Benjamin Hobbs, Abiola Ogunsami, Lydia McGuinness, p ING

Benjamin Hobbs of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Abiola Ogunsami of Muse Places, and Lydia McGuinness of Wates Construction will be part of the MIPIM Challengers programme next year. Credit: via ING

Northern trio named MIPIM Challengers

17 December 2025 11:23 Julia Hatmaker Comments (0)

Benjamin Hobbs of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Abiola Ogunsami of Muse Places, and Lydia McGuinness of Wates Construction will head to Cannes for the global property convention as part of organiser RX’s programme to promote the next generation of real estate leaders.

MIPIM will be held over the week of 9 March. The conference brings together more than 20,000 industry leaders from 90 different countries to discuss best practices, network, and do business. The MIPIM Challengers programme ensures that youthful voices are part of those conversations. In addition to complimentary tickets to the festival, Challengers will also have chances to participate in roundtables, thought leadership papers, and a leadership development course.

The 2026 cohort of MIPIM Challengers comprises 43 property professionals under the age of 31. Of those 43, 22 are from the UK. The Northern contingent represents the worlds of construction, development, and the public sector.

Sheffield-based McGuinness is a site manager at Wates Construction. She is the people and skills young ambassador at the Construction Leadership Council and a former national co-chair of Constructing Excellence’s Generation 4 Change initiative.

Ogunsami is a graduate development manager at Muse and is based in Manchester. He is also a former Regeneration Brainee and, as part of that programme, attended MIPM in 2024. Ogunsami is currently an advisory board member for Regeneration Brainery.

Hobbs is a graduate regeneration officer at the GMCA and at Salford City Council. This will be his first MIPIM.

Hobbs said: “I applied to the Challengers programme because public sector visibility is crucial at events like MIPIM. We have such an incredible success story to tell about everything we’ve achieved across Salford and Greater Manchester over the last decade of devolution, and I think there’s an even more exciting story to tell about everything yet to come.”

He added later “To win an opportunity like this is genuinely humbling – I grew up in Tameside, attending my local state school and college, so to be attending MIPIM at 22, representing my city region on a global stage, is the sort of opportunity I couldn’t even have dreamt of.”

Hobbs will not be the only local authority representative at MIPIM representing the North. Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Newcastle, Blackpool, and more are excited to head to Cannes.

Place North is committed to helping the North and Scotland shine at MIPIM. Learn more about how we can help your business, brand, or local authority stand out from the crowd.