One to watch – Avril Roberts, development project manager, RHP

Tell us about how you first came to work in housing…

As an energetic politics student, I thought I would be able to ‘solve’ the housing crisis by working for an MP and gradually work my way up to have influence over the housing minister. But RHP was clearly getting results, and that drove me to apply for a graduate position. During my graduate year I spent time with all the teams at RHP, and the development team seemed like the perfect fit for me.

What’s your proudest work moment so far?

Early on during my graduate year I was asked to do an analysis of the green paper for social housing; I was then asked to present a paper on my analysis to the RHP board. This was a fantastic experience and really grew my confidence.

I was also proud when a scheme I had seen through from the offer stage got into contract last year – during the pandemic when there were a lot of external forces that could have prevented an exchange.

And what has been your hardest moment?

While there have been a few difficult moments, I have mostly struggled with confidence in my ability. You can’t really study how to get new affordable homes into contract, so there is a lot of learning on the job. Because of this I often feel like I don’t have enough knowledge to do my job well. But I’m learning to accept that sometimes I won’t know the answer and to lean on the people around me who do have more experience.

Who have been the most important people in your career so far?

Everyone I have worked with at RHP has helped me progress. Building my confidence has been a big thing for me, and [ex-head of customer service] Dasos Christou pushed me to step outside my comfort zone.

There isn’t a culture of hierarchy at RHP, so even when I was a graduate I was able to learn from our executive group. Tim Willcocks in particular pushed me to apply for a job in the development team – so
I wouldn’t be doing what I do now if it wasn’t for him.

Finally, Rob Cummins, my current manager, is just a fount of knowledge and most of what I know about new business is thanks to him.

If you could change one thing about the sector, what would it be?

I would change the stigma attached to affordable housing. So often viability is argued on private developments to try and reduce the amount of affordable homes. So I would change the attitude towards affordable housing from being a commercial point that is negotiated down to a minimum to being a socially conscious decision. The inclusion of affordable homes should mean a successful and well-balanced scheme is delivered.