Rising Stars 2017

How to enter

The CIH and Inside Housing are pleased to announce the launch of Rising Stars 2017 - a competition that showcases the talent and commitment of up-and-coming housing professionals across the industry.

Now in its seventh year, Rising Stars has provided a fantastic platform to highlight the talent and commitment of people working in housing. Each year, the winning contestant has enjoyed
a unique set of experiences and opportunities, from spending a day with a key housing figure to editing an edition of Inside Housing.

Entering is simple - just follow the steps below and submit your entry by 17 February.

Step 1

Check your eligibility

The competition is designed to recognise and showcase ambitious housing professionals as they begin to progress through their careers.

It is open to those who have worked in the housing industry for three years or more. There is no age limit.

Check your CIH membership is up to date - our Rising Star 2017 will be a committed housing professional, so CIH membership is a must!

Step 2

Prepare your answers to our entry questions:

• Summarise your career in housing (200 words).
• What lessons should housing professionals learn from the past - and how will this help the sector to adapt in the future (1,000 words)?
• Summarise the key attributes of the housing professional of the future (30 words).

Step 3

Ask your organisation to support you to apply.

Finalists and the eventual winner are likely to need some time away from the office and may incur some expenses, so you will need to clear this in advance.

Step 4

Submit your entry to us by 17 February 2017.

Use the online entry form at www.housingheroesawards.co.uk

What happens next?

Once the closing date passes, Inside Housing and the CIH will collate an initial shortlist.

• The shortlisted entries will go to a panel of high-profile sector judges.
• The judges will select three finalists to go forward - if you are successful, you will be notified by 31 March.
• The finalists will take part in a range of exciting and interesting tasks between 20 April and 26 May. The three tasks involve taking part in a Twitter Q&A, completing an ethics interview with the judges and presenting to a group of young people entering the sector. You will also be interviewed by Inside Housing and invited to write a blog post.
• During this time, the housing sector will be able to vote online for their favourite finalist.
• The winner will be announced at the Housing Heroes Awards dinner and ceremony in Manchester on 26 June, on the eve of the Housing 2017 annual CIH conference and exhibition.

Is there a prize for the winner?

The real prize is the accolade of being crowned the Rising Star 2017, but there are a range of other opportunities that will be made available to the winner. These include:

• Coverage in Inside Housing
• A free delegate place at the CIH Housing 2017
• A VIP invitation to the CIH Presidential Dinner 2018
• The opportunity to be guest editor of an edition of Inside Housing
• A day shadowing the CIH chief executive
• A senior mentor for the year

Develop yourself - and our sector

Winning the Rising Stars competition has been an incredible experience for me, both personally and professionally. If someone had told me this time last year that I would be where I am now, I would not have believed them for a second.

It’s impossible to explain everything that’s happened in a short column, but the top highlights are that the competition has given me the confidence to push myself and to step outside of my comfort zone; it has expanded my professional network and has given me a greater insight into UK housing far beyond my day job.

The opportunities for someone who is passionate and ambitious about housing are second to none. Even the tasks for the competition were structured in a way that challenge you, teach you and expose you to inspiring professionals working in the sector. And it was so much fun! Chris Irons, Evie Copland, Tom Forty and I all bonded over the experience as finalists, and we all received so much support from former Rising Stars winners in particular.

Winning the competition has meant I have done some awesome things - from delivering a speech at City Hall in London as part of the CIH centenary events, to attending events with senior leaders. I discovered they were just as passionate about improving the sector and meeting the challenges it faces as those working on the frontline.

I would encourage anyone with drive and passion for our sector to enter - it made me a better housing professional and also highlighted skills I didn’t realise I had.

The best thing it gave me was a different perspective on what self-confidence truly means. It’s one thing to have the confidence to carry out your own role, but it’s an entirely different thing to feel you can make a difference to the whole sector. And after winning the competition, I am sure that one day I will!

Alice Smith, business development manager, CIH, and winner of Rising Stars 2016

Rising to the challenge

Ever since arriving in the UK as a child after a 7,000-mile journey from Malawi, social housing has played an important role in my life. Arriving in London with no more than £70 as a family, a council house in the capital was our foothold to start building a life here.

My early experiences of growing up on estates that suffered from anti-social behaviour and my parents working tirelessly to give us opportunities gave me an insight into a sector built on a social purpose to help people achieve their potential.

Fortunate enough to attend university and qualify as an accountant, I jumped at the opportunity to work in the housing sector and help other families change their lives just as we did.

Housing associations play a unique role, not only in providing much-needed homes, but also in creating opportunities. For those of us lucky enough to work in the sector, we are provided with an enriching and challenging career while making a difference to people’s lives.

Orbit, where I have worked for 16 years, marks its 50th anniversary this year. It is an important time for the sector. Fifty years on from Cathy Come Home, we see ourselves facing many of the same socio-economic issues today and our role in giving people choices and opportunities is ever more important.

Central to us continuing to deliver on our social purpose, while adapting to the new commercial world we operate in, are our people - and most importantly, the leaders of tomorrow.

The Rising Stars programme provides a platform for us to inspire and encourage future leaders who will carry forward the passion and energy the sector is known for. We have a responsibility to develop today’s housing professionals to meet the challenging demands our organisations and customers face.

At Orbit, we pride ourselves on offering opportunities for our staff. From entry level apprenticeships and work placements, through to graduate placements and management development and mentoring, we are committed to delivering positive, meaningful and quality experiences for our staff.

In recent years we have worked closely with the Centre for Partnership in delivering its Graduate Employment Mentoring (GEM) programme, and have seen a steady stream of astute graduates come through - some of whom have secured permanent employment with Orbit.

It is critical that, as a sector, we continue to inspire people and share our experiences so we can continue to grow our leaders of tomorrow. They understand better than many of us the uncertainty, challenges and opportunities that face our future customers.

Whether this involves helping more people into homeownership, connecting with people online, supporting tenants into employment and training, or influencing government on social policy, the insight and creativity of our future leaders are essential to shaping our offer.

As a judge on the Rising Stars panel, I am excited to see the applicants’ journeys - as well as their visions for ensuring our businesses are as relevant tomorrow as they are today.

Afzal Ismail, executive director of corporate services, Orbit Group