The HIP: The Housing Industry Podcast

To kick off The HIP for 2024, we sit down with Mark Howden, Chief Executive of Peaks & Plains. Peaks & Plains is a social housing provider based in Macclesfield which Mark joined as Interim Chief Executive after his tenure with Balfour Beatty. Mark shares with us his interesting path into housing and his experience transitioning from the private sector to the public sector. We speak about...

By fostering an environment that prioritises honesty and encourages people to ‘speak up and challenge’, without fear of being ‘wrong’, organisations can benefit from a wider breadth of knowledge and skills. Jamie Ratcliff, Chief Communities & Sustainability Officer at SNG joins us in this episode to share his passion for having an impact on people’s lives through his work. Jamie has spent near...

True transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, and it takes a strong culture. In this episode, Donna Cezair, Chief Executive at Worthing Homes joins us to talk about transformation and change management and her journey into the sector. Donna has taken on multiple CEO roles, including her role at First Choice Homes Oldham which she took on during the pandemic. We speak to her about th...

CEO at Circle Voluntary Housing Association, John Hannigan joins us in this episode. Circle is Ireland-based, but John has had extensive experience in the housing sector in the UK, as well, and we discover how he got ‘hooked’ on housing and reached his position. We dive deep into the major differences between the Irish and UK housing markets in terms of the size and number of HAs and their long-te...

We are facing an unprecedented rate of change and new challenges in our industry. It takes bravery and resilience to weather the storm and stay focused on the outcomes. We sit down with Fiona Fletcher-Smith in this episode. Fiona is the Group Chief Executive at L&Q Group and is the current chair of the G15. She also held a 10-year role working with the Greater London Authority. We discover how...

Regeneration specialist, RE:GEN Group has been working with Durham based housing association, believe housing on a project that’s so far resulted in 1186 properties becoming more energy efficient across the North East. Two guests join us on The HIP in this episode. Ruth Dent - Director of Assets and Compliance at believe housing and Brian Bedford - Sustainability Director at RE:GEN Group. We disco...

Mansell Building Solutions has been providing local homes for local people by local people for generations. In this episode, we speak with Managing Director, Angela Mansell. The specialist contractor, based in Horwich, Bolton, was founded by Angela’s dad in 1991 and now has Angela and her sister at the helm. We discover Angela’s journey into her role and the trigger that pushed her into housing. W...

Achieving net zero targets and making our homes more comfortable in the process is a net gain for everyone. Even so, it’s not always an easy sell. In this episode, we speak with Tom Sowerby, Customer Relationship Director at Wates. Tom has a passion for sustainability, which comes across in his work with Wates. Tom goes into three key focuses - reaching net zero targets, fire safety and damp &...

An enduring sense of purpose is what keeps teams focused on achieving an organisation’s vision. But keeping that purpose at the forefront for decades can be a challenge. In this episode, we sit down with Michael Newey, Chief Executive of Broadland Housing Group. Michael celebrates his 20-year anniversary at Broadland this year and we take a look back at how the Norfolk-based housing association ha...

The number of mergers in the housing industry has been growing in recent years. But with mergers can come challenges. Mark Pearson, Managing Director at 54North Homes joins us this week to speak about his journey into housing, and the story of 54North Homes so far. Mark took up the MD role at 54North around 9 months ago and now holds 26 years of experience in the sector. Mark shares what he’s witn...

“There’s only one team and everyone is on it.” This has been a key message that Jacque Allen, Chief Executive Officer at Your Housing Group has championed since she joined 3 years ago, at the start of lockdown. In this episode, Jacque shares with us her journey into the CEO role and the challenges that joining on the first day of lockdown posed. Jacque never saw herself as a senior leader, and we...

Housing associations in rural areas have unique challenges compared with their urban counterparts. In this episode, we speak with Gail Teasdale, Chief Executive at Broadacres Housing Association in North Yorkshire. She reflects on the last 5 years with Broadacres and her 20 years in the industry. We dive deep into the challenges that rural housing associations commonly face today and how they’re w...

Safety and compliance isn’t a topic that instils excitement for a lot of people… But our guest in this episode manages to keep it compelling! We sit down with Wayne Cole, Group Director of Property Safety and Compliance for Places for People. Places for People is the UK’s leading Social Enterprise with a very diverse group of about 18 businesses. Wayne shares with us the fascinating story of his c...

The housing sector, like any sector, faces challenges and has made mistakes in the past. It’s how we react to those challenges and mistakes that define us. We speak with two Stockport Homes Group experts in this episode - Helen McHale, Chief Executive of Stockport Homes who has spent 38 years in social housing. And Carmel Chambers, Executive Director of Resources who holds a 17 years tenure with S...

We sit down with Dave Richmond, CEO at St Leger Homes of Doncaster in this episode to tackle some critical issues. Dave has an interesting story to share, pulling from his experience as a social worker for nearly 20 years, and his work in local government. We discover how these roles prepared him for and led him to the housing sector. Dave looks back on the drastic changes he’s seen within the sec...

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 s...

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 Allianc...

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 organi...

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 abo...

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 ye...

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 ‘squ...

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 bi...

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 int...

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 becomi...

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 H...