The 2025 WhatHouse? Awards is fast approaching and recently, Rory Wilkinson, digital editor of Show House, caught up with Ashley Cooper, managing director of Awards sponsor, WMS, to find out more about the company and what drew them to get involved with the event.
Tell us a little about WMS and your role at the company.
I’m proud to be the co-founder and managing director of WMS, an award-winning, leading supplier and installer of underfloor heating systems for UK building developments.
After completing my school career, I joined my family’s general building business. Yet, I always aspired to find a niche and branch out into a specialist area of the housebuilding trade.
WMS began as a start-up operating out of my family’s garage in 2003, and since then, we’ve worked hard to become an industry leader installing over 26 million metres of our sustainable PERT (polyethylene of raised temperature resistance) underfloor heating pipe across the UK. During the 2024/25 financial year, we achieved nearly £12 million in turnover, serving approximately 6,000 homes.
Since the very beginning, I’ve remained at the helm of the business, working closely with our specialist team to sustain WMS’ commitment to thrive with customers by delivering an unbeatable combination of design, reliability, and service.
What role does WMS play in the housebuilding industry and how does it support developers?
We’ve spent 22 years specialising in low-temperature systems and have over a decade of experience integrating air source heat pumps (ASHPs). WMS can be relied upon as a strategic partner in the transition to decarbonised housing.
To support the ongoing transition to heating systems that are both compliant and future-ready, low-carbon heating systems, WMS has launched the ACT!Now framework – a practical tool to help developers evaluate heating systems against regulatory needs, real-world comfort and performance.
ACT!Now ensures that heating design keeps pace with both regulation and buyer expectations by considering three key factors: Aesthetics, cost and Temperature.
Only hydronic underfloor heating meets all three ACT! criteria. It’s a future-ready solution that delivers today, with no need for redesigns or retrofits, just consistent performance aligned with the homes of tomorrow.
What was it that attracted you to sponsoring the WhatHouse? Awards?
For WMS, sponsoring the WhatHouse? Awards is a natural extension of our partnership principles and commitment to UK housebuilding. WhatHouse? themselves note that their “sponsors are leaders in their fields, playing a vital role in driving forward the success of Britain’s new-build sector.” As a leading underfloor-heating specialist, we want to be counted among those leaders. Sponsoring the Awards consecutively for the last five years allows us to demonstrate our support for the vision and innovation celebrated by the Awards.
>> Tickets for the WhatHouse? Awards are available now – book yours today <<
How important are the WhatHouse? Awards to the housebuilding industry?
The WhatHouse? Awards are widely recognised as the benchmark for excellence in new home construction. Winning (or even being shortlisted for) a WhatHouse? Award is a true badge of honour. That matters because it reassures homebuyers they’re dealing with one of Britain’s best builders. On the event day itself, the Awards draw an extraordinary crowd and are one of the biggest networking events of the year for our sector. Having all these decision-makers, influencers, and suppliers – from large PLCs to small developers – all in one place creates enormous opportunities to set and celebrate the gold standard for our industry and keep everyone focused on raising quality.
What is your favourite part of attending the WhatHouse? Awards?
By far the highlight is the networking. The gala luncheon is more than just a meal – it’s where you bump into hundreds of colleagues, clients, and even competitors, all committed to building better homes. At the Awards, we see tangible proof of our industry’s progress. We celebrate winning projects and cutting-edge developments. Being there allows us to exchange ideas: one table might discuss Future Homes Standard compliance next to another table debating build-to-rent design. It’s a collaborative celebration – and we leave each year energised, with new connections and a proud feeling that our work helps deliver the best new homes in Britain.
What does the future hold for WMS and how does sponsoring the Awards support that?
We see enormous growth ahead – driven by both government targets and changing consumer demand. The UK has pledged to deliver 300,000 homes per year by the end of the decade. For WMS, this means scaling up in tandem with the industry and we have been investing in our team so we can meet much higher demand. Crucially, the Future Homes Standard is coming. But we are not waiting until the law forces the change, WMS is working right now to provide solutions that will help our partners deliver now what their customers are already asking for!
In challenging times, this specialist technical insight and close partnerships are more important than ever – and the WhatHouse? Awards are one of the best forums we have to share our expertise, strengthen partnerships and celebrate our joint successes.
