In the spotlight

Jane Barlow

I am a rural practice Surveyor having studied Rural Estate Management at the Royal Agricultural Collage. I qualified whilst working at Bell Ingram, a firm of mainly Scottish land Agents who have a speciality utility team acting on behalf of water, electric and other utility operators. After qualifying I spent 3 years in Birmingham at GVA Grimley during the telecoms peak roll out time, and specialised in portfolio management of existing mast sites dealing with lease renewal and rent review and site share applications on behalf of Orange. I then moved to United Utilities Water Company in the North West where I stayed for 15 years, managing a team to co-ordinate enabling access to private land for water projects. Prior to joining CJ I spent 2 years at Dalcour McLaren, again acting on behalf of predominantly water clients.

What attracted you to Carter Jonas?

I have worked in the infrastructure sector for some time and saw a change in client requirements, from purely seeking advice on obtaining access, to private land for their capital works programs, to needing wider property advice such as Valuations and Property Management. Carter Jonas has an excellent reputation for quality property services as well as an experienced infrastructure team and so seemed to offer the opportunity for me to help to grow the infrastructures team using my experience teamed with CJ’s property expertise.

Tell us about your journey with Carter Jonas so far.

I joined in November 2017 and spent some time with the Birmingham office infrastructure team to obtain a good understanding of how the team and CJ operate as a firm. I have been involved in a number of successful tenders for new utility clients and have spent a good proportion of my time working in the mobilisation team for the Highways England property management contract. It has taken 12 months to fully mobilise the HE contract which has been extremely challenging and rewarding to establish a team of 15 spread across 3 offices.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I am still very involved in the Highways England contract and my days are varied, ranging from dealing with escalated issues with tenants to preparing reports for Highways to update on our progress as well as managing sub projects such as tree management and capital works. I also manage part of the Network Rail contract and so have a varied range of issues to deal with as well as spending time on business development opportunities for CJ in the North West where I am based.

Describe your work environment and culture.

I am associated to the Leeds office but spend most days working at home in the North West or at client meetings. The Leeds infrastructure team are really engaging to work with and the office space is very modern which makes a refreshing change to some of the offices I have worked in previously!

What skills are required to be successful in your role?

I need to be organised, communicate well and able to think outside of the box. In order to develop new business and mobilise a large contract, I have also had to quickly understand how Carter Jonas operates and have built great relationships across the business in IT, client accounts and contract management.

What is your favourite part about working for Carter Jonas?

The people; the team we have built on Highways England are all fantastic and their professionalism really impresses me. I also get excellent support and encouragement to develop further from Mark Hall-Digweed and Charles Hardcastle and enjoy working with like-minded people across the business.

What has been your career highlight at Carter Jonas?

Working on and being successfully awarded a tender for a new client for CJ; it was a really technically challenging tender and I enjoyed showcasing the quality service that CJ has to offer.

If you could switch jobs with anyone else at Carter Jonas, whose job would you want?

I quite enjoy looking at processes and systems, so a swap with Sam Ellis-Cosgrove, Head of Contract Management, would make a pleasant change from surveying after 20 plus years!

What other activities do you join in?

I attend the Birmingham or Leeds office socials when I can.

What are your goals for Carter Jonas Vision 2025?

I am looking to assist with the vision 2025 by looking at new opportunities for infrastructure business in the North West.

Ted Beale

What attracted you to Carter Jonas?

Coming from a small regional firm I wanted the opportunities a larger firm holds helping me develop my career.

Tell us about your journey with Carter Jonas so far.

I have been in the firm for nearly 18 months and so far I have been given a fantastic opportunity to develop my own team and have been supported in looking at new business opportunities.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Working for a client such as HS2 means that there is a great variance in my job role. A ‘typical’ day may include meeting affected landowners and occupiers and informing them of the latest update with regard to the scheme, before heading back to the office to continue with the ongoing programme of valuations that we are tasked with delivering. It is a demanding and fast paced environment with a lot of challenges but it can be very rewarding.

Describe your work environment and culture.

I work within a young dynamic team who are a pleasure to work with as well as joining for a drink afterwards!

What skills are required to be successful in your role?

