Holly Hilliard
Surveyor, Drivers Jonas
BSc, Land Management degree at Reading University, 2002
What got you interested in surveying?
My interest in land and property began at quite a young age. My father
worked for a development company and used to take me with him to look
at potential development opportunities and I found the whole idea of
physically transforming a piece of land into something different very
appealing.
What do you enjoy most about your career in surveying?
The variety of work that I do and the range of people that I get to
meet is a highlight. One day I may be advising a limited company on
the potential development value of a brownfield site and the next I
could be scouring the countryside for a suitable location for a national
sports club. I particularly enjoy the transactional element to my job
and not just for the celebration after a good deal is done!
What interesting projects have you been involved in while as surveyor?
Gallions Park is one of the most interesting projects I've been involved
with to date. It is set to be the first large-scale zero-carbon residential
scheme in London and aims to provide the benchmark for sustainable development
in the future. I've learnt a huge amount in terms of building design,
construction and energy agreements as well as the importance of ongoing
education to ensure the development retains its zero-carbon status after
completion.
What are your future career ambitions?
I want to help in progressing the sustainable development agenda throughout
the property industry and ultimately help deliver high profile developments
that I can be proud of.
Matt Noyes
Position Building Surveyor, CBRE
Degree Engineering, University of West England
What got you interested in surveying?
I've always been involved in construction through weekend and vacation
work during my teenage years. After my engineering degree course at
the University of the West of England in Bristol, I was unsure of what
direction to take and so went back to what I knew and took a job with
a small developer. The team always turned to surveyors when we needed
advice on anything from marketing to building regulations and I was
always impressed with their knowledge and professionalism.
What did you study at University?
I decided to re-train as a building surveyor by completing a post-graduate
qualification at the College of Estate Management, Reading. I chose
a distance-learning course as I needed to be in full-time work initially
on site and then as a graduate trainee with Tuffin Ferraby Taylor LLP
in Cardiff.
After a few months with TFT I was offered a position at Jones Lang LaSalle
in London. The attraction of bright lights, big city won through and
I took the job. Unfortunately my JLL team suffered a number of redundancies
within the first few months and at the same time I was offered a position
at CBRE, which I jumped on!
What are the highlights of your current role?
Fortunately, my job now requires me to fly off around Europe a few times
a year. At CBRE we travel in teams of between two and 20 depending on
the size of the task… it's always an adventure if you're prepared to
work hard and play hard!
In terms of my future, I'd like to move towards project work and maybe
even have my own practice later in life. There must be a real sense
of freedom in being your own boss.