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Back to the beginning

This podcast episode features the journey of Tom, a chartered surveyor who started his career right after earning his degree from Reading University. He began in consultancy with Montagu Evans, where he quickly honed his skills and gained diverse experience working with high-profile clients, including Landsec and British Land.

A pivotal moment came when a client from Landsec invited him to join their team. Recognising a rare opportunity, Tom took the leap and joined Landsec in 2007. His early years there were filled with excitement, as he worked on designing and developing shopping centres during a vibrant period for retail. However, the global financial crisis soon transformed the landscape, presenting new challenges and shifting his focus. Landsec asked him to step into asset management, refilling and revitalising vacant shopping centres, and ultimately preparing them for sale. Tom embraced this unexpected role, which took him to places he hadn’t yet explored and left him with lasting memories.

A few years later, as the market stabilised, Tom returned to Landsec’s London development team. This marked a transformative phase, as he contributed to the regeneration of Victoria, helping to open up spaces and modernise buildings from the 1950s. Reflecting on this time, Tom shares invaluable lessons learned and fond memories from working with talented people, who shaped both his career and his enduring passion for urban development.

Why Tom joined the visionaries behind Canary Wharf’s transformation

Tom shares his long-standing admiration for Canary Wharf Group, noting how remarkable it is for a development to reach such maturity in just 30-35 years. For a property professional, witnessing Canary Wharf’s transformation—from empty land to the vibrant, iconic hub it is today—is nothing short of extraordinary.

What ultimately drew Tom to join the Canary Wharf Group was the people. He reflects on how every individual he met at the organisation left a lasting impression, inspiring him with their talent and vision. Working alongside such an impressive team has been a defining part of his journey, fueling his excitement and commitment to Canary Wharf’s future.

Defining excellence and building a team inspired by CEO Shobi Khan

Tom reflects on a piece of advice from CEO Shobi Khan that left a lasting impact: "Only hire people you think are exceptional." Khan emphasised the importance of not settling for quick hires, but rather holding out for those who truly stand out.

This principle leads to a key question: What defines ‘exceptional’? Tom shares the qualities he seeks in top talent. First, he values natural enthusiasm—people who are genuinely passionate about their work tend to excel and thrive in their roles. Another vital quality is clear commercial acumen. In a field focused on both design and profitability, Tom looks for individuals who can balance creativity with a sharp business sense, envisioning solutions that ensure both aesthetic and financial success. This instinctive ability to navigate challenges while keeping a commercial lens is something he prizes highly in his team.

In this episode, David Young provides valuable insights into team dynamics, emphasising a strengths-based approach to exploring how to build high-performance teams.

Andrew Deverell-Smith delves into how David Young started and built his career within sports psychology and topics such as understanding group vs team dynamics, leveraging super strengths and finding the perfect balance between challenging and supporting teams.

Nicola is the owner of a renowned and award-winning estate agency nestled in the vibrant Colmore BID district. Since establishing the company in 2004, Nicola has steered the company to prominence, earning it a respected reputation as one of Birmingham's premier residential agencies.

She shares her inspiring journey to success, her commitment to the Colmore BID and what plans she has for the upcoming year.

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Hosted by Andrew Deverell-Smith, Global CEO and founder of deverellsmith & Hintel, listen as they dive into Nick’s back-to-front way of getting into the property market, how he came to work at Pocket Living, his favourite parts of his career so far and the challenges he finds with regarding the politics of the property industry.

Listen to the full episode now.

An original thinking and thought leader, he questions convention and isn’t afraid to ask the big questions. Richard is a highly experienced residential property expert, and since his first appearance on a new lease of life, he has founded the UK Single Family Associate, a not-for-profit members organisation, representing the whole housing and construction spectrum.

He talks about what sets the single-family rental market apart from the rest of Build to Rent, why he set up his new organisation and their mission for the future. 