Highly motivated, flexible, good knowledge of your subject and able to work well within a team.

What is your favourite part about working for Carter Jonas?

Tackling new challenges whilst continually learning.

What has been your career highlight at Carter Jonas?

Developing my own team and having been given much responsibility to deliver the project.

If you could switch jobs with anyone else at Carter Jonas, whose job would you want?

Stephen Hall as I am very interested in the international markets.

What other activities do you join in?

I am a keen trainer for our graduates having been the ambassador for the infrastructure grads, as well as running farm training days for those less agriculturally minded!

What are your goals for Carter Jonas Vision 2025?

To develop new business streams in international markets.

To help to attract new clients to the business and get involved with new infrastructure projects.

Katryna Ley

What attracted you to Carter Jonas?

When I joined Carter Jonas, the Birmingham office had recently opened. What initially attracted me was the mentality and aspiration that Christian Green had for the Birmingham office. In addition, the existing workload and proposed pipeline appeared to combine my surveying knowledge and interest in infrastructure projects and re-generation.

Tell us about your journey with Carter Jonas so far.

My job role sits within the infrastructures division and so far has been extremely varied. Some of the activities include advising acquiring authorities on full and final settlements, ensuring affected parties are engaged with, in line with Government Guidance, and finally updating our terms of business to ensure they are compliant with new RICS professional standards.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day is dependent on the ongoing project at the time. Currently, I am working with Birmingham City Council to facilitate the acquisition of a retail parade, which is required for the Commonwealth Games. My day-to-day activities involve; strategic advice to the client in relation to the submitted compulsory purchase order, engagement with affected parties, to negotiate and acquire affected interests and finally compile red book compliant recommendation reports.

What skills are required to be successful in your role?

I believe those who are successful in my role have good communication skills. Compulsory purchase can be a controversial field; often parties affected would rather be removed from the scheme and sometimes inspections can be contentious. Ahead of meetings it is important to be as informed as possible as this will help to manage expectations.

What is your favourite part about working for Carter Jonas?

The People; everyone in the Birmingham office is approachable and always happy to help if needed.

What has been your career highlight at Carter Jonas?

My promotion is an obvious highlight whilst working at Carter Jonas. However, I have also enjoyed having the responsibility to take charge of my own projects and manage the workload delivery. 

If you could switch jobs with anyone else at Carter Jonas, whose job would you want?

I wouldn’t want to switch my career path as I enjoy my job. However, if I could switch for a day I would like to change job roles with Mark Hall Digweed. It would be useful to gain an appreciation on how the infrastructure team interacts between offices and departments.  

What other activities do you join in?

I believe office social events are very important and a key part of understanding office dynamics. I always participate in and often organise events. 

The Birmingham office is running the Sutton Fun Run in aid of LandAid on 2 June. This is an 8.5 miles around Sutton Coldfield town centre and there are a number of people taking part. Wish us luck! 

What are your goals for Carter Jonas Vision 2025?

From a personal prospective I hope to progress up the career ladder as my expertise and experience grows. 

I would also like to help the Birmingham office become more established within the Birmingham market and expand on our existing client base.

Matt hare

What attracted you to Carter Jonas?

I joined Carter Jonas following the acquisition of the former Januarys business back in 2015, so it was more a matter of fate than as a direct result of my own decision making. That being said, given the firm’s excellent reputation locally, I am sure that would have attracted me in due course.

Tell us about your journey with Carter Jonas so far.

As mentioned above, I joined through acquisition and as an Associate in the planning and development team. The effective merger of my former team, and the then Carter Jonas planning team, was managed excellently and the bonding of the two teams was very swift. Since then we have seen a significant increase in the volume and quality of jobs that we have won and as a result of this our team has grown substantially in size.

What does a typical day look like for you?

As a planning consultant the work I am involved in is generally very diverse, ranging from one-off dwellings of bespoke design for private clients, to large-scale urban extensions for some of the country’s foremost developers. The sectors I am involved in include: residential, leisure, commercial and rural, and thus cut across the core areas of the business. I am fortunate in that my days at work are hugely varied and I am often out of the office in various parts of the region and beyond. For this reason it is hard to characterise a typical day.

Describe your work environment and culture.

