What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?
Listening. Developers often have big visions, and my job is to hear the story behind the spreadsheets. Numbers matter, but so does understanding their concept.
What personal talent/skill would you most like to improve on?
Patience with technology. I can structure a £10m/£20m/£30m facility, but ask me to fix the office printer and I’m lost.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Saying “no” to a client who’s clearly passionate about a project. It’s never fun, but sometimes protecting them from overextending is the best support I can give.
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What do you love most about your job?
Walking past a finished development and thinking: “I helped make that happen.” Most developers always talk about the pride in leaving a legacy behind, and providing housing to communities, families, etc, and it’s no different for us. It’s rewarding seeing communities built and much-needed housing delivered for local areas.
What’s the best bit of career-related advice you’ve ever been given? Who gave it to you?
“Never underestimate the power of meeting someone face to face and seeing the whites of their eyes”. My dad told me this from a young age and he was right. With technology now, it is easier to send an email or speak on Teams, but you can’t build the same rapport virtually as you can from being face to face. Relationships are built on trust, and trust is created with time, so spending as much time as you can with your clients is key to building a strong relationship.
What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career?
Always trust your gut. Sounds cynical, but trusting your judgement and gut on everything is key. I have chosen not to listen to my own instinct on a couple of occasions and they haven’t gone as planned.
How do you keep up to date with developments in the market?
I read industry reports and speak to our professional partners, but honestly, the best thing is just listening to my clients. They’re usually the first to spot what’s shifting in the market, which is much more reliable than most of what you hear and see via the news.
What is the most quirky/unique property deal you’ve been involved in?
We are now funding care home developments, and after spending a year discussing the fundamentals of this sector, the funding required and the operators, criteria and policy were created. Not necessarily quirky, but unique for Paragon, as we have not lent in this sector previously, so it was a challenging and rewarding experience to take this from an introduction through to a new policy.
What was your motivation for choosing this career?
I wanted a career in finance, but also one that meant I wasn’t pinned to a desk from eight to five. Property finance offers me exactly that. No two days are the same; I get the desk time I need, but I’m also often out travelling the country, meeting clients, visiting sites and catching up with professionals.
If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?
Head of the planning department for the government, as I would be able to begin to fix the mess that the planning system is in and start to help developers get on with that they need to – providing housing for the UK.
What did you want to be growing up?
Like every child: a police officer, then a firefighter, then a professional footballer, etc. I was ok at football but not great, and I like my routine and sleep too much to work shifts, so the other two wouldn’t have worked either.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I see myself doing what I’m doing now: continuing to support clients in developing housing – student, commercial, and later living. We should be out of these difficult times in five years, so hopefully the property market will have strengthened and there will be more stability and confidence.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Teleportation. No commuting, no traffic, no delays in the airport, just free travel whenever you wanted it.
What do you do to unwind?
I am into my fitness so my unwind time is spent in the gym, although it is difficult to unwind at five in the morning. I’ve also got three kids, so spending time with them is always a good way to switch off from work.
And finally, what’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked?
“Would you rather have hands for feet or feet for hands?”
