The Class recognises that addressing operational challenges in student living goes hand in hand with supporting resident wellbeing. As the sector increasingly addresses the importance of mental health, there is a growing need for solutions that help operators better understand and respond to student needs.

Erwin Buckers, founder of Chainels, has been shortlisted for his role in advancing a more integrated approach doing just this by using technology to support both operational efficiency and student wellbeing in a practical, scalable way.

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A key trait of a Smart Leader in student living, particularly on the operator side, is the ability to adapt to change and implement solutions in a way that genuinely supports day-to-day operations. This means not just adopting technology, but integrating it into workflows to improve efficiency and outcomes for teams.

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This is what Amy Daniels, representing PfP Students, has demonstrated, and why she has been shortlisted.

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We created the Smart Leader of the Year category to recognise individuals who are actively identifying what the key challenges are in in the sector and developing innovative solutions to address them.

As such, in an industry often characterised by fragmented systems and disconnected data around energy and resource consumption, Klaas Nijssen, CEO and Co-founder of iqbi, has been shortlisted for his role in advancing a more integrated approach.

Through iqbi, he has focused on enabling real-time, end-to-end visibility of utility data, creating a more holistic and effective way to track and manage building performance.

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Everyday operational systems can often be overlooked yet have a significant environmental impact. In student housing, shared services that residents have to use such as laundry can be highly resource-intensive, making them an important area for improvement.

Miele Operations has been shortlisted for its approach to rethinking the use of a product that is found most PBSAs; the shared laundry service. It is an example of combining more efficient hardware with digital management to reduce energy use in significant amounts.

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As student housing continues to digitise, some sustainability features are unintentionally being lost in the process. In their submission, TLJ and Nido demonstrate how they overcome the loss of energy saving mechanisms with the shift from key cards to mobile access, which removes simple but effective mechanisms for controlling in-room energy use.

TLJ Access Control and Nido has been shortlisted in this category for recognising and addressing this gap, introducing a solution that reintroduces energy-saving behaviour into modern, tech-enabled buildings that have shifted to digital keys without adding complexity for residents or operators. It is the kind of smart solution that makes a big difference for student housing, and what we try to highlight at our Smart Student Living summits.

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Improving sustainability in student housing is not only about reducing consumption, but about better understanding how buildings actually perform in real time. We often hear challenges from student housing providers that use fixed settings that don’t reflect how spaces are used day to day, leading to unnecessary energy use and inconsistent living conditions.

Prefect Controls has been shortlisted for its focus on making building performance more visible and responsive, allowing teams to quickly spot pain points that are affecting residents and allows staff to understand what areas need the most focus. We recognised this as a holistic approach that facilitates an optimised use of energy and resources without sacrificing student needs.

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For many international students, accessing accommodation is also about navigating unfamiliar digital systems and processes that aren’t designed with them in mind. This is an oversight that many housing providers can overlook during the student journey.

Unilife, Concurrent PMS, and VivaCity have been shortlisted for developing a more locally relevant approach, showing how collaboration can adapt the booking journey to better suit the digital behaviours and expectations of specific student groups.

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At previous Smart Student Living summits, a common theme we identified is a growing need for solutions that can both reduce pressure on operational teams while still maintaining a high-quality resident experience. To do so, a solution would require a partnership between an operator and tech systems provider in which all of the operational needs of the housing provider understood an accounted for.

As such, Powerhouse has been shortlisted for its approach to doing this while also embedding AI into everyday operations, demonstrating how collaboration between technology and operators can streamline processes, improve responsiveness, and better support both students and on-site teams.  

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The Smart Cross-sector Collaboration category was created so that we could identify partnerships that are bringing together different parts of the sector to solve shared challenges in a more coordinated and practical way.  

Utopi and Downing in particular have been shortlisted for their joint approach to addressing energy consumption in PBSA, demonstrating how aligned partnerships can translate data and technology into measurable outcomes on the ground. Their initiative showcases real outputs from a collaborative implementation, providing an example for the rest of the sector.

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The Smart Social Impact Initiative category recognises solutions that address the often-overlooked challenges students face beyond the building itself, particularly around accessibility, safety, and inclusion.  

For international students, navigating housing in unfamiliar markets can come with significant risks, from fraud to a lack of reliable support systems.

Lodgerin has been shortlisted for its focus on reducing these barriers, bringing greater transparency and security to the student relocation journey while helping create a more supportive and accessible experience for those moving across borders.

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Creating a sense of belonging and reducing isolation for students, especially international students, has become an increasingly important challenge for the sector as demand for student mobility gains popularity.

RELIFE Foundation has been shortlisted for its approach in utilising social projects and volunteer opportunities for students, encouraging residents to actively participate in and contribute to their local communities. They make this process possible with a bespoke digital application, which showcases how smart technology can be used to make a creative impact.

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GoBritanya was shortlisted in this category for its approach to tackling the challenge of transitioning students into a new environment early in the student journey, creating opportunities for connection that begin before students even move in with their initiative of “The Digital Common Room”.  

Their submission perfectly fits the Smart Social Impact Initiative category, which was made for innovative approaches that use technology to help students in new and proactive ways.

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