Session overview

Leading a team or business is not easy, and the leaders have not been born yet who have all the skills and knowledge needed to lead in a world where the pace of change, scale of disruption and uncertainty are so high.

That is why the Disruptive Innovators Network (DIN) continues its mission to help leaders build the future with this event, created exclusively for Directors working in social landlords. Whether you are new in post, looking to keep your skills and knowledge up to date, or thinking about the next step in your leadership journey, this event is designed for you.

Kindly hosted by Amazon UK in London, the conference is solely for housing directors across all disciplines in social landlords who want to invest in their futures — whether that means preparing for the step up to CEO or taking on a larger and more complex business.

We have assembled a team of leaders that would make the Avengers look like underachievers — people with real-world experiences and stories to share that you can actually learn from. And, as usual for a DIN event, no bullshit allowed.

Featuring a mixture of keynotes, fireside chats and panels, this will be one day in the year we promise you will leave challenged, informed and, yes, inspired.

Key takeaways

Areas to be explored include:

• How to lead in a disrupted world - and no it's not just Ai
• Improving your decisions, especially in high-pressure situations
• Dealing with the media and building a narrative
• Building your own personal brand as a leader
• Working in a political environment
• How to avoid bullshit at work and not succumb to it yourself
• What it really takes to be a good CEO — and whether it is the right move for you
• Learning from failure what happens when things go wrong and how to deal with it - The story of the space shuttle.
• Wellbeing - why you need to put your own oxygen mask on first
• The new skills you will need to succeed in the future

And much more

About the hosts and speakers

Hosted by Ian Wright, Founder and CEO, Disruptive Innovators Network, and Helena Moore, Associate Director, People and Culture, DIN.

Speakers include:

• Dan Hewitt, ITV News Investigations Editor, multi-award-winning journalist and presenter; Royal Television Society Specialist Journalist of the Year 2022 and 2024, Best Documentary winner for Surviving Squalor, ARIA and British Podcast Award winner for The Trapped, multiple Orwell Prize nominee, and author of Left to Rot
• Ian McDermott CBE, Chief Executive, Peabody; long-standing housing chief executive, Harvard Business School alumnus, Fellow and committee member of the Chartered Institute of Housing, Chair of the G15 and National Housing Federation board member
• John Steele MBE, high-performance and leadership keynote speaker; Chair of Commonwealth Games England/Team England and former Chief Executive of UK Sport and the Rugby Football Union, drawing on his elite sport and military leadership experience
• Kate Lee, Chief Executive Officer, NCVO; former CEO of Alzheimer’s Society, double Charity Times “CEO of the Year,” awarded an OBE in 2024 for services to charity
• Stephen Carver, Senior Lecturer in Project and Programme Management and Change & Crisis Management at Cranfield University School of Management; Honorary Fellow of the Association for Project Management and the Institute of Risk Management
• Drew Povey, leadership coach and mentor at DPC Ltd; international keynote speaker on leadership, culture, change and performance, known for his work across education, business and elite sport and from Channel 4’s Educating Greater Manchester
• Geeta Nanda OBE, former Chief Executive, Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH); former Chair of the G15, board member of the National Housing Federation, non-executive director at Redrow and PRS REIT, and ambassador for World Child Cancer
• Leanne Hurrell, Head of UK Regional Public Sector at Amazon Web Services (AWS), leading AWS engagement with healthcare, education and non-profit customers across the UK

Who should attend?

This event is exclusively for housing leaders currently operating at Director and Executive Director level.

It is designed for leaders across the full breadth of housing providers, including those working in:

• Property
• Assets
• People
• Finance
• Housing management
• And any other area of the business

If you are leading at Director or Exec Director level and want to strengthen your leadership for the future, this event is for you.

Delegate fee

• Free to attend if you are a DIN member
• £149 + VAT for non-members

LIMITED SPACES! Please note: While there is no charge for DIN members for this event, the policy is to charge £199+VAT for no-shows without prior notice.