Young Surveyor of the Year Awards: What winning means

Ahead of the upcoming RICS Matrics Young Surveyor of the Year Awards Digital Ceremony which takes place on Friday 27th November, we spoke to 2019 winners Eleni Randle and Kelly Allen to find out what winning their awards meant to them and the impact it has had on their careers.

What does being a winner at the Young Surveyor of the Year Awards mean to you?

Eleni Randle: For me it is probably the most prestigious award I could have achieved at this stage in my profession. When I entered I didn’t think, despite the fact I am proud of what I have achieved to date, that I would stand a chance of being shortlisted let alone winning my category. I am fortunate enough to work with and meet some incredibly talented professionals within my day to day work – to be acknowledged as one of the best out there, honestly meant the world to me (and meant that all the cumulative years studying, adding to my qualifications has paid off). I have always said that I have no desire to be one of the biggest out there, just one of the best at what I do.

Kelly Allen: I started my family prior to embarking on my career in surveying, which I feel has contributed to me questioning my abilities and subjecting myself to significant pressure to excel and prove myself capable. I felt truly honoured to be recognised by my employer and nominated for the RICS Young Building Surveyor of the Year award. To win on the night felt implausible, and I am sincerely blessed and grateful to be able to demonstrate to my children and others that hard work pays off.

How has your award changed your experiences over the past 12 months?

KA: I was invited to be the ‘inspirational speaker’ at this year’s RICS welcome to the profession ceremony which was an experience that I will never forget, it still feels incredible to have spoken alongside Timothy Neal.

I also wrote an article for the June MODUS magazine about my journey through my short career. I am still astounded that people have asked for me to share my story to help other people and also to call it ‘inspirational’. This is still unbelievable.

ER: I would say winning has given me great publicity, particularly across social media. I have had people reach out and make contact with me as a result of winning and have made some great connections as a result. I am excited to see what this brings in the future as I build and develop my career. I’ve also been lucky enough to be invited to a few events, off the back of the win, with one of the highlights being invited to the RICS Dinner in Birmingham where I was on a table with Eddie the Eagle. What an amazing chap to chat to over dinner (I have a great selfie of this!!). Overall, having started up on my own in early 2019 at a relatively young age the award has provided acknowledgement as to how serious I am about my career. I believe it has increased my profile which is a great benefit in my early 30s.

Following your award, what are your next goals in your career?

ER: Having achieved qualification with several professional bodies – I would like to consolidate that qualification base and use it to grow my business. I don’t wish to grow too large but would like to bring in further support and possibly a graduate role to work on some larger projects moving forward. I am also looking to more support for APC candidates as this is an area which I do enjoy and something I am very passionate about. I recently did a video (which we affectionately labelled as Randle’s Rant!) on social media about the importance of supporting graduates adequately and the video received many comments, nearly 200 reactions and got over 9,000 views. It provoked such a good discussion about what we can do better to support new talent in the profession.

KA: I am enrolled on the APC BS pathway and aim to achieve MRICS early 2021. After that, who knows, I would like to climb the ranks in the practice and help train the younger members of staff. I would also like to have a more active role in the RICS Matrics.

Which projects are you currently working on that you are most excited about?

ER: Working alone for me, many of my projects are small to medium in size so unlike some of the bigger firms I’m not on major infrastructure or development projects. For me though, I love working with a variety of clients and this makes my work varied as well as being great establishing a business in its second year. My projects vary from residential conversions and small housing schemes to rural development supporting rural businesses (and everything in between).

KA: Since the industry has opened back up following the lockdown, we are seeing an influx of rainscreen cladding inspections and intrusive surveys which I am becoming involved in. We have developed a Fire Safety Core group and Party Wall Core Group within the practice. I am fully involved with the latter and excited to be training to become more involved with the former which will better equip me to manage the noticeable shift in our work requirements.

What would be your advice to any young surveyors just embarking on their career?

KA: “Anything the mind of a person can conceive and believe, the mind of that person can achieve.” It starts with owning a 100% belief in yourself that you can do it, you can be a success and that you can learn anything that you set your mind to. We are entering an unpredictable time in history, an economic crisis and the younger professionals will likely be more vulnerable. My message to them is, get involved, dedicate yourself, be consistent and you will succeed. If I can do it, anyone can!

ER: Always think of the bigger picture and maintain your options, make sure you never burn bridges with people you meet, build a network and, where you can, support those with whom you work with and share knowledge – it will always come back to help you when you most need it. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I think it is important that young surveyors seek out and embrace opportunities to really make the most of what has to be one of the most diverse professions in the world.

For the first time in the history of the awards the winners will be announced at a virtual ceremony, taking place on 27 November. The virtual ceremony is free to attend and open to all to join, featuring a series of discussion groups led by established industry figures, leaders in RICS and former winners of the Young Surveyor of the Year Awards. There will be a range of activities in separate virtual rooms, where attendees can join discussions that focus on helping young surveyors shape their careers, build upon their influence and shape the future of the profession globally.