.

ULI is a global research and education institute dedicated to responsible land use and sustainable community building. Currently, ULI has nearly 30,000 members worldwide, including more than 2,300 in 14 countries across Europe. ULI's European operations are run from offices in London and Frankfurt.

Montgomery has spent most of his 27-year career as an urban regeneration specialist in central and local government. Prior to joining ULI, his responsibilities included managing the government's nine regional offices; investing England's multi-billion pound allocation from the European Regional Development Fund, securing a long-term legacy for East London from the 2012 Olympics; and leading the £9.6 bin Thames Gateway regeneration programme.