By new Asset Management Lead Associate Caroline King

Back in the early 00s, I stumbled across the world of social housing. The strangely written and even stranger looking job advert I read in The Guardian (in print!) lured me in. The reason? Because it said a new housing association was being formed and pretty much invited
the successful candidate to set up a communications function from scratch.

I wasn’t even sure what a housing association way back then, as in my neck of the woods people still talked about council housing. But I did know about communications and was totally up for a challenge, as I usually am.

At the start of my housing journey the assets team were my best friends; a rich source of great news stories that kept the local media at bay week after week.

Sure, there were historic issues of disrepair and some horror stories to contend with which made my hair curl, but the flipside was huge investments and lots of photos of happy customers enjoying warmth and comfort for the first time in far too long.

My friends in repairs and maintenance were still carrying job tickets around in zipped black bags and somehow managing the logistics and scheduling of tens of thousands of repairs using antiquated, paper-heavy systems and a couple of battered old telephones. But their service just seemed to work, which I was always impressed by.

Compared to how my housing life was when I dipped out of it in 2019, it was another world.

As my housing communications career progressed over the next 17 plus years, so did the world of housing. No sooner had decent homes standards officially been met, then retrofit and eco solutions were popping up. Then came the brave new world of development that at times seemed to put existing bricks and mortar and established communities into the shade.

Creating places that people are proud to live in is core to any housing provider. I still feel pride every time I drive past a small but perfectly formed new build estate not far from my own home, knowing I was part of the project team tasked with regenerating a very tired area with tons of potential. That was my first consultation, regeneration, and new build development project in one.

Although the lead communicator is more of a bit part in such a project, my ability to join the dots, spot risks and keep everyone informed and engaged was extremely rewarding to me and valuable to my colleagues.

From then on, I sought out opportunities to support any place-making project I could get my hands on. As ambitions got bigger, master planning ideas gained more of a wow factor, and the repairs and maintenance service morphed into a sophisticated, tech and data-driven function, I found that reputational risks increased, and stakeholder relations needed to be handled more proactively than ever. That’s where I found my happy place and is why I’m thrilled to be invited to be a HQN Associate and lead The Asset Management Network.

So, what can I offer? Spotting risks and opportunities is a super skill of mine. I can put myself in the shoes of every stakeholder at once, a rare gift. I’m likely to offer a slightly offbeat perspective that will enhance your thinking.

Plus, I’m always full of energy and imagination. I intend to channel all those qualities into The Asset Management Network.

My vision is to create a collection of resources that members find useful and thought provoking. A place where sharing ideas and stories is actively encouraged. And a community that people come to rely on for fresh inspiration and opportunities to collaborate with others.