By Cem Savas, Co-Founder & CEO of Plentific
We are standing at a turning point in the housing sector - one where leadership must evolve from traditional, reactive models towards a new paradigm rooted in resident-centricity, technological fluency and collaborative transformation.
At the Housing 2025 conference, I had the privilege of joining a forward-thinking panel to discuss what leadership means today and what it must become tomorrow. The conversation was rich with lived experience, turnaround stories, cultural repair work, and regulatory reimagination. But what stood out to me most was a shared recognition: standing still is no longer an option.
Here’s what I believe the future demands of us as leaders and why embracing change, technology and trust-building isn’t optional anymore.
From Reactive to Resident-Centric Leadership
When I look at the last ten years in our sector, I see a welcome shift: away from static KPIs and legacy compliance towards outcomes that actually matter to residents. But let’s be honest: this shift is not yet universal. Too many decisions are still based on incomplete, siloed data. Too many digital tools sit underused. And too often, leadership still expects IT departments to drive innovation, when in fact, leadership itself must become technically fluent.
If we want to improve resident experience, reduce operating costs and maintain trust, we must think differently about how we lead and how we structure our organisations.
Data, AI & Operational Excellence: Not Tomorrow, But Today
At Plentific, we serve over 100 housing organisations and manage data on more than 1.6 million properties. This gives us a unique vantage point into what’s working and what’s broken. We consistently see the same patterns: data exists, but it's not connected. Suppliers and systems are fragmented. Resident experiences vary significantly depending on the repairs journey. This is where technology and leadership must converge. AI is not some distant tool. It’s already enabling repairs triage, smarter workforce allocation and automated compliance tracking. But it only works when leaders champion its use. A forward-thinking Board today must understand data, ask better questions and train itself to grasp how tech accelerates purpose and not replace it.
Culture of Partnership Over Compliance
I was inspired by other panellists' reflections, particularly Amanda Newton’s point (Chief Executive, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing) that leadership is about reconnecting to core purpose, with courage and clarity. It’s easy to chase compliance and box-tick. It’s harder to build resident trust, foster cultural curiosity and lead with transparency, but far more powerful.
One potent example we see time and again: when suppliers are treated not as vendors but as partners, outcomes improve dramatically. That’s why we encourage our clients to co-design service portals with residents and contractors from day one. A ‘minimum viable product’ culture with clear, fast learning loops. This beats a three-year IT spec every time.
Training Boards, Empowering Teams
New leadership means developing every layer of the organisation - from your Board to your tradespeople. It’s not enough for just the digital team to ‘get it.’ Boards must understand what AI can and cannot do. Managers must know what good data looks like. Field teams must be empowered by tools and not drowned in them. This kind of transformation requires investment, yes. But more importantly, it requires vision and humility from leadership. Are we prepared to unlearn? To rewire our organisations? To invite feedback from the very residents we serve and work alongside?
What the Sector Needs Now
As others on the panel emphasized, from Tolu Oke’s, (Chair, Leadership 2025) call for intergenerational inclusivity to Suki Kalirai’s (Chair, PA Housing) reminder that we must bridge TikTok-speed expectations with 30-year frameworks. This isn’t just about tech, it’s about people. The next generation of talent isn’t looking for hierarchy. They want impact, flexibility and authentic purpose. If we don’t offer it, they’ll go elsewhere. Leadership in this new era means building systems and cultures where people thrive and not just survive.
Final Thought: Build Capability, Not Just Compliance
The new era of leadership isn’t about titles, it’s about capability. About being bold enough to reimagine how we work and humble enough to include residents, suppliers and teams in that rethinking journey. Leadership is not what sits at the top of the organisational chart. It’s what happens when the entire organisation moves in sync with clarity, data, trust and purpose.
Let’s not just talk about transformation. Let’s lead it.
Cem Savas
Co-Founder & CEO, Plentific
