TPS - Key Persons
I was not destined to be the technical kind of engineer as I was always more interested in working with people than in slaving away at calculations in isolation.
I discovered early on that project management calls for a blend of skills and approaches that more closely matches my profile. The processes are logic based and you can apply a spreadsheet and improve their efficiency, but dealing with the people is more of an art form. For an ideal outcome, a diligent approach to the project technically must be matched by a caring attitude to everyone involved-remembering that they are invested at least as much as you.
I'm a firm believer in the impact of learning in work, and during my traineeship here have been combining academic study with work on some pretty impressive projects. So far, I've completed an HND in Construction and the Built Environment and I'm now studying Construction Management BA (HONS). And as an assistant to senior project managers I'm able to put into context the formal learning.
There's simply no substitute for live project experience, especially if you want to progress quickly in your career. In the last three years, I've been able to immerse myself in projects from £1.5M refurbs to £200M mixed use schemes, and to see them at different stages of development. That experience puts concepts into practice in the real world of negotiating with people as well as steering projects through a careful process toward a positive outcome for all. I could have spent more time hanging around the students' union bar I suppose, but which would you choose?
I started as an Engineer but I found I was more interested in people than in structures, and in why more than how.
Curiosity is what drives me, I think, in interrogating the brief and in a desire to understand everyone's outlook on a project. It's a fundamental part of how we work and is very different to corporate companies. Instead of straight-line processes with little or no flexibility, we approach projects with a greater willingness to listen.
I am a qualified engineer, which is unusual for a project manager in property development. But we're not exactly your everyday firm, as you've probably gathered.
I began my career as a Mechanical Engineer at ARUP, soon fronting teams for large scale development projects. Added to my education in engineering it added design management experience, which I progressed further at Buro Happold on Education and Infrastructure projects and then into project management at Buro Four on mixed-use developments, providing me with a wealth of experience and knowledge which inform my present projects.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director TPS PM
It's about thinking outside of the box and the experience I've gained from the trade and professional side of the construction industry has enabled me to identify the challenges which project stakeholders and teams commonly face. I've learned an ability to apply foresight, it goes without saying that "prevention is better than cure."
I enjoy working within an empowered team who pride themselves on an ability to navigate through the bureaucracy and processes which can become a constraint to the delivery of projects. I'm lucky enough to have managed projects within a diverse range of sectors, infrastructure, regeneration, industrial, retail, as an consultant and also as a client within corporate organisational structure applying flexibility to identify and adapt to each individual situation.
I've discovered how communication is the key to motivating team members and colleagues in a project. That's true across the project, whether you're chairing project progress meetings, managing the design team or leading on risk and value management. Creating environments that take the time to establish the "real reasons" why things have become stuck is key to the success of a project.
Liam has joined us here at TPS after graduating from Nottingham Trent University in 2019, with an Honours degree in Real Estate. As an assistant development surveyor, Liam will be assisting the team in all aspects of development management and in particular will be responsible for appraising new land opportunities from a location, site analysis and financial perspective.
A student member of the RICS he will be embarking on his professional assessment to become a fully qualified Member of the RICS.
Outside work, Liam leads an active lifestyle whilst following Nottingham Forest Football Club and fulfilling his love of travelling - he recently travelled around Asia.
With over three and a half years' experience within the accounting & finance sector, Lorretta is a soon to be AAT qualified accountant. Having previously worked as a management accountant in a practice specialising in monthly management accounts production for a range of businesses across the UK. Her clients ranged from small businesses to large companies with turnovers of over £2 million. She has also previously worked internationally within Europe.
I think I must know every high street in the land after my time spent managing property portfolios for retailers like Next, Virgin and Arcadia. I'm a Chartered Surveyor but my experience in retail gave me a taste for development and regeneration
When you look around the country you can quickly see that there's so much opportunity to make improvements to the built environment. If only the regulatory and planning approvals were less complex it might be quicker… but I think that reveals the real skill in development management: you have to be able to accommodate detours however good your roadmap for the scheme may be.
The degree of complexity in regulations and in planning now rival the challenges in land assembly, remediation, funding agreements and even securing tenants. I'm not sure that any aspect of development requires any less resilience or tenacity than another but that is the operating landscape we're in today, and those are certainly qualities that we champion at TPS.
To do your best, you have to get the best out of others-the relationships are the most important element in any project. More than the design or the concept or the plan, it's how you work together to deliver the project that I believe is critical.
Job Titles:
- Development Manager
- Director
- Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
Simon is a Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and Registered Valuer who has over 5 years' experience in the commercial property profession. Simon has worked for Bromwich Hardy and Lambert Smith Hampton and has gained valuable experience and knowledge in valuation, commercial agency and landlord and tenant matters.
This experience has provided Simon with a wide variety of skills and a solid understanding of values in the property market. These skills enable him to advise clients on the viability of a development with an aim to add or enhance the value of their assets.
Away from the office Simon is a Director of a family run care home business and is an active gym goer and enjoys lifting weights and boxing in his spare time.