In Conversation with Georgia, Hélène and Kat

It’s International Women’s Day and whilst we remain focused on celebrating women’s achievements, raising awareness about discrimination and taking action to drive gender parity all year round, International Women’s Day is an apt opportunity to highlight the importance of going beyond all of this and breaking down those systemic barriers that see women still being treated inequitably.

In relation to the property development sector, this means doing more to ensure that our women can access and work in an environment where there is no place for those feelings some still have that this is an industry more fitting for our male counterparts.

With women increasingly choosing a career in property and construction, our Communications Officer, Amy Burnett spoke to Graduate Development Officer, Georgia De Allie, Senior Management Accountant, Hélène Emond and Operations Manager, Kat Morris to discuss careers, equality, inspiration and more.

Amy: As we all know, there are a multitude of career opportunities within the property industry that go beyond gender and suit a range of skill sets. Could you tell me a little bit about what each of your roles involves?
Georgia: It is so true that there are many different roles within this industry, and I wasn’t aware of the extent of this until I joined Linkcity. I am a Graduate Development Surveyor on the graduate scheme at Linkcity, which, in itself, is a wide-ranging role! Over the course of the last year and a half, I have been building on the skills required to successfully manage property development projects, including legal matters, finance and aspects of design, and planning.

Hélène: I focus more specifically on one of the elements Georgia mentioned; finance. My main role is to assist the Operations Managers so that they make the best possible decisions. By providing my colleagues with key information at the right time we ensure we are adaptable, avoiding any storms and making the most of a tail wind! In more prosaic terms, my role involves overseeing our cash position, budget, risks and more to guarantee everything runs smoothly.

Kat: As one of the Operations Managers that Hélène assists, I am primarily involved in the construction side of our schemes. I work with our construction sister company, Bouygues UK, our consultants, and investors to manage the works on site. I am working on my third scheme now which is a student accommodation scheme in Colchester for the University of Essex.

Amy: And given the variety of your roles, how did you come to decide on a career in the built environment?

Kat: For me, it was slightly by accident! My first job out of university was as a sustainability consultant, which although turned out not to be my final path, introduced me to the construction and property industry. From here, I found a career I genuinely enjoy with a variety of work and a great team of people with real passion for what they do.

Amy: Would you say property development is a career choice that appeals to women?
Hélène: Well, I cannot talk in the name of all women. However, I would say that I work among talented, smart, and dedicated female individuals at Linkcity.

Georgia: I completely agree with Hélène. I am luckily enough to have a female Manager, Managing Director and Chair, so it is inspiring to have role models not just within the industry but within the company itself. Examples like this are what is contributing to a career in property development becoming an increasingly popular option for women.

Kat: Yes, it is a great industry to work in. To build on what Georgia mentions, there are some misconceptions about what the industry is like as a place to work, but I would like to think most of these are dispelled by the time women are actually working in the field. We just need to encourage more women through the door in the first place!

Amy: So how do we do this? What are the barriers that are currently preventing women entering careers in property?

Hélène: I am sure we could write an essay to answer this question! I think part of it is a fact lots of us forget; many engineering schools only opened to women fifty years ago. And whilst society has changed its attitude to women in STEM dramatically since then, there is still a long way to go to dispel the endemic, absurd stereotypes that often translate as a lack of female role models and gender bias.

Kat: I think there is definitely still a lack of information in relation to the number and variety of roles within the STEM sectors. This can fuel unconscious bias based on an outdated view of what working in the industry is actually like.

Georgia: Exactly. It may still be a male dominated industry, but that does not mean women cannot thrive and enjoy working in it. And with the scales slowly tipping towards a more evenly balance work environment, I’m sure these barriers will continue to be lowered.

Amy: Coming back to my question of how we break down these barriers completely, how can we better promote careers in property to the younger generation? And going further, what should businesses and the government do to encourage more women to enter the sector?
Hélène: What a complex question! To answer the latter point, businesses need to ensure that a woman never has to choose between becoming a mother and having a successful career by embedding inclusivity and flexibility into the foundations of the way their companies work. As for the government, I think education and employment opportunities are at the heart of it.

Georgia: Hélène’s last point is crucial to how we can better promote careers in property to the younger generation. It is not just the government that has a part to play in this; businesses also need to be proactive in engaging with and encouraging the younger generation, for instance by visiting schools and colleges to showcase the opportunities available.