I am based in the firm’s new Cambridge head quarters at One Station Square. It’s a pavilion address in a shiny new building within a central and exciting part of the city. As a result, it is a great place to be based and I feel well connected to professional circles in the area. We are all ‘agile workers’ in the office, which basically means that the office consists entirely of hot desks. This means that the people I sit with on a day-to-day basis vary considerably, which is fun and also extremely helpful for cross selling purposes.

What skills are required to be successful in your role?

Much of planning revolves around the somewhat dull qualities of hard work, diligence and attention to detail. However, a key skill is communication and specifically the ability to distil and communicate how development proposals must address often complex macro social, environmental and economic issues that affect our country and the mesh of public legislation, policy and guidance that govern these issues. In addition, a robust character is essential as a reasonable portion of the role entails engagement with members of public who, at best, are often sceptical about the merits of development and at worst can be actively hostile!

What is your favourite part about working for carter Jonas?

By far and away the best part is the team of likeminded individuals that I am fortunate enough to work with.

What has been your career highlight at Carter Jonas?

A number of years ago I was Planning Lead for a new palliative care facility for a local hospice. The job was technically demanding for a number of reasons but we were ultimately successful in securing planning permission. Whilst not the largest or most complex project I have been involved with, the nature of the facility (which is now operational) is such that it is a massively positive service and is of immense value to many people who have need to use it. I feel a sense of pride to have helped make that happen.

If you could switch jobs with anyone else at Carter Jonas, whose job would you want?

I’d be keen to work in the IT team, but only to learn whether the rumour that they are monitoring us all through the web cams in our laptops is true…

Beyond that, I quite like the idea of selling houses or land for a living. Failing both of those, Mark Grainger’s job I suppose.

What other activities do you join in?

Beyond social events I am woefully bad at taking part in other activities at CJ! Much of our social events are sports-based and a long-held aversion to physical exertion/public embarrassment stops me from taking part in these!

What are your goals for Carter Jonas Vision 2025?

I would like to see Carter Jonas become a top recruiter for young professionals in our industry as I feel strongly that this is key to the firm’s growth and continued success.

niamh burke

What attracted you to Carter Jonas?

I was initially attracted to Carter Jonas because of the focus placed on career progression and the support provided to graduates throughout the APC process. During my graduate interview it became clear that the people at Carter Jonas were approachable and genuinely interested in how I wanted to develop my career.

Tell us about your journey with Carter Jonas so far.

I joined Carter Jonas as a Graduate Planner at Chapel Place in March 2017, having worked for six months in a small private consultancy based in Central London. I was promoted to Planner in September 2017 and successfully passed my RTPI APC in December 2018, having gained two years of varied planning experience.   

What does a typical day look like for you?

My role as a Planner is diverse and since joining Carter Jonas, I have been involved in a wide range of planning-related work including the preparation of planning applications for residential, commercial and mixed-use scheme, long term strategic land promotion, and preparing evidence to support emerging development plans for local planning authorities. I am often out and about attending site visits, project meetings and seminars so a working day for me is never the same!

Describe your work environment and culture.

There is a positive working environment at Carter Jonas and this comes from being part of such a fun, friendly and supportive team.

What skills are required to be successful in your role?

Given the variety of work that I undertake day-to-day, I would consider the ability to switch between projects fluidly, vital. Within the planning team we are often working towards tight deadlines relating to planning applications or tender submissions and, therefore, time management skills are critical.

What is your favourite part about working for Carter Jonas?

I would say my favourite part about working for Carter Jonas is the people; I have been fortunate to make some life-long friends here!

What has been your career highlight at Carter Jonas?

The highlight of my career so far at Carter Jonas was passing my RTPI APC qualification. Whilst the APC process was challenging, the support of my mentor and other colleagues within my team was unprecedented, and the qualification now stands me in good stead for future career progression.

If you could switch jobs with anyone else at Carter Jonas, whose job would you want?

I would switch into the marketing team, helping to organise large events and managing the production of CJ’s various publications!

What other activities do you join in?

