The deputy managing director of Barking and Dagenham Council’s regeneration company Be First on how she got started in property, her top book and podcast picks and her favourite destination.
How did you join the property industry?
With a bit of luck! I quit my PhD in Vancouver, moved back to London and was temping at a property recruitment agency. I was bored, so I started to do extra work; one of the partners noticed and kindly set me up with some interviews. I then started at CBRE as a planner. It was not a million miles away from my research interests, but undoubtedly a different approach.
What does your job entail?
As deputy managing director of Be First, I continue to be responsible for overseeing the multi-disciplinary place and design team, and I play a leading role in supporting the evolution of Be First as a commercial business with a social purpose. Through development, I instigate and develop new opportunities for Be First to create and deliver value for Barking and Dagenham Council and contribute to better social outcomes in the borough.
What do you like most about the property industry?
The outcomes. I get a kick out of great places – as someone who works in the property industry, I am in the business of place, so the work I do contributes to delivering these.
And what do you dislike most about it?
There can be an awful lot of rigid dichotomies ingrained into thinking and approaches – public versus private; planning and design versus commercial. This wastes time and resources and ultimately limits what can be delivered.
What would you change about the industry?
You only need to go to Mipim for a very visual reminder that there is a long way to go for the industry in respect of diversity and inclusion.
What barriers or challenges have you overcome?
Covid was an unexpected challenge. I had got my senior team in place literally two weeks before lockdown, which was fortuitous to say the least. I was nervous about shifting to the team working 100% online, but they absolutely smashed it.
The development management team went from being at risk of special measures to number one in the country. We did a huge amount of policy work and we continued to grow.
Barking and Dagenham came out of Covid as a blueprint for success in the regeneration industry, with Be First a driving force behind this.
What are you most proud of in your career?
When I first joined Be First I wanted to establish a culture focused on fast, solution-driven, commercially astute outputs to deliver successful places that are really good at what they do. It is amazing that the Royal Town Planning Institute has awarded me Inspirational Leader of the Year, but it has taken a lot of hard work and commitment from all the team and I am proud of where we have got to.
I think I am more proud of the drive to do more – both on a personal level and also from my colleagues, who are constantly looking at what we can do better.
What do you value in people?
Hard work, honesty and critical thinking. I want to work with team players who are passionate about what they do, which is essential in work environments where we need to deliver and reach targets.
What advice would you give someone starting a career in the property industry?
I would say embrace the challenges and learning opportunities; remember that decisions have real-world consequences and that there are many ways to get to the end point; and seek out a variety of professional input.
Top recommendations
Something to read:
On Green Dolphin Street by Sebastian Faulks is my favourite book. I love the way he writes so densely. Often in his books not much actually happens but they are still engrossing reads. The ending to this one gets me every time.
Something to listen to:
It is tempting to pick The Rest Is Politics but I will go for the old podcast episodes from sports reporter Simon Mundie when the BBC was his platform. He interviewed professional athletes, and sometimes their coaches, looking to apply their lessons and experiences to everyday life. I have often applied quite a lot of this to work, particularly in relation to management styles and approaches.
If I could have any superpower:
It’d be to not need sleep but still look fresh and function properly – think how much could be done with all those extra hours.
Top travel destination:
I have a seemingly never-ending stream of gravel bike-packing dreams. Top of the list currently are cycling the length of Portugal, Morocco and a route from Torino to Nice.
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