Kat: I agree. Education is key to opening up the industry and urging girls to consider careers which may previously not have occurred to them. Only through being able to make truly informed choices can change realistically happen.

Amy: What part do you see yourself playing in the promoting of women in property within Linkcity and your wider network?
Kat: Being visible and available to those starting out or considering joining the industry is a priority for me. I think representation is very important; if women can see other women like you working in a particular role that they might not have originally considered for themselves, it can make all the difference in how they envisage their own career or a future opportunity.

Georgia: For me, it’s about making the most of the volunteering days we are entitled to at Linkcity to get involved with the work we do in raising awareness with schools, colleges and other organisations like Women in Property or Women into Construction.

Hélène: I have been a Linkcity representative in the Bouygues Group’s women’s network, Welink, for a couple of years now. I have met many incredible, talented women through the network, and have played my part by organising events, delivering training sessions and being a listening ear when needed.

Amy: Having delved deeper into all of the above, would you recommend the property development industry to other women and girls?
*a unanimous 100%*

Georgia: It is an exciting industry to be a part of and whilst there are still improvements to be made, it has come a long way. I would not let being a woman put anyone off joining the property development sector, if anything I would advise women to make it more of a reason to join us and bridge the gender diversity gap whilst hopefully also pursuing a fulfilling career.

Hélène: Everyone has something to bring to the table and in any space where an underrepresented group is given a voice, fresh perspectives and ideas always come through. In a business capacity, this often also leads to business improvement. So, to other women and girls, be part of that improvement and join our sector!

Kat: Georgia and Hélène have said it very well; I simply cannot imagine working in a different industry and having the same level of job satisfaction.

Amy: Finally, where do you see the sector heading in terms of gender equality?
Georgia: The sector is definitely heading in the right direction; I am confident that progress will continue to be made. I hope it picks up momentum and happens quicker than we have seen it in the past.

Hélène: We will get there eventually! It will take more than a couple of decades to break down and completely eradicate attitudes that have been around for centuries, no matter how absurd and destructive these now so obviously are.

Kat: Yes, there is a long way to go but change is happening. If we keep celebrating women, raising awareness and increasing opportunities, this should have a snowball effect on making the industry more obvious and appealing to women.

Linkcity are delighted to have partnered with Solutions for the Planet (S4TP) for a third year running!

S4TP is a social enterprise passionate about sustainability and improving young people’s life chances. Like Linkcity, S4TP believes young people are key to helping us make the world a better place for everyone and so they reinvest profits back into the business to benefit more young people and local communities.

Their well-renowned Big Ideas Programme, which we are looking forward to getting involved with for another year, is a STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and enterprise programme with a focus on sustainability issues that matter to our young people. Delivered in secondary schools across the UK and using employee volunteers from their Business Partner Network as mentors, the Big Ideas Programme harnesses creativity, encourages teamwork, develops STEM and wider employability skills, and gives young people a voice in the dialogue around sustainability, linking their ideas to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Since 2013, the Big Ideas Programme has involved over 23,000 young people from more than 80 schools, with 500+ mentors volunteering over 5,000 hours of their time to support the young people in developing their confidence, ideas, skills and knowledge around STEM, sustainability and entrepreneurship.

We are thrilled to have a new set of mentors from Linkcity joining the programme this year. Brian, Aleks and Helena will be mentoring pupils from South Bank University Academy to share their expertise and help the students come up with a fail-proof, winning idea.

This week’s Big Ideas 2022 launch event marks the start of an exciting year to come! Look out for updates about how the South Bank University Academy are doing within the competition over the coming months.

Introducing the Graduate Challenge 2022!
 
Every year graduates from across Bouygues Construction in the UK choose to take part in a challenge to raise money for a charity of their choice.
 
This year, 20 graduates are taking part in the Snowdonia Crossing Challenge, a three-day cycle, hike and kayak totalling 80 miles across Snowdonia including summiting Mount Snowdon.
 
Their chosen charity this year is The Wren Project, a charity providing one-to-one support for people struggling with complex and chronic autoimmune diseases when alternative psychosocial support is absent, insufficient, or hard to access.