Home economics to housing communities…

Anna discovered her passion for housing during her home economics studies. During her job search, she became inspired by a position focusing on homeless accommodation—a place designed to aid individuals in transitioning from the streets to more permanent housing, providing a supportive environment for up to a year. At a mere 21 years old, this position challenged her, reshaping her perspective on housing as more than just bricks and mortar; it became intricately tied to people’s experiences. Many who sought refuge in the accommodation grappled with substance abuse, mental health struggles, and the trauma of homelessness. Understanding this holistic view became a crucial lesson for Anna. 

Subsequently, she transitioned into the role of a homelessness officer during the late 80’s, a period rife with mortgage repossessions. Anna worked to expand temporary accommodation while maintaining a keen focus on the human aspect of this crisis. Within 2 years, she proposed a transformative paper aimed at restructuring the system. Her vision aimed to pivot from a reactive service to a homelessness prevention initiative, aiming to intervene earlier in the process to avert the anguish of homelessness.

Creating retirement communities for all…

Having garnered extensive experience across almost every facet of the housing industry, Anna delved into the story behind Tonic Housing. The idea was a concept of Tonic’s Founders and board members, sparked from their own life experiences and questions around the choices available to them regarding housing as an elderly member of the LGBTQ+ community. From this, they observed a notable absence of inclusive choices in the housing market, spurring them to offer secure alternatives. Their passion was driven by the aspiration to create a haven where individuals could not only embrace their LGBTQ+ identity but also find solace among like-minded individuals who truly understood their journey.

Making his name in Dubai …

In Dubai, George gained prominence at Union Bancaire Privée, a major family-owned bank. Over 14 years, he astoundingly grew the business from $ 60 million to $5 billion. His success lay in securing capital from major sovereigns, banks, treasuries, and large family offices, solidifying his position in the Middle Eastern finance arena.  

How did he do it? 

According to George, the key is building relationships, consistency, and hard work, day in and day out.  

George gave an example of how this strategy worked. 

George had visited a sovereign fund just 5 times in 4 years, and his colleagues advised him to give up because they believed they were never going to give him business.  

Yet, after the 5th visit, a fax arrived, granting a $1.5 billion mandate, affirming the importance of consistency in building relationships. George saw value in understanding the culture and spending time on potentially sometimes inefficient businesses, which helped him navigate partnerships in the market.  

From banking to making bank in the real estate industry…

George is now leading one of the most successful estate agency businesses on the planet, how did he get there?  

Funny story.  

After George’s banking days, he didn’t see any further value in the market from an earning perspective. He shares how working in a private environment had always been beneficial to him, as he was able to get deals done faster, whereas if you work for the big banks, there are regulations and sometimes by the time you get to finalising a decision the deal is off the table.  

This empowered George to be agile and fast in decision-making. His main idea was to set up his own bank, but it was very costly and required a lot of funds. He asked his friend, ‘What could I set up that looks like a bank, behaves like a bank but doesn’t cost like a bank?’, and the answer was real estate. So, he thought if he wanted to get into real estate, he needed a brand.  

He reeled through a list of names and that’s when he came across the name: Sotheby’s.  

Jeremy described himself as the person who simply gave the green light to the Tomb Raider phenomenon. He draws a comparison to the creation of Mickey Mouse, suggesting that while Walt Disney gets the recognition, the actual creator might have been someone working under him. 

He highlights Toby Gard as the mind behind Tomb Raider’s creation, initially conceiving the character as male but reshaping it into Lara Croft to avoid legal issues with Indiana Jones. Reflecting on those times, Jeremy acknowledges the decision to embrace a female protagonist in a predominantly male gaming world as a bold move. 

Throughout the process, Toby and the team were responsible for the entire creation, while Jeremy’s role was to guide them in the right direction. 
 

Jeremy describes Spike as a central hub within a residential complex – a resident portal that encompasses all essential amenities for those living in these wonderful build-to-rent schemes. This portal allows residents to access various services within the building, from communicating with the concierge to booking gym sessions of meeting rooms – essentially catering to all their needs. 

