In this episode, we speak with CEO of bpha, Richard Hill. Richard shares with us his journey into his new role. We also learn about Richards's tenure as vice chair of the G15 and get insight into the group’s inner workings.

Richard gives us an overview of where bpha stands today and what the organisation is planning on implementing in the near future. With the variety of locations that bpha serves, it’s unsurprising that they need to tailor their service to the different communities. We learn how bpha is staying connected with its residents through good communication and its ‘Community Hubs’ 

We also get Richards's thoughts on the state of hybrid working and getting the balance right, as well as how to guide the culture of an organisation. We speak about professionalism in the sector and whether or not qualifications are a positive, or if they could have a negative impact on attracting talent. And Richard offers tips for aspiring leaders in housing and his thoughts on how we can attract more of them into the sector. 

In this episode, we cover:

• What has changed in the sector over the past 20 years? 
• Insights into the G15
• How bpha is utilising its ‘Community Hubs’ to support residents and get them talking.
• Have we got the balance right yet on hybrid working?
• The part that regen is playing in bpha’s strategy.
• Richard’s take on the key challenges the sector is facing.
• Is professionalising the sector a positive move?
• How do we get more people moving into the sector? 

What does it mean to be ‘customer obsessed’? In this episode, we sit down with Louise Swain, CEO at Alliance Homes Group. Alliance is a customer-focused housing association providing housing in the West of England.

Louise shares the story of her lived experience that led her towards working in social housing. She gives her thoughts on how the sector has changed in the last 20 years and how Alliance has evolved with it. In line with its customer-centric approach, Alliance are looking to implement  ‘MOT’ model that allows them to be more proactive rather than reactive to issues that customers are facing.

We also speak about hiring, and how Alliance were able to rally teams behind their mission, whilst also becoming Great Place to Work certified. Alliance began offering agile working options pre-pandemic, and Louise speaks about how this has evolved.

It’s a challenging time to be a CEO in the sector, and Louise shares insights into how Alliance is navigating the current challenges while also ensuring that they’re building homes that they can be proud of.

In this episode, we cover :

• How has the sector changed in the past 20 years?
• What does it mean to be ‘customer obsessed’ and how does Alliance make it happen?
• How Alliance finds the right people and gets them on board with the mission.
• Alliance’s agile working policy and how it’s helped with recruitment.
• How The Great Place to Work scheme works and how Alliance got certified.
• How does Alliance use technology to give customers a better experience?
• The work of Homes for the South West.
• Alliance’s plans to ensure that they can be proud of every one of their homes.

What does it mean to truly be ‘resident-led’? In this episode, Chief Executive of Phoenix Community Housing, Denise Fowler, joins us to give us insights into how Phoenix is building a community of residents.

Denise shares with us her inspiring journey and the deeply personal reason that she decided to join the sector. Phoenix Community Housing is a housing association with a difference. The organisation has a stock of around 7600 homes in South London, and its residents are involved in decision-making at every level. We discover the wins that this resident-led approach has brought Phoenix.

We speak about the importance of good housing and how it should be seen as a vital part of the country’s infrastructure. Poor quality housing and lack of suitable housing are something that many still suffer from, and we speak about the inequalities in this area, too.

Phoenix offers more than just housing, it offers a community. From the Phoenix Festival and Chat & Chips events to the hardship fund that Phoenix has put together to help residents through the cost-of-living crisis, we get insights into the thought processes that have gone behind these schemes. Denise also gives insight into how to get valuable feedback from residents and how they’ve used the data they’ve gathered to improve their offerings and prioritise better.

In this episode, we cover:

• How housing policy has shifted over the years.
• How Phoenix Community Housing involves residents in every decision and the benefits this has.
• Inequalities in finding suitable housing.
• The events and support that Phoenix has put in place to improve the lives of the community.
• The effects that poor housing has on our health.
• How to build trust with tenants and get useful feedback.
• RSH’s consultation on consumer standards and how it will affect the industry.

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to customers or colleagues, and Irwell Valley Homes’ flexible approaches are a key part of its culture.

In this episode, we sit down with Sasha Deepwell, Chief Executive at Irwell Valley Homes. Sasha’s wide range of experiences in different sectors led her into housing three decades ago and she shares with us what’s changed in those 30 years. We speak about the ‘cycles’ that the industry goes through and the challenges that have become a theme of Sasha’s career.

Irwell Valley Homes offers a multichannel approach to service to ensure that the diverse needs of its customers are met. The housing association also takes a similar approach with its colleagues after making the switch to a completely agile and flexible, trust-based approach to working in 2019.

Sasha's passion for EDI shines through as she speaks about the DICE group she chairs and offers her insights into how we can tackle the challenges of lack of diversity in the sector.