Watch the video below to find out a bit more about their inspiring work.

With hopes to raise £7000 which will be match funded by the company, our graduates have a lot of fundraising to do! If you would like to help them reach their goal and donate to this important cause, click here.

The beginning of 2022 marked the start of our partnership with the Law Society, supporting their Diversity Access Scheme. An initiative driven by Leasha Lynch, a Solicitor for Linkcity, we now offer work experience for students on the Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme.

Linkcity is delighted to be working more closely with the Law Society to offer valuable experience to students who might otherwise struggle to gain such opportunities. Having previously been awarded a scholarship for the Scheme, Leasha’s insight has been invaluable. The Diversity Access Scheme is a scholarship programme offered by the Law Society to help aspiring law students from less advantaged backgrounds to pursue a career in law, by providing funding for the Legal Practice Course (LPC) or Solicitors Qualifying Exam. In addition to the funding, awardees are provided with work experience opportunities and mentoring. The scheme receives hundreds of applications each year, but only 10 scholarships are awarded, so it is a highly competitive process.

Leasha said, “As a previous awardee of a scholarship from the scheme, I have seen the benefits first-hand. Whilst the funding is the key component of the scheme, the access to a mentor to help guide you through such a daunting period is equally as valuable.

“Often the students don’t know others in the profession that they can speak to and get advice from, so having the chance to speak to someone already working as a qualified solicitor is very important. I have volunteered as a mentor to help offer some insight and advice to my current mentee.”

Since the year began, we have welcomed two students to Linkcity to complete their internships with us. Both studying for their LPC, Romesa and Lily explained why their time with us was so valuable.

Romesa said, “My placement with Linkcity will play a significant role in my career development in the long-term. Over the two weeks, I was given real and challenging work to complete by both my supervisor and other lawyers in the team. Having this exposure, as an aspiring solicitor, means that I have a better understanding of what this role entails on a daily basis.

“This experience will inevitably make me a stronger candidate for future applications as I will be able to confidently demonstrate the importance of solicitors and delivering practical and commercially aware solutions to clients.

The placement with Linkcity has given me a real insight into what it is like working in-house which is a very rare opportunity. This will benefit me in the future when deciding whether to qualify with an in-house or a private practice law firm.”

Lily said, “The exposure I have gained through my time at Linkcity has helped me to learn about alternative opportunities available in the legal sector. This type of exposure is often difficult to obtain. Working for a global company has also allowed me to consider both local impacts and global challenges to this line of work.

“What’s more, as I come from a lower socio-economic background than most in the legal practice, I lack a network or contacts whom I can ask questions to. This has therefore been my first real opportunity to gain insights and advice on the legal profession, helping me to make the leap between academic learning to its practical application in a legal setting.”

We wish both Romesa and Lily the best of luck with the rest of their studies and look forward to welcoming more students to Linkcity in the future.

The Linkcity team is travelling virtually to Kyiv, raising money for the British Red Cross’ Ukraine Crisis Appeal.

From tomorrow, employees from across Linkcity will collectively be covering the 1,494 miles from our head office, Becket House in London to Kiyv in just over two weeks. Be it through walking, cycling or running we’ll get there!

To donate to this important cause, please visit our JustGiving page below. Look out for updates on how we’re getting on!

Driven by Leasha Newman, a Solicitor for Linkcity, we are now offering work experience for students on the Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme. Linkcity is delighted to be working more closely with the Law Society to offer valuable experience to students who might otherwise struggle to gain such opportunities.

We spoke with Leasha’s first intern recruited through the scheme, Romesa Altaf. Here’s what she had to say about her time at Linkcity.

Please could you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came about finding your internship with Linkcity?

I studied Law LLB at the University of Reading and graduated in June 2021. Through a rigorous application process, I was very fortunate to be awarded The Law Society’s DAS Scholarship which supports aspiring solicitors from disadvantaged backgrounds. This fully funded scholarship covers the costs of my LPC course which I am currently studying at BPP University. Linkcity were one of the firms that worked with The Law Society and organised the opportunity for one of the DAS awardees to undertake a paid work placement with the in-house legal team.   

What has your day to day role involved over the course of your internship?