The social calendar at Carter Jonas is particularly active. Socials include whole office events such as the Christmas party, as well as smaller team meals and activities such as softball matches in Hyde Park in the summer months. Within my first year at Carter Jonas I had the opportunity, along with the other graduates, to organise an office-wide summer social which raised a significant sum for charity and was a great way of getting to know colleagues in other teams.

Carter Jonas also offers opportunities for sporty individuals; I play weekly as a member of the CJ London netball team, and although our team does not have the most successful track record of wins, we have a lot of fun and I have met some great people.

What are your goals for Carter Jonas Vision 2025?

I would like to contribute to Carter Jonas’s Vision 2025 by helping to win work from more new clients and identify where our team could assist existing clients with additional projects or streams of work. Another goal would be to contribute my identifying opportunities for cross-selling between different Carter Jonas teams and offices.

Amelia Cobley

What attracted you to Carter Jonas?

I was attracted to Carter Jonas predominantly due to the size of the firm. It has a national presence whilst maintaining a personal feel. This was made clear when I carried out an internship with Carter Jonas before securing my graduate role where the CEO attended the induction day and took the time to speak to the interns individually. The internship also gave me a positive insight into the size of the firm, support from colleagues and managers and the general lifestyle.

Tell us about your journey with Carter Jonas so far.

On finishing university I carried out an internship with Carter Jonas in the Cambridge office, gaining experience in a variety of sectors and departments. Following this I was offered a graduate role in the commercial valuations team, which I began the following year. I have now been working for the firm for nearly two years, over which time I have gained a wide range of experience, specifically relating to valuations and lease consultancy. With support from my managers and colleagues, I am now working towards sitting my Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) this autumn to gain accreditation with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day could be in or out of the office, or perhaps a bit of both. On arriving in the office I get on with the tasks I am assigned that are very varied and differ from day to day, from carrying out valuations and writing reports, to negotiating rent reviews and lease renewals. I am given the freedom and responsibility to complete instructions from start to finish with ongoing support from colleagues.

It is very rare I am at the desk all day, with the majority of my days broken up by internal and client meetings, site visits, continued professional development events or APC webinars. I generally attend at least one site visit a week, either accompanied by a colleague or on my own depending on the job. The inspections can be within cycling distance in the city centre or further afield across East Anglia. Each inspection is always different depending on the purpose of the inspection and the property type, from bare sites with development potential, to large student accommodation blocks.

After work I usually have one or two evening networking events in the week, which usually evolve around food and drink, and are a great opportunity to meet other property professionals whilst also being good fun!

Describe your work environment and culture.

The Cambridge office recently moved into Grade A high specification office space on a new development which creates a professional, but relaxed, working environment and an enjoyable and productive place to work. In our office we hot desk which gives employees the opportunity to sit next to different people every day and get to know more about what other departments do, as well as encouraging cross-selling.

Everybody in the office is extremely friendly and I particularly enjoy the shared celebration of birthdays around the breakout area in the form of cake!  

What skills are required to be successful in your role?

The skills required to be successful in my role include verbal and written skills, an open-minded approach and the ability to interpret numbers. A significant part of my role is writing valuation reports, where good communication skills to clients, colleagues and other surveyors and agents are necessary to obtain the required information. I also do a lot of mathematical calculations, from carrying out investment valuations to analysis of rental values and so an interest in this is important.

What is your favourite part about working for carter Jonas?

My favourite part of working for Carter Jonas is the wide range of work I am involved in. Although I am based in one department, I have been exposed to a variety of work, from different property sectors, to different locations and for a wide range of purposes. I also like that I am part of a team of eight people which allows me to work with and gain knowledge from different people, whilst also being a part of wider valuation and commercial teams within Carter Jonas.

I also really enjoy the social side of the job, including breakfast seminars and evening socials both with internal colleagues and other property professionals. A few people from the office normally go for lunch or evening drinks on a Friday which is a great opportunity to get to know each other outside of work.

What has been your career highlight at Carter Jonas?

It is hard to pinpoint a career highlight as there has been many highs. However, one that springs to mind was completing my first valuation, from instruction to completion, of an office building in Ipswich which had planning consent for residential development. Under appropriate supervision I carried out the valuation including the inspection and measurement of the property, desktop research, carrying out the valuation and reporting to the client. The client was happy with the end result and we have since been instructed to carry out further work.

