UKREiiF reflections: Morgan Skillen shares her thoughts on sector challenges and opportunities from a Next Generation perspective
Morgan Skillen, Surveyor - Housing Consultancy at JLL
This year marked my first time attending UKREiiF – The UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum, a multi-day conference that’s essentially the Glastonbury of the real estate world. All the big names were lined up to headline and everyone and their neighbour was attending.
Heading up to Leeds last week, I was a little apprehensive as to what the event would be like. In a male-dominated industry with only 20% of RICS members being female and the number dropping significantly further as you move to RICS fellow level, I considered whether there would be many “only woman in the room” moments. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity across the panels I attended and the wider delegate base. That said, upon arrival, there was still a sea of navy suits and gilets along Armouries Way!
A market under pressure
One key takeaway from UKREiiF is that the real estate market is facing pressure from all angles - no surprise there, right? The challenges across each sector were widely discussed, with common themes emerging around viability constraints, lack of funding, and the need for private-public partnerships.
As a surveyor, specialising in Affordable Housing, I’ve always taken a keen interest in the living sector, which is why I found Bevan Brittan’s breakfast event on ‘The Future of the Living Sector’ incredibly thought-provoking.
It moved beyond the current macroeconomic environment we are all very well versed in and focused on the operational challenges arising from the Renters Reform Act 2026. Discussions also explored whether we are shifting to a predominantly renting society and how viability challenges are in turn, putting an affordability strain on the middle-market homeowners and renters. These themes were echoed across the conference, along with discussion on how to overcome the wider challenges faced by the housing market.
One of the primary discussion points was investment and funding. At a panel on ‘Unlocking affordable homes to power growth in the south west’, Selina White, CEO of Manna Housing, shared a compelling statistic for further investment into affordable housing: “For every £1 invested in affordable housing, c.£3 is generated for the local economy.” This is driven by the construction phase but continues as new residents bring more local spending into the economy. Interest in entering the affordable housing market has increased, with more investors looking at the market. However, patient capital willing to take a long-term view is essential to help with the delivery of more affordable homes.
The collective view from UKREiiF was clear: investment and public-private partnerships are not just beneficial but essential to addressing the housing crisis but these are not without challenges. However, most affordable homes will still likely be delivered by not-for-profit Registered Providers via direct delivery/Section 106. In the midst of all the discussions on the challenges facing the market, there was an air of positivity noting that the residential market is resilient and people are optimistic that there are routes forward to be found.
A Next Generation perspective
I was invited to attend UKREiiF, as part of the Next Generation contingent. This is targeted at young professionals early in their real estate careers. I am 26 years old, and have been with JLL for almost 4 years, starting out on their graduate scheme, before becoming a permanent member of the Affordable Housing Consultancy team.
As referenced above, this was my first large-scale conference, and I was slightly unsure what to expect. Attending an event with many senior and influential people, is a little daunting to say the least. In the build-up to the event, I started to get that “first day of school” feeling and was hoping that the big kids would be nice to me! What I experienced was the best outcome that could be hoped for; there was no difference in treatment between me, a young, female, first-time conference attendee, and more senior people in the sector. I was actively involved in conversations, my questions in seminars were engaged with and my thoughts were heard.
During UKREiiF, I had a few insightful conversations with several senior people, two common threads emerged in their careers: confidence and sponsorship – the impact of having a senior person believe in them, encourage them to seize opportunities, and on occasion, actively create opportunities for them.
This is something I've benefited from personally at JLL, and I am committed to paying it forward. I hope to see more of this across the industry, particularly from senior leaders supporting up-and-coming professionals in their company and sectors.
My key takeaways from UKREiiF on a personal level, which I will carry with me into future conferences and advice I will share with other first-time conferences goers is, to absorb the atmosphere, learning everything you can but also to back yourself. Have the confidence to ask the questions, engage in conversations and share your thoughts when you have a perspective.