We also speak about the Regeneration of the Year award that Irwell Valley Homes received at the Northern Housing Awards. Sasha speaks on the importance of regeneration and how they’re approaching upgrading existing stock. And finally, Sasha shares her insight into the future of Irwell Valley Homes.

In this episode, we cover:

• What’s changed in housing in the last 30 years, and the cycles that the sector goes through.
• Why did so many housing associations start life in 1973?
• Why Irwell Valley Homes switched to flexible, trust-based working
  pre-pandemic.
• How have customers’ expectations changed based on the introduction of
  technology?
• Why now is the time to be investing in the regeneration of existing stock.
• The EDI challenges the sector still faces.
• How do we meet people where they are and bring more people into the
  sector?
• What’s next for Irwell Valley Homes?

For most in the housing sector, housing chooses them. Emma Palmer, CEO at Eastlight Community Homes, chose housing as a career from the start. In this episode, Emma shares with us her story and gives insights into what attracted her to the sector and how it’s changed since she joined it at 18.

Eastlight was formed from the merger of Colne Housing and Greenfields Community Housing in 2020. Three years later, we ask Emma how the organisation has benefited from the merger, including now having a 60% female board. Emma also shares with us how they managed to bring the merger to fruition during the pandemic.

Emma recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Housing Heroes Awards and while she remains ever humble, we grill her for her thoughts on why she won! Emma shares with us a ton of fantastic advice for aspiring future leaders. She has some fascinating insights into how leaders can prioritise today’s challenges of the sector and whether or not the CIH Qualifications are a positive to the sector.

Finally, we get Emma’s thoughts on what the future looks like for housing.

In this episode, we cover:

• What attracted Emma to the housing sector from the start?
• Emma’s winning of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Housing Heroes
  Awards
• What is a Community Gateway organisation?
• Eastlight’s Resident Academy and what it gives to residents.
• How has Eastlight benefited from the merger?
• Top advice for aspiring leaders.
• The CIH qualifications - are they helpful to the sector?
• How do we attract new talent to the housing sector?
• What do the next 5 years look like for the sector?
  
  

There isn’t just one path into the housing sector. And with the wealth of experiences many bring in from outside of the sector, this can be a huge positive.

In this episode, we sit down with Matt Forrest, Chief Executive at Thirteen Group. Matt joined the landlord and housing developer around 7 months ago, and we find out how his experience has been so far.

Matt has had what he describes as a ‘squiggly career’. He started out as a geography teacher and has taken on a variety of roles before reaching the housing sector. We discover what skills and experiences from outside of the sector he’s been able to apply to housing. He also offers advice for any future leaders coming into the sector from outside of housing.

Thirteen prides itself on customer satisfaction. We speak at length about what the organisation is doing to ensure that customers are satisfied and feel at home while retaining human touchpoints. Matt explains Thirteen’s approach to ‘good growth’, which allows them to expand while bringing customers everything they need.

We also cover the £300 million property investment that Thirteen has committed to over the next 5 years and the Homes England grant. We speak about funding, how the sector can afford to build at the rate it needs to and whether or not our data on our housing stock is accurate enough to make the right investments.

In this episode, we cover:

• The value of utilising outside-of-sector experience.
• Comparing linear career paths with ‘squiggly’ careers.
• What has changed in the sector over the last 30 years?
• How to grow sensibly and retain the human element.
• Is our data on our housing stock accurate enough to make the right
  investments?
• How do we fund the growing need for new housing stock?
• Advice for future leaders coming into the sector.

A lot has changed in the sector over the last 40 years. George Paterson, Executive Director of Property at Together Housing Group has spent his whole career in housing, and we get to tap into his wealth of knowledge and experience in this episode.

We discover George’s journey through the sector and with Together Housing. He shares with us the organisation’s most significant achievements and the biggest challenges that he’s faced. George also tells us what he feels are the biggest game changers that the sector has seen in the last 40 years.

We ask George how Together Housing is striking the balance between new homes and maintaining existing stock. We touch on the decent homes standard and discuss the potential need for its review. We speak about the professionalisation of the sector and ask George his thoughts on whether or not it’ll fix any of the problems we face. 

To Together Housing, the repairs team is the eyes and ears of the organisation. We dive deep into recruitment and why it’s becoming harder to find the right people for trade roles. Skills and attitudes go hand-in-hand, and George gives his insights into how organisations can ensure they’re getting people that are the right cultural fit, as well as having the right skills and attitudes. George shares his thoughts on the values of bringing in fresh faces vs promoting within, and he shares the story of one of the best recruitment moves they’ve ever made.

In this episode, we cover:

• The biggest game changers in the sector over the last 40 years.
• How to strike the right balance between building new homes and maintaining
  existing stock.
• Do we need to review the decent homes standard?
• Will professionalising the sector solve any of its problems?
• How can people test and ensure they’re getting people that are the right
  cultural fit?
• The value of bringing in fresh faces vs promoting within.
• How we encourage more people into the sector?
• What’s coming next for Together Housing?

