NHBC delivers the Future Homes Pavilion with industry leaders at UKREiiF 2026

NHBC partnered with some of the housing industry’s most prominent leaders at the recent UKREiiF event in Leeds. Working with Future Homes Hub, Homes England and Barclays UK Corporate Bank to deliver the Future Homes Pavilion, the group provided a centre point for forward thinking, innovation and fresh ideas, welcoming delegates from across the sector to meet, learn and collaborate.

The Future Homes Pavilion brought public and private partners together to drive investment and delivery of more high-quality homes and thriving communities. Offering a varied programme of expert speakers and market presentations, it provided a unique space for representatives from home builders, housing associations, local and national government, supply chain and financial institutions to collaborate.

The programme

Exploring a broad range of topics over the three-day event, the Future Homes Pavilion welcomed guest speakers and panellists from leading companies and organisations. A special series of sessions entitled ‘In conversation with…’ saw a mix of industry personalities take to the stage to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing the sector. The first of these sessions took place with Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor of London for Housing and Residential Development and Rob Perrins, Chair of Berkeley Group PLC, hosted by Vicky Payne, Head of Place and Nature at Future Homes Hub. Drawing on perspectives from both City Hall and the development industry, the session considered how cities can balance growth with affordability, sustainability, and long-term resilience and what’s needed to ensure urban development continues to deliver positive outcomes for people, places, and the wider economy.

Later, another ‘In conversation with…’  featured Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands. Hosted by Tim Reid, Customer Relationship Director at NHBC, this session explored how regional leadership can accelerate delivery, attract investment and unlock large‑scale development. Examining key challenges such as planning, viability, land and skills, the varied opportunities for shaping sustainable, innovative place‑making across the region were discussed in detail. Mr Parker invited local property businesses to contact him and his team and explained the role of a Metro Mayor as convenor of all parties to address viability.

A further ‘In conversation with…’ session was held with Kim McGuinness, Mayor for the North East. Hosted by Jason Constable, Head of Real Estate at Barclays UK Corporate Bank and entitled How to unlock investment into the sector, saw the pair explore how long term, place-based investment can accelerate affordable, energy-efficient housing across the North East. With brownfield renewal, social rent delivery and retrofit ambitions at its core, the discussion highlighted how banking partners can unlock capital, de-risk projects and give local authorities, housing associations and developers the confidence to build at scale.

Future Homes Hub facilitated a session entitled Mission Future Homes Standard: collaborating to build homes customers love, in which a panel of industry leaders explored what’s needed to deliver the standard successfully. Hosted by Mike Woolliscroft, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Parklife Partnerships, with panellists Elizabeth Froude, Chief Executive Officer of Sage Homes, Gemma Smith, Chief Executive at Strata, David Adams, Strategic Advisor at Future Homes Hub, and Ian Hoad, Chief Executive Officer at Keepmoat, it addressed cost pressures, supply‑chain readiness, skills gaps and grid capacity. Attendees gained practical insight into how the sector can adapt while ensuring high‑quality, sustainable homes for the future.

Another popular session, A partnership approach to Housing, was hosted by Stuart Foster, Head of Coverage at Barclays UK Corporate Bank. He was joined by Ian Workman, Chief National Officer at Homes England, David Lewis, Executive Group Director of Property Services at L&Q, Stephen Teagle, Chief Executive of Partnerships and Regeneration at Vistry Group and Alison Gray, Head of Social Housing Debt Finance at Barclays UK Corporate Bank, Steven Rotheram, Mayor of Liverpool and Zoe Lamb, Head of Client Transition & Impact at Barclays Corporate Banking. The panel discussed how the UK requires stronger, more coordinated public–private partnerships to deliver more and better homes. Stuart Foster explored how collaboration between local authorities, home builders, investors, housing associations and regeneration bodies can accelerate delivery and support sustainable communities. The discussion highlighted how joint approaches can remove barriers, improve viability and unlock the investment and supply needed to meet housing needs across the UK.

