After a series of increasingly difficult tasks, we’ve reached the final stages of HQN’s Housing’s Next Generation competition for 2024. Ahead of the grand finale at this year’s HQN annual conference, here’s the lowdown on our six finalists.
After a challenging semi-final day in London last month, judges found it impossible to settle on a final five, so this year we have a ‘super six’ group of candidates competing for the coveted trophy at the HQN annual conference.
From a field of nearly 60, just getting this far can be considered a major achievement for this year’s finalists.
Commenting on the quality of the candidates, Alistair McIntosh, HQN Chief Executive, said: “This year the candidates were exceptional. It was really tough whittling down to the finalists. What struck me was that the young leaders collaborated with each other rather than competing.
“It was a pleasure to be in the same room as so many energetic and clever young people. It augurs well for the future of housing. Of course, we’ll have to pick a winner. But I want everyone to know just how strong all of the semi-finalists were. You’d be proud to have each and every one of them where you work.”
For this year’s semi-final at the Sovereign Network Group offices in Wembley, the 11 leading candidates were asked to collaborate on a series of challenges, from using emojis to describe how they think social housing is perceived by the public to a 90-minute task that required them to plan the conversion of a former hotel into a homeless shelter – no easy task with a strict timeframe, limited budget, no staff and some tough decisions standing in their way.
Final challenges
This year’s final takes place during the HQN annual conference on Tuesday 16 and Thursday 18 July, and is split into two tasks (set out below).
Task 1
Our finalists are in the running to become the Minister for Housing as part of the newly formed government. In the spirit of the current general election, we asked our six candidates to create a short campaign film outlining the key attributes required of ‘the next Minister for Housing’. The candidates were asked to address both what the sector needs from its future housing minister and the personal qualities they feel are essential to the role that will help them successfully tackle the housing crisis and help the social housing sector be a positive force for change.
Task 2
At the HQN annual conference in London we’ll be holding a debate-style session, where each of our finalists will be given a statement and told to argue for or against it before facing questions from the audience.
The following statements will be up for debate:
- Social housing staff should now be working full time in the office
- The social housing sector won’t learn from its mistakes until the regulator issues a multi-million pound fine
- Housing associations can learn a lot from Amazon when it comes to the customer experience.
Our judging panel:
- Alistair McIntosh, Chief Executive, HQN
- Donna Cezair, Chief Executive, Worthing Homes
- Halisha Kaur, Chair, CIH Futures, New Business Development Manager, Bromsgrove District Housing Trust
- Tom Leon-Grimes, Service Development Manager, Orbit Group
- Shauna Hutchinson, People Advisor, Sovereign Network Group
- Nathan Ukachi-Lois, Social Housing Account Director, Totalmobile Ltd
- Kate Ratcliffe (2023 winner), Social Value Analyst, Vivid Homes.
The final six
Lizzie Skillen: Housing Policy and Regulation Officer, London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Lizzie joined the housing sector in 2020 as a graduate trainee with Tower Hamlets Homes (now part of Tower Hamlets Council) and gained inspiring insight into housing leadership and strategy by working closely alongside the executive team and board. In her current role as a housing policy and regulations officer, she provides crucial expertise to service areas about regulation, policy and governance, enabling them to drive forward improvements.
What the judges said: “An outstanding performer…Definitely one to watch”
Anne Bentley: Neighbourhood Manager, Worthing Homes
Anne recently started a new role as a neighbourhood manager for Worthing Homes. After leaving school she completed an apprenticeship within the NHS and spent several years working in various roles across the organisation. In 2020, she began a career in social housing and hasn’t looked back since. She’s a strong believer in making a positive impact on people’s lives and spreading kindness.
What the judges said: “Consistently demonstrated teamwork, leadership skills, and was considerate of others”
Mica Joseph: Head of Estate Management, Notting Hill Genesis
With a housing career spanning over ten years in housing, Mica is determined to continue working with the sector to enhance service delivery across the country. Throughout her journey, she has held various roles, collaborated with different teams and led numerous large and complex projects. Mica began her housing career working for a family-run maintenance contractor, delivering reactive repairs to small housing associations across London. Her contractor roots have equipped her with valuable insights into the challenges faced by suppliers, which, in turn, impact service delivery. About five years ago, Mica moved into managing teams and is now a head of service. She strongly believes that the only way we can improve our services is by attracting, supporting and developing the best people to work alongside us.
What the judges said: “A stand out candidate”
Sarah Cross: Landscape and Sustainability Manager, Lancaster West Neighbourhood Team, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Sarah is a landscape and sustainability project manager at the Lancaster West Neighbourhood Team. Working as part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, her role focuses on mitigating flood risk and improving biodiversity within Lancaster West Estate in North Kensington. Starting her career two and a half years ago as a graduate with Charityworks, she quickly found a passion for working in the public sector and has focused in particular on co-designing and delivering green infrastructure and sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) to meet the needs of residents, address the challenges of urban climate impacts and consider the requirements of space-constrained central London social housing estates.
What the judges said: “A good presenter…stood out from the crowd”
Lili Vetter: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist, Wythenshawe Community Housing Group
Lili is the equality, diversity and inclusion specialist for Wythenshawe Community Housing Group. She’s co-chair of HouseProud North West, a LGBTQ+ colleague group looking to make change for LGBTQ+ people living in social housing, and Rainbow Roofs, the customer arm. She’s also vice-chair of the Greater Manchester Housing Partnership EDI leads group. She’s passionate about making change in the sector and wants to educate others on the importance of EDI in housing. She was recently shortlisted for the EDI champion award at the Women in Social Housing (WISH) awards.
What the judges said: “Passionate, engaging…a clear leader on the day”
Kai Faulkner: Assessment Officer, Orbit Group
Since beginning his housing career as a lettings apprentice in 2019, Kai has advanced in his organisation to assessment officer and designated safeguarding lead for his department. His main roles are to support secure sustainable tenancies and to promote a safeguarding-first culture. Supporting customers is firmly at the forefront of what he does, and he champions colleagues to drive the same ethos.
What the judges said: “Impressive…passionate…a team player…calm under pressure”
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, let us know by contacting [email protected]