Over the course of my internship, I have been involved in completing a range of tasks to assist the legal team. Some of the tasks involved undertaking research, drafting documents, writing emails and attending client meetings. Aside from these tasks, I was introduced to individuals from other departments to discuss their roles and how they work with the legal team. I also visited Linkcity’s project at Luton Street which was really insightful as I was able to see the final product coming together.

What has been the most challenging part of your time with Linkcity?

I think the most challenging part of my internship has been working whilst studying. Since I’m studying the LPC full-time, taking part in the placement meant finding the time to study independently after work. Although this was difficult to manage at first, I had support from the legal team who were always open to answering any questions I had relating to the LPC. Completing the placement in this format has also allowed me to understand the importance of effectively managing and organising my time

What has been the most valuable lesson you have learned since starting your internship?

The most valuable thing I have learnt from this placement is that although it is important to have the legal knowledge, it is crucial to have the ability to communicate and build relationships with people across a range of departments. As a lawyer, you are required to liaise with others to not only gather information but also see things from different perspectives to reach the best outcome for your client. Therefore, being able to attend client meetings and hear my supervisor attend calls and meetings was an invaluable part of my placement as it allowed me to better understand client queries and how these are resolved. 

What have you liked most about working at Linkcity?

Over the two weeks, I really enjoyed witnessing the collaborative culture at Linkcity and working alongside hardworking, enthusiastic and result-oriented individuals. Because of this, I was able to have genuine conversations with a number of people in the office and ask questions without hesitation. This was something I was quite anxious about prior to joining but the atmosphere from the first day in the office was reassuring as it clearly demonstrated that I was treated as a valuable member of the team.

I also liked the quality of work I was assigned. Compared to my previous work experiences, at Linkcity, I had real-life work given to me. For example, I thoroughly enjoyed drafting a supplemental lease which required me to use both my legal knowledge and my ability utilise new key information to complete the document. I enjoyed receiving thorough feedback on my work, following this feedback and then producing the final version for my supervisor and other team members.

How do you think your time with us will benefit your development in the long-term?

My placement with Linkcity will play a significant role in my career development in the long-term. Over the two weeks, I was given real and challenging work to complete by both my supervisor and other lawyers in the team. Having this exposure, as an aspiring solicitor, means that I have a better understanding of what this role entails on a daily basis. This experience will inevitably make me a stronger candidate for future applications as I will be able to confidently demonstrate the importance of solicitors and delivering practical and commercially aware solutions to clients.

The placement with Linkcity has given me a real insight what it is like working in-house which is a very rare opportunity. This will benefit me in the future when deciding whether to qualify with an in-house or a private practice law firm.

I have built some strong relationships over the course of my placement and these will benefit me as I progress in my career. Having met incredibly supportive people, I am confident that I have a network of individuals I can contact to have conversations relating to my career and or my studies.

Last week, employees from Bouygues Construction in the UK were all celebrating our Diversity & Inclusion week.

This week-long celebration featured daily virtual events during which we heard from some incredible guest speakers. Steve Ingham, Fiona Daniel and Lynne Hunt each shared personal stories and wisdom around celebrating diversity and how to ensure inclusion is a priority.

Allyship was the theme for the week, as we challenged our people to #BeTheChange. We want all Bouygues UK employees to feel empowered to call out inappropriate behaviour, amplify under-represented voices and champion inclusion in all aspects of their professional and personal life.

The turn-out to the week was astounding, with almost 1000 participants to the events throughout the week, from across the globe. A true testament to how seriously we are taking this subject across our business.

A huge well done to everyone who made this week possible.

Driven by Leasha Newman, a Solicitor for Linkcity, we are now offering work experience for students on the Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme. Linkcity is delighted to be working more closely with the Law Society to offer valuable experience to students who might otherwise struggle to gain such opportunities. Having previously been awarded a scholarship for the Scheme, Leasha’s insight has been invaluable. We spoke to Leasha to find out just how crucial this scheme is, what her experience of it was herself, and where it has got her now.

What is the Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme and why is it so important?

The Diversity Access Scheme is a scholarship programme offered by the Law Society to help aspiring law students from less advantaged backgrounds to pursue a career in law, by providing funding for the Legal Practice Course or Solicitors Qualifying Exam. In addition to the funding, awardees are provided with work experience opportunities and mentoring. The scheme receives hundreds of applications each year, but only 10 scholarships are awarded, so it is a highly competitive process.

