I’m delighted to be an ambassador for Future Housing Leaders 2018 because when all is said and done, the outcomes we deliver in providing good homes, services and support to our customers and communities depends on the quality of our people.

And given how acute the national housing crisis is, coupled with the growing demands on our teams in areas such as drug and alcohol dependency, mental health and social care, we need great leaders more than ever.

We as a sector must face up to the fact that we have failed to adequately tackle the long-standing issue with the diversity of the executive and board leadership in our sector. Simply put, our leadership has not kept pace with the changing face of the communities where we work and we must address this – because it’s the right thing to do and because we need new thinking to tackle new challenges.

We need a new cohort of leaders to take housing into 2020 and beyond. And Future Housing Leaders 2018 has a key role to play in bringing through that new wave of diverse and different talent.

I have been lucky enough see the impact attending the conference has had on four Rooftop colleagues last year. Confidence is growing, horizons are starting to rise and focus more externally and internal networks and engagement on the bigger issues facing the business are beginning to grow.

Leadership is a challenge and this conference provides a broad, supportive and inspiring platform to help our emerging talent develop the skills, confidence and networks they’ll need to take the next steps in their career.

At Rooftop we consistently talk at a leadership, executive and indeed board level about how what we do is ‘all about people’ – our customers, stakeholders and above all else, staff. If you can get the right people, doing the right stuff in the right way success will follow. I know first-hand that the people you provide this unique opportunity to will come back better equipped to deliver better outcomes for your customers and your business. And the return on investment that delivers cannot be under-estimated.

Find out more about the event.