On the 13th and 14th February, Convene sponsored the 2025 Board Leadership Conference hosted by the National Housing Federation (NHF). We’d like to thank the NHF, the speakers and all those in attendance for making it such an informative and engaging event.
This conference focused on strategy for the social housing sector, providing a space for Board Members and Chairs of Housing associations to share their expertise and insights into the current and future state of the sector.
Chaired by BBC Home Editor Mark Easton, the conference gave a chance to discuss the political, social and economic conditions surrounding Housing associations from a Board perspective.
Months into the new Labour government, Housing associations are facing a further period of change, alongside ongoing regulatory reforms and continued scrutiny. It’s crucial that Boards know how to effectively lead their organisations, and have the necessary skills to deliver their social purpose of providing safe, quality homes.
This is why events like this are so essential, and why Convene is honoured to be a part of such important work for the social housing sector.
On the first day of the conference, we began with the Chair Mark Easton’s opening remarks, followed by a talk on the new era of political power, and what this means for housing.
This first talk discussed the new government’s promises towards the sector and the upcoming long-term housing strategy due in June, setting the tone for the conference by exploring both the current and potential future of social housing.
Then there was a talk on navigating the economic landscape at this time, which provided insight into the economic policies of the new government from autumn budget to the spending review, and how this will impact social housing.
This was followed by the first breakout sessions of the day, which featured a talk on building stronger relationships with local authorities to protect housing services, a roundtable about connecting with the power of residents, a Board skills discussion on getting comfortable with financials, and a Chairs talk about managing the balancing act of strategic oversight.
Then there was the next set of breakout sessions, which included a series of talks on the changing status quo of Boards, the risks and opportunities of AI, understanding risk and the drivers of credit risk and a Chairs talk on supporting Board performance.
After lunch there were more breakout sessions, this time on regulatory insights, developing a sustainable sector and making the right decisions in challenging times, as well as a Chair’s talk on managing and mitigating reputational risk.
Convene’s own Arturo Dell featured on the talk about making the right decisions in challenging times, discussing how a Board can be sure they’re making the right choices amongst so many competing priorities
Arturo talked about how decision-making is being impacted by increased regulatory focus in the sector, and that there is a lot of stress on changing regulations alongside financial pressures. He discussed how developing good management and risk assessment processes, as well as being data-driven, in response to regulatory expectations is a hard but crucial aspect of modern Board leadership.
Arturo also spoke about Convene joining forces with GovernWith to help provide the sector with the necessary technology for Board management and evaluations. He mentioned that “the key point of this kind of approach is that it really helps understand the strengths and weaknesses of the Board and then take active steps to increase its maturity.”
Alongside this, he talked about Convene’s new Governance, Risk and Compliance Network for housing, and how we want to encourage and facilitate the important conversations on these topics in the sector.
Convene is the number one Board portal for Housing associations, with over 200 clients in the sector. We are dedicated to ensuring that you have all you require to achieve your social housing goals, offering a unified platform for all of your Board governance needs.
These breakout sessions were then followed by a talk on accountability and responsibility in housing, and another discussion on how to move beyond traditional finance to deliver more homes. The day ended with Mark Easton’s closing remarks.
The second day of the conference began with a breakfast briefing with the Ombudsman, followed by Mark Easton’s second day opening remarks.
The first talk of the day was about devolution, and how housing associations are connecting with the current devolution agenda and the challenges and opportunities it presents. Then there was a talk on Board oversight of sector risk, which discussed the biggest risks for the sector and their expectations of Board members.
Then there was the first set of breakout sessions, which included a Board skills drop-in clinic about policy and responding to regulations, a roundtable about cyber security and managing its risks, a discussion on tackling staffing challenges under the new government and a Chairs talking session on engaging with politicians.
This was followed by a second round of breakout sessions, which featured talks on practical insights into triangulating data, Housing associations’ experiences with positive inspections and a Chairs talk on owning the process to create a dynamic Board.
After lunch there was a talk about introducing equity at scale in social housing, examining how it is done in Germany and the Netherlands and how these delivery models bring in investors. This talk was done by RITTERWALD, who Convene have also partnered with to support their label in bringing sustainability to the sector.
There was then a discussion on building stronger communities and how Boards can support their residents for a positive future. This was followed by the final talk of the day, which looked at delivering proactive long-term change for the sector, and how good Board leadership can ensure this.
This year’s Board Leadership Conference explored the perspective of the Board on the current and future challenges faced by the housing sector. The conference gave insights into how leaders can help to deliver their social purpose, and use the Board’s skills for the benefit of associations and residents alike. We’d like to thank the NHF and all speakers and attendees for allowing us to be a part of such an important conversation, and we look forward to supporting you in your Board leadership journey.
