Our Hall of Fame series reconnects with past WhatHouse? winners to revisit the moment that put them in the spotlight.
We ask them to reflect on what winning meant at the time, how it shaped their business, their plans for 2026 entries, and what advice they have for those hoping to follow in their footsteps…
Meet Ian Payne, Head of News at Churchill Living, who won Gold for Best Retirement Home Developer in 2025.
On the day, how did it feel to win?
Tom Goodall, a senior architectural technician who went on stage to collect the award, told me: “I felt very privileged to be able to collect the award with Spencer and my colleagues, winning gold and representing Churchill Living in front of all those other companies was definitely a great experience!”
6 months on, what is the lasting impact of winning?
It’s just as important to our colleagues as it is to our customers, I think. It’s a really good way to signal our credibility out there in the market and the ambitions that we have as a business to keep winning awards and demonstrating that we are the best at what we do. That ethos comes from the top – our leadership team are very strongly invested in it, and it’s an important part of our culture as a business.
How did you make the most of your win commercially?
We include the awards and the logos on all our PR and marketing literature, promote it to customers and show that credibility and award-winning nature. We’re very proud to win three consecutive years of Best Retirement Developer, that was a really big one for us to celebrate.
We do have a strong digital presence and of course it’s a hugely important channel for us to share the wins, get our brand out there and drive new business.
For housebuilders sitting on the fence about entering, what’s your advice? And what do you think makes a winning entry?
You’ve got to demonstrate that day-to-day level of excellence and you’ve got to be delivering on the ground, building a really good product, delivering a really good service. But I guess what makes a submission stand out is what we do over and above that… All the ways in which we deliver value not just to our customers, but also to their families and society in general.
Who would you like to see host the WhatHouse? Awards 2026?
Prince William would be a good booking, wouldn’t he? But I do think a comedian is always a good shout to bring fun to the evening, so we’ll go for Joe Wilkinson.
