Last month, around 7,500 real estate professionals came together for UKREiiF in Leeds. We were very proud and excited to host our YEP Presents series every morning in the EDI & Youth Pavilion, sponsored by Mott MacDonald – with great engagement and plenty of thought-provoking discussions!
A big highlight was our kick-off event on Day 1, where we were delighted to get the opportunity to interview Tom Riordan CBE, Chief Executive of Leeds City Council. Tom spoke with great candour and insight about his own experiences, sharing his personal journey from care to becoming a Chief Executive and what he’s learned along the way. He went on to share some great advice with the audience about persisting in the pursuit of your goals. Top takeaways include:
· There’s value in learning a skill that others might be more reluctant to do – such as public speaking
· You don’t need to be the most vocal all the time – so when you do speak people will really listen
· Don’t give up on your ambitions if it seems hard – persevere
· Businesses should explore how to sponsor more degrees, internships sand apprenticeships
· One of Tom’s pledges for next year is to look at initiatives to ramp up support for care leavers and others who need it – something he wants to shine a spotlight on at next year’s UKREiiF
Special thanks go to Emily McLauchlan – Business Development Director at Vectos and Chair of YEP London, and Grace Ellinor – Senior Regeneration Officer at Leeds City Council and Chair of YEP Leeds, for facilitating an excellent conversation and for the brilliant questions.
Over the following two days we hosted a panel of rising starts in the industry looking at changes to the National Planning Policy Framework – featuring an audience Q&A session – and welcomed Liverpool's Future Impact Board for an in-depth discussion on the city’s future.
Grace Ellinor said: “As Chair of YEP Leeds, I’m really proud to have been involved in UKREiiF 2023 and showcase the fantastic work that YEP is doing to bring together future leaders of the property and construction industry. It was brilliant to be able to kick off the conference and host the first official event in the EDI & Youth pavilion, where we interviewed Tom Riordan about his career journey to date and his reflections on being an early career professional.”
Lisa Littlefair, Cities Director at Mott MacDonald, added: “As sponsors of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Youth Pavilion at UKREiiF 2023, we were able to showcase the expertise of our colleagues by connecting with our clients and partners on topics aligned with our purpose. Positioned within the core of the event’s courtyard, our pavilion was a colourful, welcoming home for ideas, inclusivity and knowledge sharing and provided a distinct hub to showcase our people, purpose and brand. At full capacity for our three-day programme, it gave a platform for different voices to be heard – youth, under-represented backgrounds, industry experts, clients and colleagues – and encouraged interaction between speakers and visitors, including YEP, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Future of London, Bristol City Council, and architects Corstorphine & Wright and Sheppard Robson.”
Overall a successful and eye-opening few days and we’re already looking forward to returning next year!
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