What three words describe Workman?
Professional, fast-paced, and friendly
What has been your standout moment at Workman so far?
Organising the Workman virtual Christmas party for around 600 people during Covid-19. We usually have an annual trip to London for Christmas to celebrate the end of the year with all colleagues throughout the business, but that wasn’t possible in 2020 so the Client Entertainment Team arranged an online event, which included Workman’s take on Taskmaster, a live set by Jon Courtenay (winner of Britain’s Got Talent 2020), company awards, a few words from David Workman and finishing off with a bit of Mariah Carey. It had been a tough year for everyone, and this was something so different to my day job. It definitely stood out for me.
Tell us about a time you’ve put your skills to their best use on a Workman project?
When one of my clients decided to invest in an £8 million refurbishment of their Grade II listed eight-storey building (with tenants in occupation!), I had to lean on a range of skills including negotiation and problem-solving. I’ve been back to that building for a visit recently and it still looks amazing. I’m very proud to have been part of that project, which went on to win a raft of awards.
What change would you make to a single aspect of the wider property sector and why?
More women in property! Glance through Insider magazine or look around the room at any property conference for example – there are so many men. I’d love to see more women in senior positions and getting the recognition they deserve within the property sector.
What are your spare time pursuits and how do they feed into your role at Workman?
I love cycling – both watching it and doing it. I’m working with a client on the design of a new build office development in Manchester currently and getting quite excited about the standard of cycle facilities we’re going to deliver. Watch this space!
What is your favourite building worldwide, and why?
John Rylands Library in Manchester City Centre. It’s an amazing Victorian neo-gothic architecture right on our doorstep and this building has the ability to make you feel like you’re in a Harry Potter film the minute you step inside. I’d love to go through all the doors which are locked to the public and really explore.
What first led you into the property industry?
I started out at Workman as a temp back in 2012. I knew nothing about commercial property management at the time but got very interested, very quickly. It’s a tenuous link but we’d been buying houses requiring modernisation to live in and do up along the way and I think I saw myself as the next Sarah Beany for a while. That clearly hasn’t happened, but we do plan to move to France at some point and buy a “project” house to do up, in between watching bike races.
What three dinner party guests would you choose and why?
David Attenborough for his love of the natural world and storytelling, Lance Armstrong (I’d love to interrogate him about why he did what he did!) and Russell Kane for his relentless energy and humour.