Housing Market Reform: Transforming Homebuying and Selling Marquee

Claer Barrett

Claer is the Consumer Editor for the Financial Times. She writes the weekly Serious Money column and presents the FT's Money Clinic podcast. Claer frequently appears as a commentator on radio and TV, talking about personal finance, consumer and small business issues. She is a regular guest on ITV’s Lorraine show, makes personal finance content on social media and is the author of What They Don’t Teach You About Money.

Paula Higgins

Paula is the CEO and founder of HomeOwners Alliance. HomeOwners Alliance exists to restore trust in home ownership by lobbying for policies and industry practices that deliver a better deal for homeowners and those who aspire to own.Her website is one of Britain’s most popular property advice websites, providing guidance, tools and services to homeowners and prospective buyers. Paula provides leadership and strategic vision, driving the organisation forward and building a strong team. She is a respected commentator and advocate for homeowners, regularly quoted in the media and appearing on radio and TV. Paula is also a board member of the Leasehold Advisory Service and the Shared Ownership Council. Prior to founding HomeOwners Alliance, she worked for the UK Government and the EU on housing policy. Notably, she was the UK’s lead negotiator on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, led European Commission work supporting member states to implement the directive, and oversaw a Review of Building Control.

Ruaridh Hook

Ruaridh was Head of Commercial Finance and Financial Planning & Analysis at Rightmove from 2020, having joined Rightmove in 2016. As Head of Commercial Finance he was responsible for revenue growth, pricing and package strategy and cost business partnering. He has a wealth of experience from his time at Rightmove, having also held roles in Group Reporting, Tax, Treasury, and Investor Relations at the Company. Prior to Rightmove, Ruaridh worked in Corporate Finance at EY for over five years, qualifying as a chartered accountant. Before EY Ruaridh held business analyst roles at Apollo Leisure and Ladbrokes. Ruaridh graduated from The University of Edinburgh with an MA (Hons) in History and is a qualified Chartered Management Accountant.

Tim Hyatt

As Head of UK Residential, Tim is responsible for the overarching strategic direction of the firm’s Residential business. Tim joined Knight Frank in 2003 as a Partner in charge of UK Lettings and Property Management Business, after 12 years at Foxtons. Knight Frank’s residential teams provide a full range of services across selling, buying or letting a home. Additionally, Knight Frank offers a diverse range of consultancy services; from rural through to residential development, finance and many further specialist service lines. Tim is passionate about innovation for the betterment of the business, its people and diverse range of clients. He is currently driving forward a number of initiatives including DE&I, customer experience excellence, technology, ESG and much more. Tim is a major advocate of governance and regulation in UK estate agency; striving for an equal and transparent sector throughout his career. Since his appointment to Head of UK Residential in April 2020, he has led a ‘one firm approach’ driving collaboration Group wide. He is an ardent believer in the power of Partnership, both from an employee engagement and client perspective.

David Thomas

David joined the Board as an Executive Director and Group Finance Director on 13 July 2009, and was appointed Chief Executive on 1 July 2015. David brings significant leadership and finance experience acquired over several years in senior positions, and is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He was previously Group Finance Director and Deputy Chief Executive of The GAME Group plc, and Group Finance Director at Millennium and Copthorne Hotels plc. He has also held senior financial roles with House of Fraser plc and Forte plc. David is also a former Trustee of the Barratt Redrow plc Charitable Foundation. David is a Non-Executive Director of the HBF, Chair of the Future Homes Hub and a member of the Government's Net Zero Council.

Justin Young

As CEO, Justin is leading the transformation of RICS into an experience-led organisation that puts members, colleagues and other stakeholders at the centre of everything that it does. His background is in business transformation, particularly in the areas of growth and customer experience. His career has been primarily in professional services, including real estate, where he was the Chief Operating Officer at Knight Frank for five years. He has lived and worked in the UK, Europe and Asia, including six years in Singapore with the law firm Clifford Chance where he built successful partnerships and alliances between firms in global networks, and established operations in new locations. Prior to that, Justin was in the technology industry with Hewlett Packard (HP) and the military.

Simon Rubinsohn

Before taking up his appointment at RICS, Simon was Senior Strategist at Barclays Wealth where he was part of team responsible for running the multi-manager investment portfolios and helping to develop structured products to widen the client offering. Simon initially moved into the financial services industry in 1985 where his first appointment was with ANZ Merchant Bank. He was the UK Economist and also spent a considerable amount of time supporting the sales force in the marketing of eurobonds.

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage