The HIP James Leighton

Harpreet Rayet currently holds the Managing Director role at TWO organisations - Shropshire Towns and Rural Housing and Cornovii Development. He’s been working in property development and housing for nearly 18 years and in this episode, we discover his story.

Harpreet stepped up as MD for STAR Housing as his first MD role. We dive deep into his experiences with taking on the ‘number one’ role and ask him what experience he was expected to have prior and what he needed to upskill in. Harpreet’s two roles keep him busy and we ask how he’s able to prioritise between the roles and ensure he retains a work-life balance.

STAR Housing is an ALMO, and we speak about the importance of their relationship with the local authority and how they’ve worked together to better support the local community. Harpreet offers advice for anyone looking to take on a leadership role in the sector and on how he’s putting together a board that’s right for the organisation.

Finally, we also look to the future and discover Harpreet’s long-term vision for both organisations. We also ask Harpreet what the future of development could look like with an impending change in government.

In this episode, we cover:
The skills required to move into an MD or CEO role.How Harpreet manages to balance and prioritise between his two MD appointments.Why many ALMOs are going in-house.How Harpreet and his board brought the business into the modern era.How Harpreet reintroduced and cemented the organisation’s values.Putting the right board together.Tips for future leaders in this challenging time for the sector.Harpreet’s insights into what the future of development could look like with change in government.

Is this year the year you start to prioritise EDI in your organisation? Chief Executive of Manningham Housing Association, Lee Bloomfield, joins us in this episode to take a deep dive into building bridges within communities and how the organisation has levelled up its EDI approaches.

We find out about Lee’s journey into housing that left him in charge of bringing Manningham Housing Association up to a compliant level again. He shares the steps they took to do so and to becoming the first housing association in the world to achieve the global Standard for Diversity and Inclusion in HR Management.

He speaks about the Building Bridges Bradford program, which was built to strengthen the bond between the association and the community it serves. Lee shares with us the benefits of this initiative and explains the steps they've taken to improve customer satisfaction.

We also speak about the pressing housing needs in Bradford and Manningham Housing Association's commitments to new housing. Lee sheds light on their efforts to make the recruitment process more inclusive, emphasising the importance of recruiting for potential and sharing insights on how organisations can prioritise EDI effectively.

In this episode, we cover -
How Lee got into the housing sector.The actions Lee took to get Manningham Housing Association compliant.How working towards and achieving accreditations has benefited Manningham Housing Association.How digitisation has allowed the organisation to provide better customer service.The Building Bridges Bradford project.The state of housing requirements in Bradford today.How to make the recruitment process more inclusive.What steps can organisations that want to prioritise EDI take?

Tina Barnard spent her early career as an accountant before moving into the housing sector. She’s now Chief Executive at Watford Community Housing and in this episode, we discover her journey into housing and get her expert insights into funding, joint ventures and more.

Watford Community Housing has established joint venture companies with local authority partners. We get a behind-the-scenes on how these partnerships came about and how Watford Community Housing has been leveraging them to create a win-win situation for all parties, as well as the challenges that had to be worked through to make them happen.

We also dive deep into the challenges that the industry faces today. We speak about how important it is that we keep building homes, securing government funding and what the future looks like for Watford Community Housing and the industry as a whole.

In this episode, we cover:
How Tina found her way into the industry and her Chief Executive position.What a ‘numbers person’ brings to the table.The benefits of joint ventures and insights into the partnerships that Watford Community Housing has formed.The challenges they’ve faced in establishing joint ventures.The challenges the sector is currently facing and what organisations should be seeking government financial support forWatford Community Housing’s plans for tackling EPC C and net-zero targets.What does the future of social housing look like?How we can get more people interested in a career in housing?How can we better inspire and develop the next generation of leaders?

When Clare Budden joined ClwydAlyn Housing Association as Group CEO, she knew that change was sorely needed. Clare believes that social housing is a people-first industry, but staff satisfaction wasn’t where it should have been.

Since joining, the organisation has increased its housing stock by nearly a thousand and turnover from 40 million to 64 million. Staff satisfaction has also increased and the refreshed values of the organisation have been cemented throughout.

Clare shares with us the key changes that she made within ClwydAlyn that brought the organisation into the present day and helped instil trust from colleagues and customers.

Clare has a passion for the sector, and we discover the inspiration that led her to choose it and step into the Group CEO role.

We speak about the actions that ClwydAlyn is taking to give back to the community and support the most vulnerable. We also learn about the thirty new roles that ClwydAlyn are opening up and the trainee programme that aims to bring more graduates into the sector.

In this episode, we cover -
How a visit to an RAF station inspired Clare’s journey into housing.How Clare was able to win back colleague’s trust and confidence when she joined the organisation.Tips for organisations looking to improve their values and how to get them to stick.The elements of private sector organisations that don’t work within a housing association.ClwydAlyn’s unique approach to servicing its customers.What’s next for ClwydAlyn over the next 5 years?ClwydAlyn’s plans for 30 new roles.Advice for those considering moving into the housing sector.

In this episode, former healthcare professional, Debi Marriott-Lavery, now Chief Executive at Magenta Living, shares with us the skills that she brought to the sector and her journey so far.

Magenta Living is a Wirral-based housing association that owns, manages and
provides support to thirteen thousand homes across the region. 

Debi previously saw herself as a ‘great number two’, as opposed to leader material. We speak about why this mentality can hinder progress and how she broke free from it.

Debi also speaks about her podcasting ventures. She currently hosts her second podcast, Beyond the Dots, which she recently launched. We speak about how creating content has benefited her as a leader.

Magenta Living champions its customers, community, and culture. Debi shares how Magenta Living empowers colleagues to take action and be willing to do right by customers.

It’s no secret that the industry and the country have had their fair share of challenges over the past few years. We ask Debi how she has maintained staff morale throughout these challenging times. And finally, we learn what 2024 and beyond has in store for Magenta Living.

In this episode, we cover:
Pushing past the ‘number two’ mentality and aiming for a leadership position.The benefits that podcasting has had on Debi as a leader.How Magenta Living connects with its customers.How to empower colleagues to do right by the customer.The 2024 roadmap for Magenta Living.The challenges CEOs face in creating long-term plans.The challenges we can expect to see in the housing landscape over the next few years.How to maintain staff morale through challenging times.How we can attract new talent to the sector.

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 the regulatory challenges that Peaks & Plains faced in the past, and how Mark was able to galvanise the organisation during this time and eventually regain its G1 status.

We speak about Mark’s mantra of ‘profit for purpose’ and why profit is seen as a taboo subject in the sector. We also touch on what needs to be done to improve things for the sector long term, and how a change in government could affect it.

In this episode, we cover:
Mark’s intriguing journey into housing.The experience of transitioning from the private sector to the public sector.How Mark pulled his teams together to regain their G1 status.Why Mark has resisted the return to the office for his staff.Will things change in the sector with a government change?Why is profit a taboo subject within the social housing sector?The future for Peaks & Plains in 2024 and beyond.