Name: Claire McDowell
Title: Asset manager, M7 Real Estate
What I do: I currently work as an asset manager with M7 in Ireland. The role itself is broad, which keeps things interesting. Day-to-day consists of liaising with contractors, property managers, tenants, etc. I oversee rent collection and assist with transactions when they come up.
Why I got into the property industry: I worked in the media for a few years but had an interest in property from when I was young. Naively, I thought you had to be an architect or sell houses to work in the industry, so I didn’t look too much into it. When I realised I wanted a career change, I wanted to retain the social element and fell into property. Property has sectors that suit all personality types, and it seems the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. Ultimately, I have to thank Kevin McCloud of Grand Designs for my initial interest when I was a child!
How I did it: I started working for a short-term property start-up in Dublin City. I was about to take a career break to travel and move to Australia, but when Covid hit, it prompted me to start my masters in the evenings while working full-time. I managed to move from residential to commercial property through contacts in my college course and haven’t looked back since.
My first proper job: When I was 18, I worked in the newsagents about 100 metres from my childhood home in college. While doing that, I started working for a couple of Dublin radio stations at the same time, so I’d say a hybrid of the two!
My first big break: Always through meeting fantastic people! In property, it was a great lecturer who put me in touch with a good friend of hers at JLL, giving me my first taste of commercial property.
My inspiration(s): Jacinda Ardern is a huge personal inspiration for me. She’s shown compassion and strength in her role and excelled in a male-dominated industry. She managed to juggle family life with her career and expressed empathy, which can be difficult to balance. I think the amount of respect people have for her shows what a great inspiration she is.
The biggest challenge I’ve encountered to date: Studying for my masters part-time for 2.5 years was a lot harder than I thought. It was much more analytical than I had expected, and coupled with a demanding job, it was very hard to give 100% to both.
My greatest achievement/proudest moment to date: I feel I’m too early in my career to have too many moments to choose from but recently being elected as the Chairperson for the Nexus committee which is a platform for young surveyors to connect with the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) was a great one. It’s early days but the committee is amazing and the support from the SCSI is fantastic. I believe it’s going to be a very exciting year ahead.
The biggest misconception people have about the property industry: I had this misconception myself, that it’s a very linear industry – it couldn’t be further from the truth. I had started out wanting to sell houses, but when I learned all the different facets within the industry, it was a very welcome surprise.
My biggest bugbear about the industry/the one thing I would change about the industry: I see colleagues who have been asked this and all seem to agree; it’s DE&I. It’s a tough challenge, but my opinion is that there is a certain stereotype of those who work in property. Although it might not be true, I think it might be intimidating from the outside looking in. The industry has a long way to go, and targeting individuals before they decide what they want to do in college or letting people know about career conversion courses is the best place to start. DE&I isn’t just about sexual orientation, race, and culture – we also need to appear more welcoming to differently abled individuals, different socio-economic backgrounds, etc.
Why I’m so passionate about DE&I: I think it’s partly to do with the people I surround myself with who have educated me about prejudices I haven’t been aware of, in addition to growing up from a humble beginning. I wasn’t aware of niche courses like property economics, and neither were the people I grew up with. One significant factor is the difference in socio-economic environments. Getting to know fantastic people who aren’t afraid to challenge a perceived status quo, no matter how uncomfortable it can be, was a learning curve and one I need to be aware of when I’m (hopefully) eventually in a position to hire my own team.
Why I’m so passionate about ESG: Working in capital markets, I started to learn how damaging the built environment can be to the environment, and I think it’s great there’s an emphasis on that. We’ve already seen drastic changes in our environment, and it’s our responsibility to do what we can to protect the planet. The social element ties in with my DE&I views. Finally, my masters thesis explored effective governance in investment funds, and through researching that, it illustrated how important it is to effectively implement the ‘E’ and the ‘S’.
Where I’d like to be in five years’ time career-wise: Although new to the client side, I definitely see this as a long-term role for me. I’d like to have my APCs well passed and expand my current role. M7 Ireland is growing so quickly and making a name for itself alongside some pretty major players, so helping to grow our office and taking on more responsibility would be something I’d be proud to do.
Who I’d invite, living or dead, to a dinner party: Julia Child to cook something delicious and make everyone laugh, Steve Martin again for the laughs, Elton John for his wild stories and entertainment factors, and probably an ancestor of mine out of sheer curiosity.
What I do in my downtime: I love reading thrillers, and this year I started to knit (badly). I usually enjoy low-impact exercise like long-distance walking, yoga, and pilates, but I haven’t stepped foot in a gym in a couple of months.
The job I’d be doing if I was not doing this: I’d probably be back in media. As long as there’s career growth and it’s social, I’d enjoy it.
My advice for someone just starting out: Don’t be afraid to get stuck in. Be that asking what you perceive as a “stupid question,” putting yourself forward in work even though it can be intimidating, and networking! The Dublin property market is tiny, but it’s full of some of the most fantastic people. Networking not only opens doors through committees and calling for dreaded comps, but you also get to meet a whole new group of friends you’ll more than likely have to deal with for decades to come. Also, just be kind to people; work and life can be tough enough without dealing with difficult characters.
My motto/mantra: Toss-up between “Everything happens for a reason, I’m exactly where I should be” and “No rain, no flowers” for the challenging days!