If you could switch jobs with anyone else at Carter Jonas, whose job would you want?

If I could swap jobs within Carter Jonas it would be with my line manager to get experience in managing a team and taking on more responsibility whilst continuing in my current line of work, although I am not sure he would particularly want to swap back to a graduate role now!

What other activities do you join in?

I participate in various sporting events with the office, including a recent tennis tournament and regular netball games against other property firms. There are various social events throughout the year including office summer and Christmas parties, divisional days and APC away days which are a great opportunity to get to know others within the firm from other offices. I also attend events hosted by clients and other professionals, including bowling, quizzes and charity lunches.

I attend regular local networking events put on by groups for young professionals, including various activities such as wine tasting, sporting events, canapé making and black tie balls. I am on the MATRICS committee and involved in organising six educational and social events over the year as well as attending regular meetings (usually in the pub!). 

What are your goals for Carter Jonas Vision 2025?

My goal for Carter Jonas Vision 2025 is to continue to assist my colleagues to produce good quality work and ensure a high standard of service. My near term personal goal is to gain chartered status which will in turn allow me to further contribute to the success of my team and as a result the wider growth of Carter Jonas as set out within Vision 2025.

Alexandra houghton

What attracted you to Carter Jonas?

I was ready for a change, but more than that, I was attracted to CJ by the ‘family feel’ and the fact that it was a partnership. I wanted to join a medium sized firm (from a much larger firm) and was keen to progress my career by directly advising clients and being a crucial part of a smaller team.

Tell us about your journey with Carter Jonas so far.

I joined as an Associate Partner and within a year had progressed to Partner, and was asked to be on the Commercial Board. This was a direct result of the level of responsibility I was given from the start with my clients, and the wider opportunities I was able to get involved in across the firm.

What does a typical day look like for you?

My days are pretty crazy, and varied! I work with the public sector, providing strategic advice on client’s estates, so we ask three key questions: what have you got?; what do you need?; how are you going to get there? Much of my time is spent with senior staff in public sector organisations as they are the key decision makers, but I also spend time with an array of staff asking important questions about their business, and how their estate can support their needs. In the last few years I have worked on: town hall office accommodation strategies, options appraisals for various organisations considering a move out of London, a review of a police, fire and rescue estate, and even a business case for building a new automated book storage facility for the British Library.

Describe your work environment and culture.

Our offices are open plan with flexible space for informal and formal client meetings. We are proud of how our offices look and they help us work effectively. I would say that our culture is about trust and respect, which works both ways i.e. junior staff to senior and visa versa.

What skills are required to be successful in your role?

First and foremost – Excel! This is increasingly becoming a really important tool in surveying, so it’s worth getting to grips with. On the softer side, I need to be able to listen well and translate that into a tangible solution for clients.

What is your favourite part about working for carter Jonas?

The people and the ethos. There are some fantastic people at Carter Jonas that bring a lot of variety to the workplace. We work hard but also know how to have some fun too. At the end of the financial year, we often do something as a team; this year we are heading out for lunch and an afternoon on some boats in Paddington Basin.

What has been your career highlight at Carter Jonas?

I did a small job for a regulatory body, but it was complex. We were looking at moving some of their staff out of Central London. Because the work we do is strategic, we don’t always see it through to delivery. In this case, everything that we recommended was implemented and everything we suggested was accurate, including our estimated costs. We had such good feedback from the client and as a result, lots of repeat work.

If you could switch jobs with anyone else at Carter Jonas, whose job would you want?

This is a difficult one! Perhaps something totally different, like high end residential sales. I’d love to see the inside of some of those incredible houses worth millions! There was one CJ sold last year in London with a ballroom!

What other activities do you join in?

There is lots to get involved with. This year I have done the Property Triathlon, the CJ Yorkshire Pedalthon and I’ve also done a property industry bike ride from Sienna to Rome called PedElle. There were 50 women - it was one of the best events I have done.

What are your goals for Carter Jonas Vision 2025?

For the commercial division it is about growth; continuing to grow as we have over the past few years, which has been impressive and we have become much better known in the industry. The challenge for us is to keep the CJ family feel, but being a partnership is key to retaining our ethos.