UKREiiF continues to bring together professionals across the property, planning, investment and infrastructure sectors, with an incredible array of networking opportunities and thought-provoking sessions.
Each year, Humber Freeport brings a young property professional to UKREiiF to experience this extraordinary event. This year, we’re delighted to have Harry Hopkin, 24, a Consultant at Sewell Advisory, who is making his mark on some of the region’s most strategically significant projects, as our “Prop Star”.
We caught up with Harry to hear his thoughts on the conference.
“There’s a lot of energy here,” said Harry. “This is the first big conference I’ve been to. I’ve done smaller conferences, but nothing on this scale, and it’s great to see so many people coming from across the country and internationally to contribute, connect, learn and collaborate.”
What stands out to Harry is the diversity of attendees. “The sheer number of people really surprised me, and all the different industries people are working in. It’s not just consultancies, it’s construction contractors, professional services, and more. There’s a vast range of people here.”
Harry grew up in Hull before moving to Leeds for university. After graduating, he returned to Hull and joined what was then Shared Agenda, which has since become Sewell Advisory, part of the Sewell Group.
“We’re an estates consultancy predominantly working within the public sector, developing long-term partnerships and delivering solutions for our clients, whether that’s an estate strategy, project management or operational estate management.”
For Harry, UKREiiF offers valuable insights directly from leaders shaping national policy. “It’s understanding what directives are coming from those at the top of the national teams, such as in the Department for Health or the Department for Education, which are very relevant to our business.
“Understanding their messages to people like myself, who are delivering projects on the ground, is really important.”
At Sewell Advisory, Harry works extensively with public sector clients, with a particular focus on healthcare estates.
“I’ve just come out of a session looking at the new hospitals programme,” Harry explained. “I focus more on primary care, such as GP practices, so it was interesting to hear from the NHS England estates leads about how the Hospital 2.0 programme will work out and what impact that will have on primary care.”
Harry is passionate about the Humber region’s potential, particularly when it comes to its strategic port location and green energy opportunities.
“The ports are a huge factor,” Harry emphasised. “It’s important that we bring investors and government representatives to the ports to show what we’ve got to offer, and the many opportunities within the Humber estuary.”
The region is already seeing significant investment and interest from major players, he said. “You look at the investment from the likes of Siemens – people are beginning to see that the Humber is a place to invest. Siemens has been bringing people, skills and a workforce to the area, which puts us in good stead to become the place to go to for training and jobs.”
When asked about his vision for the Humber’s future, Harry believes the key is specialisation rather than trying to compete across too many sectors.
“If we focus on too many different areas, we’re not going to fulfil our potential. We need to focus on sectors where we’re strong and have a competitive advantage.”
We would like to thank Harry, our Prop Star, for joining us at UKREiiF 2025 and for sharing his insights on the conference and our region’s exciting future.
