Housing Technology began at the end of 2007, with our first edition published in January 2008, and here we are now, 99 editions later with our 100th edition (in case you missed our subtle front cover).
So much has changed since George Grant (prev. head of alliances at the National Housing Federation & IT business consultant) and Alastair Tweedie (prev. co-founder of a fintech news service & Microsoft’s EMEA marketing) identified an opportunity for innovation in social housing, setting the stage for Housing Technology to become a transformational hub for IT and business change in social housing, predominantly in the UK but also in Europe and beyond.
Then & now
Our ‘Then & now’ special feature brings together the combined knowledge and experience of some of Housing Technology’s longest-standing contributors, speakers and supporters (we’ve not added up their combined years of social housing expertise but it’s at least two centuries’ worth…). The article is really worth reading in full in order to gain a better understanding of how the past 16 years or so (ancient history in IT terms) have influenced today’s landscape of IT operations and business processes, as well as getting a view on the future direction of travel.
A community effort
And much though we’d love to claim full credit for the past 16 years, the enduring success of Housing Technology is, firstly, a reflection on our readers, speakers, editorial contributors, commercial partners and event sponsors. The amazingly collaborative nature of our sector and everyone’s willingness to share their successes, failures and experience gained along the way is the very essence of the Housing Technology community.
Secondly, the Housing Technology community is a direct result of our dedicated team.
- Jo Euston-Moore, with us from the very first edition, is the brilliant designer behind all the layouts and visuals for the magazine, reports, events and our annual conference.
- Sebastian Emerson, our digital manager, is the brain behind our online operations and digital offerings.
- Kelly-Ann Grimes and Kate Dryden, as well as being our event and logistics gurus, provide exceptional cross-team support for all of our projects.
- Amanda Wiper, just back from maternity leave, is our partnerships consultant, excelling in building and maintaining our commercial relationships.
- Laura Philip, previously from Aareon, is our marketing manager and responsible for our social media and marketing presence.
- Charlie Bezkorowajny is our videographer and responsible for scripting and filming Housing Technology’s interviews and short films for our On Demand channel.
Here’s to the past 16 years of innovation. Let’s continue innovating, sharing our stories and pushing our sector forward together.