The scheme is important because it removes the financial barriers that many students seeking a career in law face. The awardees come from a background which means that they don’t have access to funding from other means (e.g. family or loans), so would face great difficulty in moving forward in their career as student finance is not available for these post-graduate courses which are a requirement for a career in law. This, therefore, means that diversity within the profession can be promoted instead of the stereotypical law student who has come from a wealthy family who already has connections within the profession and access to many opportunities.

What made you want to work with the Law Society?

As a previous awardee of a scholarship from the Scheme, I have seen the benefits first-hand. Whilst the funding is the key component of the scheme, the access to a mentor to help guide you through such a daunting period is equally as valuable. Often the students don’t know others in the profession that they can speak to and get advice from, so having the chance to speak to someone already working as a qualified solicitor is very important. I have volunteered as a mentor to help offer some insight and advice to my current mentee.

Access to good quality work experience is equally vital, as this will give students experience for their CV which will in turn help with training contract applications. I  wanted to give students on the programme the opportunity to gain access to life in an office environment in which they could get some hands-on experience in drafting, joining client meetings to understand how decisions are made, or conducting research that will benefit the business directly. I also felt that it is important for the students to get some exposure to an in-house legal environment, as this is an equally rewarding career path. Often the in-house route is not as talked about in University, but in my experience, the benefits of working directly with your client and being involved in the commercial discussions give you a much better commercial awareness, which feeds into your legal decision making.

How did the Law Society benefit your own career?

As well as providing me with the funding to take the Legal Practice Course, I found that the work experience opportunities were the most beneficial part of the scheme for me. I managed to secure several placements at large in-house organisations, which gave me invaluable insight into this kind of environment, meaning I had an open mind when looking for training contract opportunities. I also managed to secure a vacation scheme at a large private practice law firm, which then lead to me being hired as a paralegal full-time once I finished my studies. Without these opportunities, I believe that it would have taken me longer to secure a paralegal role (and ultimately a training contract) as I had a lack of legal experience on my CV.

Do you enjoy being a mentor?

Being a mentor is something that I often discounted thinking that I am ‘too junior’ to be able to help someone else out. But I have come to realise that I have valuable insights into pursuing a career in law and having come from a similar background to these students, I know I can share my experiences to help my mentee with their career choices. I am really enjoying being a mentor, knowing that I am helping someone and making a difference in their professional life.

What is so special about what Linkcity offers to their interns?

The first thing is having friendly faces around you to welcome you into the team which really helps you settle into what is quite a daunting experience for students. Everyone at Linkcity is approachable and willing to offer their support and advice and talk to students about their individual job roles to give them an insight into the business. The second thing is being involved in good quality work, having been on many work placements myself where you don’t have much involvement or get to do any meaningful work, I know this makes a key difference. Here at Linkcity, we are ensuring that students get a wide variety of experience and is involved in carrying out tasks themselves, with the support of the team.

Where do you see the relationship between Linkcity and the Law Society going in the future?

I hope that we can continue to offer work experience placements to the students on the Diversity Access Scheme for each new year of students. I will continue to offer mentoring support and assist with speaking at events and webinars where possible. Hopefully we can extend this to some of the wider team to raise awareness about the opportunities within the Linkcity legal team.

One of the best things about Linkcity is our people. To celebrate this, we have launched a series of Q&As to showcase our diverse, talented team and the variety of roles available here. Last time we spoke to Aleks Dashi. This time, we hear from Simon Rosenberg, Operations Director at Linkcity UK.

Tell us a bit about you and your role?
After originally training and qualifying as a building surveyor, I worked a stint as a package manager for a construction management firm. I then went into project management which is what I have done ever since. I’ve worked for both client organisations and consultancies. Now at Linkcity, I lead a team of fantastic operations managers. Our job is to represent Linkcity as the developer on our projects and see that we meet the commitments we have made to our investor clients. A key part of this is working hard to make sure we have positive working relationships with all members of the project team.

What do you do in your day to day?
My primary role is to make sure that my team have everything they need to do their job and in turn, to see that we are providing our stakeholders with everything they need to make the project a success.
Because I work across a number of projects, I’m able to bring a different perspective to the day to day tasks that the team are doing. One of my key roles is helping them through difficult problems and suggesting alternative ways of dealing with them. Another benefit of working across several projects is the ability to offer lessons learnt on one site in order to find a solution on another site.