Future Homes Hub’s Vicky Payne, Head of Place and Nature, hosted a panel session titled Quality and Scale: Can we deliver better homes faster? Guests Michelle Sacks, CEO at Huntingdonshire District Council, Andrew Taylor, Group Planning and Sustainability Director at Vistry Group and Joanna Averley, Chief Planner at the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government joined her on stage to explore how to accelerate housing delivery without compromising on quality. Together the panel discussed how policy, partnerships and innovation can unlock both pace and quality in new housing delivery and examined barriers to scaling up construction. The role of master planning and placemaking was explored and how collaboration between public and private sectors can create better outcomes for communities was considered.

Niki Kyriacou, Sector Lead for Build to Rent at NHBC, chaired the panel session The skills gap and the need for sustainable homes. She was joined by guests Roger Morton, Director of Business Change at NHBC, Judith Marriott, Group People Director at M&J Evans, Mark Farmer, Founder and Board Executive at Cast and Sarah McCready, Land and Planning Director at Barking Riverside Limited. This session explored how the UK can build a workforce capable of delivering sustainable, net‑zero homes at scale. The importance of government, industry and policy leaders working together was examined, and the breadth of the current skills gap considered. The panel discussed the capabilities needed for modern, low‑carbon construction, and how collaboration can unlock practical, scalable solutions. The audience heard about the growing NHBC Training Hub network and the Home Builders Federation Sector Skills Plan as examples of how the sector is already futureproofing its talent pipeline.

Future Homes Hub organised a panel chaired by Sue Riddlestone, Chief Executive of Bioregional entitled The Future of Housing: Standing the test of time. This session gathered Oliver Luard, Partnerships and Investment Director at Greencore Homes, Sarah Greenwood, Assistant Director - Sustainability & Design at Homes England, Nicola Mathers, CEO at Future of London and Graeme Smith, Group Innovation and Design Director at Untypical. Together the group discussed what truly defines “future ready” homes as the sector responds to climate change, shifting demographics and rising consumer expectations. The panel also explored how policy, design and delivery must evolve to create high quality, adaptable and energy efficient homes that support long term resilience and advance the UK’s net zero ambitions.

In total, the Future Homes Pavilion welcomed nearly 700 visitors over the course of UKREiiF and NHBC and its partners were delighted with the energised atmosphere it created.

Special events

NHBC, in conjunction with The Housing Forum, hosted an evening roundtable in Leeds city centre. This invitation only event explored The role of private capital in unlocking housing delivery and welcomed 20 CEOs and industry leaders, with special guest Shahi Islam, Director of Affordable Housing at Homes England. This event brought together a diverse mix of housing associations, private capital, home builders and local authorities to meet and discuss how the sector can collaborate and work to drive delivery faster while maintaining quality. The roundtable provided an excellent opportunity for representatives of private capital to meet and connect with partners, and it was clear policy makers have a strong desire to hear beyond the traditional voices and seek the type of conversations this roundtable facilitated.

Another NHBC event was the ever-popular CEO and Senior Director Recharge Breakfast. Held in conjunction with The Housing Forum it was hosted by NHBC’s CEO Paul Turner, COO David Campbell and Customer Relationship Director Tim Reid. This was NHBC’s third annual UKREiiF Recharge Breakfast and over 130 senior directors from across the UK residential property industry were in attendance.

Tim Reid, Customer Relationship Director at NHBC commented: “It was a pleasure to partner with Homes England, Future Homes Hub and Barclays UK Corporate Bank to deliver this varied programme of speakers, roundtables, panels and discussions. We welcomed hundreds of delegates to the Future Homes Pavilion, facilitating collaboration, networking and innovation. With acute demand for housing across the UK and ambitious government home building targets, it’s essential all parts of the industry work together to ensure high-quality new homes are delivered at pace. The Future Homes Pavilion encapsulated the energy and drive the sector must harness to deliver the quality homes the UK needs.”

To view NHBC’s UKREiiF Recharge Breakfast 2026 highlights, click here.