When: 27 to 28 October 2025
Where: RICS HQ, 12 Great George Street, London, SW1P 3AD
Why: The Labour government has set out its stall to deliver 1.5m new homes and ‘get Britain building again’. However, although it has pledged to create 60,000 new jobs, the shortfall in construction alone is 250,000 – more than four times the number targeted. Extrapolate this across the wider built environment industry and the skills gap is more of an abyss than gap.
The challenges are multi-fold: an ageing workforce, lack of interest from younger generations and a lack of awareness of – as well as misconceptions about – built environment careers.
So, what can be done to close the skills gap and ensure the industry not only has the right number of people but the right sort of people with the right skills in the right locations?
This is the big question we will be asking, and hopefully answering, during this important 1.5-day event, which will bring together senior figures and rising stars from across the built environment industry to analyse where the skills gap is most acute and explore creative yet practical ways to close it.
If you are interested in attending the event, contact BE News co-founder and editor-in-chief Liz Hamson at liz@benews.co.uk to register your interest. Please indicate whether you would like to attend for the full day or just the morning or afternoon session, so that places can be allocated accordingly.
Monday 27 October 2025:
The Skills Gap Hackathon Part 1
The Challenge: Develop a solution that helps close the built environment industry skills gap.
15:00: Welcomes
- Liz Hamson, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, BE News
- Rob Man, Chief Experience Officer, RICS
15:10: Introduction to the Hackathon by Hackathons UK
Mentors include:
- Nell Brown, Senior Public Affairs Officer, RICS
- Sybil Taunton, Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, RICS
- Tomi Ayede, Membership DEI Manager, RICS
- Mark Collins, Non-Executive Director, Echlin London
- Fabrizio Varriale, Built Environment Analyst, RICS
- Simon Rubinsohn, Chief Economist, RICS
15:20: Ideation & Team Formation
15:40 to 16:40: Hacking/Development & Collaboration
16:40 to 17:00: Coffee Break
17:00 to 18:30: Hacking/Development & Collaboration continued
18:30 to 19:30: Networking over drinks and canapés
Tuesday 28 October 2025:
The Spotlight & Spotlight+/Hackathon Part 2
Stream one – 11:00: Spotlight registration and networking/Hackathon Part 2
11:30: Welcomes
- Liz Hamson, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, BE News
- Nick Maclean OBE RD FRICS IRRV (Hons), Acting President, RICS
11:35: Keynote speeches:
- Sarah Maclean, Joint CEO, Skills England
- Mark Farmer, Chair of BEFA and Founder of Cast
12:10 to 13:10: One-hour Question Time-style panel debate
Panellists:
- Nick Maclean FRICS, Acting President, RICS
- Carly Thorpe, Partner, Walker Morris
- Lynda Rawsthorne FRICS, Government Head of Property Profession, Cabinet Office
- Sunny-Thomas Obasuyi MRICS, Associate Partner, HartDixon
- Maria Sinclair, Managing Director UK, Cobalt Recruitment
- Professor Norman McLennan FRICS, Managing Director and Consultant, Rubislaw Consulting Group
- Tim Richards FRICS, Partner & Head of Agency, Rapleys
Moderator:
- Liz Hamson, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, BE News
13:10 to 14:00: Networking over buffet lunch
14:00 to 15:30: Spotlight+ sessions/Conclusion of the Skills Gap Hackathon
14:00: Welcomes
- Liz Hamson, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, BE News
- Justin Young, CEO, RICS
14:10: TED-style talk: Hannah Awonuga, CEO, Illume Executive Consulting
14:30: Panel discussion: the case for a joint approach
RICS CEO Justin Young and senior figures from other professional bodies debate how the skills crisis is impacting the wider built and natural environment industry and explore options to address this collectively.
Speakers:
- Justin Young, Chief Executive, RICS
- Chris Williamson, President, RIBA
- Richard Bayfield, Vice President, ICE
- Rosalind Thorpe, Director of Education and Standards, CIOB
- Lindsey Richards, Immediate Past President, RTPI
Moderator:
- Liz Hamson, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, BE News
15:15: In Conversation with… Sarah Hayford, Founder and Chief Executive, The Land Collective
Moderator:
- Liz Hamson, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, BE News
15:35 to 16:00: Coffee Break
16:00 to 17:20: Spotlight+ Speed Workshopping
Table hosts:
- Sue Brown, Managing Director, Real Estate Balance
- Debra Yudolph, Founder and CEO, SAY Consulting
- Carly Thorpe, Partner, Walker Morris
- Maria Sinclair, Managing Director UK/Stephen Shorter, Chief Executive, Cobalt Recruitment
- Sunny-Thomas Obasuyi MRICS, Associate Partner, HartDixon
- Vivienne King, Founder and Managing Director, Impactful Places
- Terry Watts, Chief Executive, Built Environment Schools Trust
- Nia Williams, Chartered Building Surveyor, Knight Frank
- Julie Deeley, Director of Operation, Enable Futures CIC
17:20 to 17:30: Spotlight+ Wrap-up
17:30 to 19:30: Networking over drinks and canapés/Guests free to depart
Stream two – The Skills Gap Hackathon P2
11:00: Arrival and Registration
11:10 to 11:20: Welcomes:
- Katherine Pitman, Interim Sustainability Analyst, RICS
- Erin Osher, Managing Director, Hackathons UK
11:20 to 13:00: Development & Collaboration
The hackathon teams start to develop their solutions with support from the Hackathons UK team and hackathon mentors.
13:00 to 14:00: Lunch Break (collaboration/development over lunch optional)
14:00: Welcomes:
- Nick Maclean FRICS, Acting President, RICS
- Erin Osher, Managing Director, Hackathons UK
14:15 to 15:40: Development & Collaboration – continued
The teams continue to develop their solutions with support from the Hackathons UK team and hackathon mentors and prepare their presentations to pitch to the expert panel of judges.
15:40 to 16:00: Coffee break (optional)
16:00 to 17:20: The Skills Gap Hackathon: Pitching & Judging
Hackathon teams deliver three-minute pitches to the judging panel in front of an audience and take questions. The judges will then step outside to make their deliberations before selecting the winning team.
Judges:
- Justin Young, Chief Executive, RICS
- James Garner FRICS, Head of AI and Digital, Gleeds
- Kate Peers-McQueen, Associate Director, Cobalt Recruitment
- David Hourihan FRICS, Head of School – Real Estate and Innovation, UBE
- Louise Brooke-Smith OBE, RICS Board DEI Chair, Development & Strategic Planning Adviser and Non-Executive Director, Consilio Strategic Consultancy
- Donnie MacNicol, Director, Team Animation
17:20 to 17:30: The Hackathon Awards and Closing Remarks:
The winning team is announced and awarded prizes before closing remarks from Hackathons UK and RICS.
Speakers:
- Erin Osher, Managing Director, Hackathons UK
- Justin Young, Chief Executive, RICS
17:30 to 19:30: Networking over Drinks and Canapés/Guests Free to Depart
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