What’s the biggest challenge in your role?
It’s when things don’t go according to plan that the challenges occur. We then have to work out the best way to solve the problem and then importantly communicate it to all stakeholders.
As a team, we are currently doing a lot of work on lessons learnt from completed projects and also soft landings for the end-users. We want to learn from the past to make things better going forwards.

What has been the proudest moment of your career at Linkcity?
In June 2020 we managed to complete all the legal agreements required for Phase 3 of our scheme at Hallsville Quarter so that work could start on site. This was the largest scheme Linkcity has ever done, was the culmination of several years’ work which all had to be concluded during lockdown. It proved how adaptable we have been as a business, and an industry, that by the flick of a switch we were able to do it working virtually.

What is a common misconception about your role?
That being a developer is easy! That all we do is tell everyone else what to do. That all you need to do is attend a few meetings and everyone else does the work.
…Sure, there is a big project team doing a lot of work, but our job is to make sure that the product delivered is what the investors have asked us to deliver. We play a key part in maintaining productive working relationships between everyone involved, as well as the technical administration of the investor contracts, payments, reporting etc.

What have you learnt over the last 18 months?
The last 18 months has reinforced what I already knew. Expect the unexpected. What we do know for certain is that a project will almost never be delivered exactly as anticipated and that as a project team we need to be adaptable.

What do you like most about working at Linkcity?
The PEOPLE. We have a brilliant product but it’s the PEOPLE that make it happen. Everyone at Linkcity has a positive attitude and with that, anything is possible no matter the obstacle.

Where do you see Linkcity this time next year?
We have ambitious plans to increase our turnover and to expand into new markets/asset classes, so watch this space. Working with Bouygues UK, we will be making much greater use of Modern Methods of Construction and I am really looking forward to seeing the benefits of that.

Did you know that we have Graduate Scheme at Linkcity? In fact, we invest heavily in it. Graduates who join us benefit from an extensive range of personal and professional development opportunities, and a strong support network.

We spoke to Graduate Development Officer, Georgia De Allie who joined our two year Graduate Scheme back in September 2021. Keep reading to hear how she’s getting on!

Who are you and what is your role?

My name is Georgia De Allie and I joined Linkcity as a Graduate Development Officer in August 2021 after completing a Master’s in Real Estate Development. Prior to this, I completed an undergraduate degree in Business Management and Law and then worked as a Legal and Technical Assistant for a year at another property development company.

What do you do in your day to day?

The role of a Graduate Development Officer is wide-ranging and helps build on the skills required to successfully manage property development projects, including legal matters, finance and aspects of design, and planning.

What’s the biggest challenge in your role?

I would say the biggest challenge in this role is the diversity of the work involved and having to be able to adapt to this quickly. Having said this, it was the varied nature of the role that ultimately drew me to a career in property development.

What has been the most valuable thing you have learnt since starting your graduate scheme?

People often say it, but no question is a stupid question. There is so much to learn, and asking questions is a great opportunity to benefit from the knowledge of those around you. Since starting the graduate scheme, I have really seen just how much asking a question can improve your understanding, no matter how ‘stupid’ you think it may be.

What do you like most about working Linkcity?

What I like most is just being a part of the Linkcity team. Since I joined everybody has been so welcoming and more than happy to help in any way they can, which has made it such an enjoyable place to work.

How do you think the Graduate Scheme will benefit your development in the long-term?

The graduate scheme will, no doubt, benefit my development in the long-term thanks to the learning and development programmes I have been able to partake in. There is a mentoring scheme, a buddy system as well as graduate group projects. All of these opportunities are helping me build connections with people I may not necessarily work with on a day-to-day basis.

What would you say to someone considering applying for the Graduate Scheme?

Do it! It is a great opportunity to gain experience in the property industry as well as be part of the wider Bouygues Group. The graduate scheme allows you to connect with graduates across the business and has a huge focus on personal and career development.

Where do you see yourself this time next year?

This time next year I will be halfway through the 2-year graduate scheme, on my way with the RICS chartership programme and hopefully involved in some exciting new projects!