Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation, the commercial property industry's trade body, said the year was a critical one for building a stronger relationship with government at the Mipim conference in Cannes, France.
Strong public and private sector partnership are vital for facing the challenges the UK faces, Leech said, saying the conference was a key opportunity for property to build relations ahead of this year's General Election.
Leech, who took over as chief executive at the British Property Federation in January 2015, having previously spent nine years as director general of the Food & Drink Federation and started her career as a police constable in the Metropolitan Police Service, said the BPF's recently published "Election manifesto" for industry was focused on four areas - "building growth, delivering the homes we need, revitalising our town centres and decarbonising and generating clean energy".
Leech said the conference would see progress on improving diversity in the industry though much more needs to be done.
Check out the video above to hear more of Leech's thoughts about prospects across the United Kingdom and Europe.