Thought leader interview with Jacqui Bateson

What will be the biggest issue you hope to hear more on at Housing 2022?

The wellbeing of residents, supply chain challenges, rising costs for residents and organisations, retrofitting, (with resident consent), social housing white paper, buildings safety laws, environmental requirements, new builds of the future, new decent homes standard. All are live issues today which have risen in significance and are on top of the job of running the business. I often hear these issues being talked about individually, in silos and in particular we love to talk about the new stuff. Each of these has some impact on an organisations finances. I believe that if we could bring all the issues together into a single view, there is the opportunity for greater knowledge sharing and understanding and by encouraging a more collaborative approach to problem solving, economies of scale could be achieved to support financial resilience.

What will you be speaking about in your session?

I am passionate about data as an enabler for businesses to unlock their potential. Immersion in the housing sector quickly reveals that the need for data flows through every aspect of a housing business. Every new initiative (such as social housing white paper, buildings safety, environmental targets) and day to day operations (eg health and safety, rent collection etc) require the collection of data. But data alone is not the key. Data is the currency by which we build information and create insight. Information and insight allow organisations and other stakeholders to make decisions about the business and about residents. The insight we produce is only as good as the the data we collect. We have a responsibility, a moral imperative, to only collect the right data, at the right time for specific reasons and from the right sources. Improving customer experiences or assessing the resilience of residents relies on information. Taking the right approach to data governance and embedding this throughout an organisation, weaving ethical principles upon which the approach is built are key to enhancing reputations and creating trust.

Tell us a question for the Secretary of State

Russia has proven that the world can still be a dangerous place where displacement of peoples is major issue. This coupled with climate migration means that the pressure on housing generally and social housing is only going to increase. What are the ministers thoughts on the future of housing and the UK’s response to such increasing demand?

What are you most looking forward to?

I always find it really interesting to hear about the amazing things that are going on in housing and also the reality of the challenges we face. I’m excited to be a part of the full day discussion on all aspects of data. I am particularly excited that HACT will be showcasing some of our own innovations too.

Name us the housing speaker of your dreams and why?

I would really like to hear Simon Sinek speak about the role of leadership and culture in addressing the skills gap we face in the built environment as I think he would bring new perspectives. Failing that, I’d like to hear Mims Davies talking about what more can be done to address skills / capacity shortages in construction and environment which goes beyond apprentice schemes to enable retraining in greater volume more quickly.

Why is it vital the whole sector has a place to meet each year?

Connection is an important word for me and I look forward to engaging with lots of people and their ideas and thoughts. I enjoy the diversity of perspectives, not just colleagues from social housing but from a range of industries where sharing and learning enrich my own thoughts and opinions. Most importantly, having the time and space to come together and think about things is worth it’s weight in gold.

Register for your ticket for Housing 2022 now.