BBC Click presenter Spencer Kelly leads a staggering first line-up for a bigger, brighter show in Birmingham next year
The Housing Innovation Show has announced its first tranche of speakers for what is already promising to be a star-studded line-up of industry experts, when it returns to Birmingham’s International Convention Centre (ICC) next year.
Spencer Kelly, the BBC’s longest-serving technology presenter, is among the names confirmed for the free-to-attend (for Housing Professionals) event, which takes place on 4-5 February 2027. He has presented more than 1,000 episodes of BBC Click, created the world’s first television programme filmed in 360 degrees, and tested a personal jetpack along the way.
He is joined by an engaging array of speakers from housing, local government, construction, fintech, and digital.
As visitors to previous shows will be aware, the event is about innovation, but also about the people who make the sector tick; the inventive “tinkerers” devising new tools and techniques, the professionals delivering homes and services, and the residents who turn them into thriving communities.
Established now as the UK’s most comprehensive showcase of housing innovation and transformation, the Housing Innovation Show runs across five stages. Organisers say the emphasis is on solutions rather than problems, with practical takeaways providers can apply today, from efficiency gains to improved tenant experience.
Delegates will also hear from out-of-sector technology leaders and emerging disruptors, with interactive sessions, an exhibition, and networking space all in the same hall. Organisers expect the connections made there to be the rocket fuel for collaboration and innovation.
Among the housing-focused speakers, Jens Gemmel von Döllinger, interim director of transformation and efficiency at the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, will bring a local government reform perspective. His third book, Care if We Dare, on the future of adult social care, is due in December 2026. Lynda Davis leads customer voice at MTVH, while Paul O’Neill uses data science to examine repairs and voids performance.
From outside the sector, another author, AI adviser Clive Grinyer will also be sharing his insights and expertise, while journalist and misinformation expert, Rob Waugh will take is unto the emerging world of AI-powered ‘fake believe’.
There’s more to come as the full line-up is pieced together ahead of the show. At heart, the Housing Innovation Show is about fostering change – by the sector, for the sector.
Some of the speakers announced so far include…
Claire Baron, national business development manager, City Plumbing. Works with housing providers and public sector organisations on how digital solutions, data, and technology can improve supply-chain efficiency and outcomes for residents.
Ezechi Britton MBE, director and co-founder, Collectively Better. A fintech and innovation figure with more than 20 years’ experience, he began as a software developer and was founding chief technology officer of Neyber. He co-founded Code Untapped and was founding chief executive of the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology. He is a trustee at Crisis and received his MBE in 2022.
Andrew Carpenter, chief executive, Constructing Excellence Midlands. Joined the construction industry in 1977 and has held chief executive roles at the Structural Timber Association and Constructing Excellence South West. He sits on the Construction Leadership Council’s Construct Zero Board and the government’s Timber in Construction Working Group.
Lynda Davis, head of customer voice, MTVH. Sets the standards for how MTVH listens to residents and acts on their feedback, leading its customer voice and engagement teams, including the Customer Council and regional resident panels. She began her career in contact centres and complaints teams.
Jens Gemmel von Döllinger, interim director of transformation and efficiency, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, has more than two decades’ experience leading transformation programmes across more than a dozen local authorities. He wrote Living Council: A Manifesto for Practice and The Anatomy of the Local State: Systems Thinking for the AI-native, Prevention-first Council, and was highly commended at the IoD National Director of the Year Awards 2023.
Clive Grinyer, author and AI advisor, works with US AI start-up, Primitive. He is also an adviser to Bosch, a trustee of the Design Technology Association, and is a former trustee of the Royal Society of Arts. His book, Redesigning Thinking, published in June 2025, was nominated for the American Best Book, Goody Business Book Awards and UK Business Book Awards and is available in audio form on Audible.
James Hardy, head of digital, Virgin Media. Specialises in digital transformation and online marketing, having led large teams reshaping customer journeys and supported Virgin Media O2’s app-transformation programme.
Spencer Kelly, presenter of BBC Click, BBC. Anchors BBC Click and appears on BBC Morning Live. Named Tech Personality of the Year, he is an honorary Doctor of Technology and hosts Understand: Tech & AI.
Paul O’Neill, founder, NolijWork. Has more than 35 years’ experience in IT and applies data science to identify bottlenecks in complex services. In social housing, his work focuses on repairs, voids, and operational performance, including insights from Tenant Satisfaction Measures.
Dominic Ridley-Moy, founder, Behaviour Change Network. A behaviour change and neuroscience expert who applies behavioural science to repairs, compliance, fire and gas safety, resident engagement, and organisational transformation. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
Rob Waugh, writer, editor, AI misinformation expert and technology communicator, is one of Britain’s leading technology and science journalists, with 25 years’ experience writing for national newspapers and online outlets including the Telegraph, Mail Online and Metro. He now investigates AI-driven deception for Press Gazette, exposing fake experts and fabricated sources.
See the full list of speakers at the Housing Innovation Show 2027
To find out more, or to register your interest in attending, visit here
Main image: Stage Host Ian Wright at the Housing Innovation Show 2025
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