To celebrate International Women’s Day 2024, which takes place today (8 March), BE News is running a series of interviews with inspirational women who work across the built environment sector
Name: Charlie Hall
Title: Design apprentice, Moda
What I do: I work within the marketing team at Moda, supporting the design department with the creation of content. No two days are the same and I find myself working on a variety of creative tasks from social media content to site hoarding designs, that’s how varied the role is.
Why I got into the property industry: Moda was looking for a designer to work under the design manager who just happens to be my sister Georgia! I was at a point at college where I needed to make a decision about what to do next – go to university or find a job, and when the opportunity to join the team at Moda arose, it was just too good to miss.
What I’m also doing at the moment: As well as working for Moda, I attend college three days a week and in addition I work evenings and weekends at a local restaurant.
My inspiration(s): Being part of Generation Z, a lot of inspiration comes from things I see on social media. However, coming from a creative family (my parents run a design studio specialising in interior architecture and lighting design) my biggest inspiration has to be those who are around me – my family.
The biggest challenge I’ve encountered to date: Jumping into a fast-paced environment and getting up to speed with all that’s happening. At first this was daunting, but I have a better understanding of how things work and who does what, etc.
My greatest achievement/proudest moment to date: Seeing things I’ve contributed to and worked as part of the creative team go live across Moda’s channels, knowing that potentially thousands of people will interact with something I am a part of. It’s a great feeling.
The biggest misconception people have about the property industry: That it’s still a totally male-dominated industry and that there is a lot more to it than hard hats and scaffolding! The majority of the marketing team at Moda are hard-working, extremely talented women and the diversity of roles behind the scenes is unimaginable.
Why I’m so passionate about DE&I: Everyone deserves a chance to do something great. I think working in a creative role, it’s really important that you get to hear voices from all sorts of backgrounds and opinions so that you can build a really inclusive product. From what I’ve seen of this industry so far there’s still a bit of a way to go, but I think things like the mentoring programme Moda has just launched with Pathways to Property, which is bringing in students from disadvantaged backgrounds to see what we do and learn about property, are an amazing step to changing our future.
Why I’m so passionate about ESG: We all have a responsibility to look after our planet and our people. It’s that simple isn’t it?
Where I’d like to be in five years’ time career-wise: Hopefully sat where my sister is as her career progresses!
Who I’d invite, living or dead, to a dinner party: Iris Apfel, the recently deceased fashion designer, Diana, Princess of Wales and Amy Winehouse.
What I do in my downtime: What down time? Haha. In the little time I get, you can find me in the gym or at a music concert. Just last weekend I went to the Warehouse Project in Manchester.
The job I’d be doing if I was not doing this: I’m signed with Manchester-based modelling agency Nemesis and did a lot of modelling work a few years ago for varying brands including international fashion brand Hype. So, who knows? Maybe I could have been the next Kate Moss…
My advice for someone just starting out: Work hard, make the most of every opportunity and always be willing to learn.
My motto/mantra: Live life to the full and make the most of every day.