However, the question arises: what’s in it for the managing agent? 

The real advantage lies in facilitating communication between the managing agents and their tenants. Spike excels in this aspect. It addresses the primary challenge in Build to Rent, which is effective communication. Enabling tenants to reach out to the building managers easily and efficiently, significantly boosts satisfaction levels all around. 

Life before Winkworth 

In the exciting journey of Dominic’s career, he shared his initial steps were taken as a politics student at Newcastly University. It was here that he questioned where his degree in politics could take him. With curiosity, he ventured into diverse fields such as financial public relations and risk analysis. However, it was only a matter of time before his path led him to a new and intriguing domain.

Dominic’s turning point came when he found himself drawn to the world of real estate with Winkworth. This was the place where he planted his feet and embark on a journey that would shape his career. He found the passion within his career in this family business and believed it was somewhere he could make a real impact.

What does the future hold for Winkworth? 

It’s clear that Dominic has a distinct vision for its future. His primary goal is to maintain a multifaceted approach to the business, constantly evolving and exploring new avenues.

Key objectives include not only generating new business areas but also nurturing a robust network, preserving market share, and positioning the company as one of the top three operators in its domain. Moreover, diversification remains a crucial aspect of their strategy.

A significant move was their launch into the commercial sector last year and this year, they’ve set their sights on venturing into the New Homes market. This expansion demonstrates their commitment to adapt and grow in an ever-changing business landscape. 

What advice would you give aspiring property leaders? 

Dominic insights that in the realm of business, the most valuable piece of advice one can receive is also the simplest: work hard. The individual who puts in the most effort in any room often emerges as the most successful. While the business landscape may seem intricate, at its core, it’s a straightforward principle – hard work pays off. The more you invest in it, the greater the rewards waiting at the other end of the journey. 

He suggested to maintain the hard work, it’s important to surround yourself with environments that keep you motivated. Remember in the world of business, hard work and the right motivating environments are you key to unlocking exceptional results. 

Key takeaways from the UK BTR market…

Christian shared that his journey to Australian BTR took him to the UK between 2007 and 2012, where he immersed himself in the world of urban renewal, and quickly discovered that the UK was at the forefront of innovation in this field. 

One of the notable experiences involved active involvement in projects within the Stratford area, a place that held significance during the 2012 Olympics. Christian shared that one specific project that left a lasting impression on him Coppermaker Square, a key part of the Westfield Stratford development, which was completed in 2008, prior to the rise of the Build to Rent market. It was here that Christian had a front-row seat to observe how these urban precincts took shape and evolved through the process of urban renewal. Remarkably, during Christian's time in the UK, the concept of BTR had yet to fully emerge and establish itself as it is today.

Christian’s experience during that time provided him with a unique perspective on urban development and renewal, which would later prove invaluable in shaping HOME’s progressive approach to BTR and sustainability. He understood the power of urban renewal in areas like Stratford, Croydon and even Wembley, and how they benefited the community, especially in terms of housing supply to the area. 

Integrating sustainability practices into HOME communities…

In the realm of sustainability, HOME is making impressive strides, demonstrating its commitment to progressiveness. Christian revealed that their inspiration to embrace sustainability practices stemmed from interactions with UK Build to Rent groups during Australian conferences several years ago. 

These forward-thinking BTR groups, upon reflecting on their journey, candidly admitted that as they neared completion of their initial assets, they wished they had pushed the boundaries a bit further on their sustainability targets as the landscape of expectations had moved under their feet. 

Fast-forward to today, all of HOME’s buildings are now 5-star green or equivalent, and Christian and the entire team are setting their sights on achieving net-zero carbon emissions in all aspects of operations, including across management. HOME also does a lot of work with its residents, creating an education programme which generates opportunities for them to live sustainably wherever they can.