The media loves to highlight the negatives of the housing sector, while much of the  good that housing associations do tends to fly under the radar.

In this episode, we sit down with David Bogle, Chief Executive of Hightown Housing. David has held the position for over 28 years and has spent even longer within the sector. David is a standout advocate for tackling homelessness in the UK. We tap into David’s experience and find out what’s evolved in the sector over that time and how the sector is doing what it can to help get people homed.

We dive into the housing crisis and while Hightown has exceeded its home delivery target for the year, David shares his thoughts on why we still need to continue building homes. We learn about Homes for Cathy and how Hightown has worked with the charity, Crisis, towards the end goal of ending homelessness.

David also gives us insights into what’s next for Hightown. He shares his thoughts on the challenges that large organisations that have gone through mergers face. And lastly, David gives his insight into what’s to come for the sector over the next five years.

In this episode, we cover:

• What’s changed in the housing sector over the last 30 or so years?
• Why it’s so important that we continue to build new homes.
• Are we ever going to plug the housing crisis gap?
• Why is now such a difficult time to be a chief executive?
• What is Homes for Cathy all about and how can people get involved?
• What can we do to fix homelessness?
• The nine Homes for Cathy commitments.
• David’s five-year vision for the future of the sector.

Cobalt Housing isn’t looking to take over the world. But by focusing on local communities in North Liverpool, they are able to make a huge difference.

We’re joined by Claire Griffiths, Chief Executive at Cobalt Housing in this episode. Claire was a graduate trainee in the housing sector straight out of university. She has a huge passion for social housing and we discover her journey towards becoming a CEO, and what it was about the industry that pulled her in.

Claire reflects on the last 12 months of her CEO position and offers insights the into skills and attributes that a CEO needs. We look back even further at what has changed since Claire started working in the industry, and why it still feels like a niche sector despite its growth.

Cobalt is a committed, community-based housing association that hires value-driven teams. We speak about how they hire for these values, and how the pandemic has made leaders more human. Claire shares insights into how the landscape has changed in Merseyside over the last few years and how political and social changes have affected the housing market in North Liverpool.

We also get insights into the deal with Lovell, as well as Cobalt’s new corporate plan and its key strategic aims. Cobalt speaks about their intentions to level up their digital offering and we touch on the positives that can be taken from waiting before taking that leap. Finally, we find out Claire’s views on how we can make the sector more appealing to the next generation.

In this episode, we cover:

• Claire’s reflection on the last 12 months as Chief Executive.
• Claire’s lifechanging experiences working overseas with international homeless organisations.
• What it takes to be a CEO.
• The importance of building a collaborative team.
• Cobalt Housing’s position in the market today.
• How the pandemic made leaders more human.
• How the landscape has changed in Merseyside over the last few years.
• How to manage the priorities of the requirements of the sector today.
• The deal between Cobalt and Lovell.
• The new corporate plan and its key strategic aims.
• Cobalt’s digital plans and why not being first might not be the worst thing.
• How do we make the sector more appealing for the next generation?

Communicating the right way and coming from a place of empathy can help to
maintain good relationships with customers. This is why Rooftop Housing is focusing on the basics and avoiding ‘holding customers at arm’s length’.

In this episode, we speak with Boris Worrall, Chief Executive of Rooftop Housing Group. Boris has an eclectic range of experiences from 8 years in journalism to 5 years in the Home Office and now with over 10 years experience in housing.

We talk at length about Boris’ journey into housing and how his other experiences have shaped him as a leader in the housing sector. He gives insights into the transition into the sector and the additional skill that he had to level up in. Boris took the reins from a Chief Executive who’d held the position for the previous 20 years. He gives us a look into his action plan for modernising the organisation and speaks on what they got right and wrong during that process.

We talk about Rooftop’s digital transformation and the challenges that they’ve faced with providing efficient service while tempering expectations. Boris shares how Rooftop is focusing on the basics and giving customers what actually matters to them and supporting them in the way that they need it.

Boris explains Rooftop’s USP of culture and values and the ‘feel’ of working at the organisation. We ask Boris how Rooftop’s experience has been with striking the right flexible working balance and balancing high performance with flexibility. And finally, Boris gives us his views on the CIH qualification and what’s next for Rooftop and the sector as a whole.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Boris’ journalism experience shaped him as a leader.
• How Boris went about modernising Rooftop and shedding its ‘local authority skin’.
• Giving customers what actually matters to them.
• Getting key customer-centric messages across to tradespeople.
• How has Rooftop tackled flexible working?
• Balancing high performance with flexibility.
• How is Rooftop continuing to build enough homes?
• How do we make housing a career of choice and why is it such a challenge with our sector?
• The CIH qualification and what it means for the sector