What does your role entail and how long have you been doing it?
I’m head of the professional development department. We look after the learning and development of 360 surveyors across the business. This includes CPD, the training programme for becoming a surveyor, leadership development programmes and day-to-day training.
I also support specific groups, including new parents, women in surveying, those wanting to understand the menopause, and general wellbeing.
I’ve been in this role since 2021. Before that, I was a regional manager. But I’ve always been a residential surveyor, carrying out surveys and valuations.
What attracted you to working in the mortgage/property/finance sector?
Initially, I qualified as a residential surveyor after studying real estate and valuation at university. At the time, I knew little about the profession. I had always been interested in history and historical buildings, having visited many growing up, and I thought the degree would be a good way to explore property further.
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What were you doing in the five years before starting here?
Before joining Countrywide, I was in sixth form and then university. In my final university year, I had two jobs, one at a local supermarket making cream cakes before my lectures and packing bread into the evening, and the other was at an estate agent on the weekend, speaking to people looking for property and carrying out viewings.
The agency experience really opened my eyes and sparked my passion for residential property, as my degree was very commercial property-orientated, and I knew that was the direction I wanted to take my career. I loved being part of something so pivotal in people’s lives and knowing that, in a small way, I was part of one of the biggest decisions they may make.
I gained a place on the Graduate Surveyor Programme and went on to qualify as TechRICS before achieving MRICS five years later.
What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?
Acting with integrity and having courage in my convictions. It took me a while to build up confidence and belief in myself, but it has been crucial in my career. It started with the advice I would give my clients; I knew my advice would make or break whether someone would get a mortgage and/or whether someone would proceed with a purchase, and I had to be confident in my knowledge and ability that I was giving the best advice.
I think this is now why I am so passionate about training people to be the best they can be, to deliver the best quality to our clients, but also so they are confident and proud of the job that they do.
What personal talent/skill would you most like to improve on?
Delegation. I have so many ideas and so many things I want to do, but I’m not very good at handing them over to someone else, mainly because I don’t want to put too much on others.
How did the pandemic change the way you approach your job?
As a full-time working mum, the pandemic gave me something I never thought I’d have, and that was time with my kids. I was furloughed, and it was the reset I needed.
Spending time doing simple things really hit home the importance of work/life balance, and since returning to work, it is something I am passionate about. How can I make things better, easier or faster, not only for my team but for others in the business?
When I look at training, how can we make it more accessible? How can we attract women to our profession and promote flexibility? How can we support people to do their job efficiently so they can balance their life?
What is the most interesting/memorable property deal/case you’ve been involved in?
Supporting trainees through their training. I love to hear about their background experience and why they now want to be surveyors. I also love watching them grow and go on to have amazing careers in the industry. I’m so proud of all of them and their achievements.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
I plan to continue to strive to make this industry accessible to all, ensuring personal and professional goals are achieved.
I was lucky to go to university, but had two jobs to fund it. I never take for granted the career I have carved out, and because of this, I want to make sure becoming a surveyor is achievable no matter your background.
I would like to engage with more schools, the wider industry and reach more people to showcase what brilliant career opportunities are available, especially to those whose circumstances don’t necessarily lead them to think they have a chance in this industry, by breaking down the barriers and smashing the stereotypes.
I would also like to build stronger communities within our industry to provide worthwhile support and guidance.
If present-day you could go back in time and tell yourself something five years ago, what would it be?
Some people will try to knock you down, but believe in your ability and remember to put things into perspective.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve tackled so far in your career?
I think it’s the sheer responsibility this job brings. I built up resilience when I was surveying and knowing I was responsible for hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of lending based on the recommendations I gave to a client.
Now, I feel massively responsible for people’s careers in terms of providing them with the best training and support.
These are challenges I have always thrived on – they keep me on my toes and I never want to let people down.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
To be waterproof. Getting wet when surveying is an occupational hazard, spending so much time outside, but trying to use an iPad, a tape measure, and hold an umbrella is pretty much impossible.
And finally, what’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked?
In my early days of surveying, I was once asked by an occupier if all the information I gathered at their property went back to my boss for him to value their house, as he must have thought surely it wouldn’t be me doing it.
Although I was used to the surprise in people’s faces when I knocked on their door, and being female, no one was ever that blunt in assuming I was not a qualified surveyor.
