Q&A: Five minutes with Guy Horne, chief executive of HSPG

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Guy Horne, chief executive of HSPG, on how he got started in property, his favourite song and book, the best and worst things he’s spent money on, and his number one travel destination.

Guy Horne

How did you join the property industry?

I attended school and university with HSPG’s co-founder David. We were entrepreneurs as teenagers and invested our early earnings – £25,000 each – into a property in Manchester. Naturally, this property lent itself to social housing; and so we directed our focus on affordable and supported housing to play our part in helping fight the homelessness crisis.

What does your job entail?

At HSPG, we partner with housing providers, local authorities and investors; and I enjoy working directly with them to deliver much-needed affordable homes across the whole country. As chief executive, I lead on strategy and head up the talented team in London to ensure we continue developing as a company.

What do you like most about the property industry?

I relish the fact that every project we tackle in the industry has its own unique story. I love that HSPG connects institutional, multi-billion-pound capital to help vulnerable people who cannot afford to pay their rent to enable them to live fulfilled lives in their community.

And what do you dislike most about it?

The property sector can sometimes be slow to adapt, and certain processes are unnecessarily complex, lengthy and outdated. Having said that, I believe technology will soon have an impact and reduce time spent on paperwork, especially around property completions.

What would you change about the property industry?

The obvious problem we tackle every day is the lack of affordable housing. There are more than 1,000,000 people on the housing waiting list. This number is growing every day. Additionally, I would like to see more transparency in the sector, which I believe would lead to more professional and responsible landlords.

What barriers or challenges have you overcome?

New challenges arise every day in this industry. I think we just get better and more relaxed when dealing with them. When starting out, entering the property sector without any significant experience or capital was probably one of the largest challenges but a clear and, importantly, flexible plan was key to our success.

What are you most proud of in your career?

Creating a company with an incredibly talented, experienced and exciting team. Going from a two-person operation with me and David from my mum’s kitchen to a sizeable organisation with multiple offices is a fantastic feeling, and I love going into the office and learning from each and every person.

What do you value in people?

I am naturally curious and love learning from people. As long as they want to give, and give with good intentions, I really enjoy that connection. A sense of humour is key, too. The atmosphere in the office is the same at 10am on a Monday as it is at 5pm on a Friday.