We tap into our guests' HR expertise in this episode to find out how they’re taking
EDI seriously in their hiring.

We speak with Aimee Woodcock - People Services Project Lead and Katherine
McGough - Head of People Services for North Star Housing Group.

North Star Housing recently took part in a board diversity program to develop the
board members of the future. They share the challenges they faced with hiring for
these high-level positions and how they overcame them. Aimee and Katherine share insights into their unique hiring processes that help build diverse teams whilst making it fair for all involved.

We also learn how North Star Housing has taken action on data collected from their staff demographics questionnaire and how they’ve improved overall well-being as a result. They also advise those looking to follow in their footsteps and make the move into housing.

Covered in this episode -
● How North Star Housing Group has worked towards building a board that’s
representative of its community.
● Challenges with recruiting people into senior positions.
● Getting more out of your interviews.
● The ‘Rooney Rule’ and why it’s relevant to hiring in housing.
● How to encourage responses to staff questionnaires and leverage the results.
● How North Star Housing Group has supported staff wellbeing.
● Advice for those looking to move into HR in the housing sector.

LEARN MORE
North Star Housing Group - https://www.northstarhg.co.uk/
Andersen James - https://www.andersenjames.com/

CONNECT
Katherine McGough on LinkedIn -
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-mcgough-00804324/
Aimee Woodcock on LinkedIn -
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimee-woodcock-71712a2b4/
Amy Corke on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-corke-36b546106/
James Leighton on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-leighton-65023b11/

LISTEN
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1JHMfNs33BK4UTOgaYt3cB
Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/the-hip/id1576686644
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7vH1zt3GSm3_B_-OhDSlRg

Inspiring the next generations of leaders is about more than just imparting knowledge; it's about empowering them to envision and create a better future. involves nurturing their talents, encouraging their ambitions, and guiding them through the challenges they will face.

To round off our incredible first season of our new Housing Fringe series, we speak to a panel of true trailblazers, Jacque Allen, Amanda Newton, Alison Dean & Mushtaq Khan who share their unique journeys, highlighting the challenges and triumphs that have shaped their paths along the way in a bid to define their leadership DNA.

We give plenty of airtime to delve into the crucial role that Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) play in effective leadership, emphasising how these principles shape today’s workplace culture.

We also cover -

• The importance in remembering that the housing sector is all about people, it's crucial to know yourself and your values and consistently live by them, even under pressure.
• Being yourself shouldn't be hard - it’s about seeking respect and authenticity, not approval.
• As leaders, we have responsibilities for the future but there’s a need to recognise that building future diverse leaders won't happen overnight.
• What are the 8 key features of an empowering leader in housing?
  
  
  

What an inspiring and uplifting episode! It’ll certainly give you lots to think about!

LEARN MORE

Your Housing – https://www.yourhousinggroup.co.uk/

Rochdale Boroughwide Council – https://www.rbh.org.uk/

Great Places - https://www.greatplaces.org.uk/

Housing Diversity Network - https://www.housingdiversitynetwork.co.uk/

LISTEN

Spotify: The HIP | Podcast on Spotify

Apple Music: The HIP on Apple Podcasts

Youtube: Andersen James - YouTube

Do you have a net zero plan, and if so, do you have a funding plan in place to deliver it? If you’re like our live audience then around 90% answered no to both questions.

In our third episode of AJ’s new Housing Fringe, we speak with Jenny Danson, James Williams, Paul Norman & Tom Sowerby to demystify how you can access funding solutions (not grant funding) backed by UK banks, pension and insurance providers to create a long-term revenue stream for you, cheaper energy for your tenant and contribute to significantly reducing carbon emissions.

With this unbelievable line up, we consider the art of the possible for housing providers, particularly when it comes to making your homes an income generating power station, unlocking a number of wins for the tenant, your organisation and the planet.

