The five finalists for the 2025 Housing’s Next Generation competition are getting ready to take centre stage at this year’s HQN annual conference.
The ‘fab five’ have already navigated a series of difficult challenges to make it this far, including a semi-final day in London last month where they had to work with other candidates to plan the conversion of a former hotel into a homeless shelter.
Now they are getting ready to compete against each other in front of an audience of 120 housing professionals in a Dragons’ Den-style task where they have to present a three-minute pitch proposing a new product, service, idea or innovation designed to address a key challenge faced by social housing providers. They will then be questioned by our expert panel.
Prior to this year’s HQN annual conference, the finalists also had to film a short video tackling a key issue that addresses the ongoing challenge of delivering for tenants. The videos – which covered Awaab’s Law, AI, STAIRS, the Competence and Conduct Standard and the Tenant Satisfaction Measures – were shown at our virtual annual conference.
Commenting ahead of the final, Alistair McIntosh, HQN Chief Executive, said: “I have been really impressed with the quality of candidates in this year’s competition and our finalists can feel very proud for making it this far. We get that the final task is quite demanding. Coming up with something genuinely innovative is hard enough but then to have to sell it in front of 100+ housing people adds an extra layer of difficulty. I wish them well.”
Meet the finalists
Alanis Rodrigues
External Affairs Officer, B3Living
Alanis joined the housing sector in 2024 as the external affairs officer at B3Living. She works across departments to proactively source case studies and news stories to shape public perception of the organisation. A social housing resident herself, Alanis is passionate about counteracting the sector’s negative reputation through impactful resident and community stories, and nurturing stakeholder relationships to achieve better outcomes for people.
What the judges say: “A strong performer. She has made some thought-provoking insights throughout”
Georgia Gallagher
Area Tenancy Manager, Brent Council
Georgia began her career in housing in 2019, starting as a housing officer for a local authority in Kent, where she focused on homelessness. She then upskilled to a tenancy officer role and specialised in supporting young people experiencing homelessness. During this time, she completed a Level 3 CIH qualification in Housing Practice. Recently, Georgia transitioned to a new role as an area tenancy manager for the London Borough of Brent. In this role, she works closely with tenants, manages rent accounts, lettings and tenancies, and leads with empathy in addressing tenant queries. She also supports colleagues and contributes to additional projects within the organisation.
What the judges say: “A real character with a winning personality who obviously cares about her work”
Kayley Corry
Communications Partner, ForHousing
Kayley joined the housing sector less than three years ago, after 12 years working in education. Her decision to move sector came from a personal place when she faced homelessness – the support she received changed everything. That experience drives her passion to give back and make sure tenants feel heard, valued and supported, putting tenants at the heart of decision-making. Now a tenant herself, Kayley believes in putting tenants first and showing up with compassion. She believes communication is a powerful way to build trust, improve services and tenant satisfaction – positively impacting the lives of social housing tenants.
What the judges say: “A passionate and authentic voice for social housing – something that has been apparent across the competition”
Olivia Richards
Social Research and Policy Advisor, Hedyn
Olivia joined the sector in 2023 as a social research and policy advisor with Newport City Homes, which has now merged with Melin to become Hedyn. She’s since gained experience delivering evidence-led research as part of service re-design and implementation throughout the merger. Now working for the second largest RSL in Wales, she’s gaining inspiring insight and informing strategic decision-making by working closely with the executive and leadership team through service integration.
What the judges say: “An outstanding performer. She’s an all-round star”
Ryan Barclay
Housing Options Broker, Housing Options Scotland
In his role at Housing Options Scotland, a Scotland-wide housing options information and advice charity, Ryan provides housing options information and advice to disabled people, older adults and members of the armed forces community across Scotland. Ryan graduated from the University of Stirling with an undergraduate degree in Sociology and Social Policy in 2021, graduating again in 2022 with an Msc in Housing Studies. He’s a board member of Cassiltoun Housing Association in Glasgow and is also on the CIH Futures board, an advisory board to the Chartered Institute of Housing.
What the judges say: “What a trooper. He’s demonstrated a rigorous approach to the tasks and impressed throughout”
Meet the judges:
We’re delighted to announce this year’s esteemed line-up of judges, featuring HQN’s chief executive, last year’s winner and a host of leading lights from the social housing sector. They are:
Alistair McIntosh, Chief Executive, HQN
Anne Bentley (2024 winner), Neighbourhood Manager, Worthing Homes
Kate Ratcliffe (2023 winner), Social Value Analyst, Vivid Homes
Jahedur Rahman, Director of Housing, London Borough of Haringey
Simal Govindia, Solicitor, Birketts LLP
Shauna Hutchinson, People Advisor, Sovereign Network Group
Gordon Perry, former CEO Accent Group and governing board member at the Chartered Institute of Housing
Tunde Hinton, Chief Executive, Connex Leadership Networks.
It’s never too early to get involved in next year’s competition. Nominations officially open early next year but if you have someone in mind now, let us know by contacting [email protected]