We also cover -

• How this Energy Services approach has been used in a 500-home project, sharing the good, the bad and the ugly lessons experienced along the way
• Explore the ambitious Net Zero plans that Clarion have for 2025 to retrofit 13,000 homes as a best-in-class example of sustainability within social housing
• Why YOU must take ownership and have a long-term strategy in place.
• The need to develop projects independently of funding so that when the right funding becomes available, you have a plan ready to go.
• Customer engagement - it’s absolutely key - before during and after your project

It’s one of our best yet! Don’t miss out…

LEARN MORE

Healthy Homes Hub – https://healthyhomeshub.uk/

Sero – https://sero.life/

Wates – https://www.wates.co.uk/

Clarion Housing - https://www.myclarionhousing.com/

Andersen James Group - https://www.andersenjames.com/

LISTEN

Spotify: The HIP | Podcast on Spotify

Apple Music: The HIP on Apple Podcasts

Youtube: Andersen James - YouTube

Whether we like it or not, we live in a world of digital transformation, where using data to simply measure performance is not enough. With advancements in technology, our new challenge comes in how to use data to solve key problems in the sector and individual businesses, but the recurring question is: ‘Do you really know what problem you’re trying to solve?’

And with the rapid growth of AI and automation where do we even begin?

In our second episode of AJ’s new Housing Fringe, we speak with Jason Wickens, Jenny Danson, Nicola Hope & Lee Reevell to explore how new and innovative technology is being used within the sector to address common challenges.

With Jason chairing the session, we also cover -

• The differences in taking system-led or customer-led approach?
• Understanding the commonality of your data
• How leadership styles have a profound impact on digital transformation and a company’s embracement of new technologies
• The need to seriously consider the health and wellbeing of our teams, customers, and communities

It’s already sparking a lot of conversation!

LEARN MORE

Riverside: https://www.riverside.org.uk/

Great Places: https://www.greatplaces.org.uk/

St Anne’s Community Services: https://www.st-annes.org.uk/skills-and-services/our-leading-services/housing/

Board effectiveness is a direct result of the board's composition, which is why good governance dictates that the composition should be built according to the organisation's needs. But with a rapidly changing and often volatile marketplace, how can you ensure your board composition is right?

In our first episode of AJ’s new Housing Fringe, we speak with Sara Shanab, Cris McGuiness, Patrick Ricketts and Mark Howorth to glean insight on how their career journeys have shaped the way they approach building balanced boards.

With Sara hosting the episode, really igniting the conversation, we learn about the key ingredients required to create a balanced board so that it can become a strategic asset for your organisation, infused with fresh perspectives and aligned on a clear vision.

We also cover -

• The need for diverse boards spanning across all industries, not just housing.
• How diversity must be considered across various factors.
• Utilising your recruitment consultants wisely by letting them in to get to know your culture and your values.
• The best ways to look for your rising stars.
• Why it’s important to get to know your board.
• The need to continually challenge and share our experiences.

What a panel and what a discussion! It’s certainly one not to be missed…

The first CFO we’ve had on the podcast, Kal Kay, joins us for this episode. Kal has spent her whole career in finance, before moving into housing with Your Housing Group.

Kal has a passion for profit-for-purpose organisations which led her to take up the role. Your Housing Group is a large North West-based housing association providing affordable housing to suit a variety of needs. They also have ambitious plans to continue developing new homes.

We get Kal’s expert insights into the financial side of a housing association. She
gives her thoughts on the importance of growth for a housing organisation in today’s world with particularly tight purse strings, as well as her views on building an organisation that fits the needs of its people.

We discover how Kal made it into the role and dive deep into her leadership insights as a CFO. In a post-Covid world, work-life balance expectations have changed, and measuring performance and satisfaction has become more of a challenge. Kal explains how she’s able to keep a balance between morale and productivity with her teams.

We also speak on the professionalisation of the sector and its potential effects on bringing much-needed talent into the industry, and Kal gives her thoughts on the part that organisations should be playing in building a workforce that’s
representative of the community.

Covered in this episode:

• Pursuing a purpose-driven career.
• Growing a housing organisation in today’s market.
• Finding the ‘sweet spot’ in terms of growth for a housing organisation.
• Balancing morale and productivity.
• Measuring teams’ success and performance post-Covid.
• What does a thriving exec board look like?
• Building diverse, representative teams.
• Pushing through barriers and growing a career alongside a family.
• What Kal needed to upskill herself in to become a leader.
• What are the impacts of the professionalisation of the sector?

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?