Name: Vanessa Davey
Job title: Partner, Quadrant
What I do: I head up the transaction and investment team focusing on our £2bn portfolio of London offices and retail warehouses. We also have a few residential led mixed-use and senior living projects, so it’s great to be involved in such a range of projects working alongside our specialist asset management and development teams. I have a varied and unpredictable role; no two days are ever the same. From looking at new acquisitions, to monitoring the progress and financial performance of our assets, to recruiting or training new team members, or working with our FD, it’s fast moving.
Why I got into the property industry: I’ve always liked buildings. As a child I remember building houses for Barbies rather than actually playing with Barbies. But I probably didn’t have quite the right skillset to be an architect. I ended up doing a RICS-accredited course at Cambridge University and it kind of went from there, although it wasn’t easy. I graduated in 2008 when there were hardly any grad schemes thanks to the global financial crisis. I’d also only come to the UK for university having grown up in France, so I didn’t have any permanent accommodation in the UK after I’d finished my degree. But I moved to London and worked in sales to save enough money to do unpaid work experience in the real estate industry, and eventually I got a place on CBRE’s grad scheme in 2010.
My first proper job: Working in the Lacoste store in Cannes when I was 18. I was the only fluent English speaker, so was always responsible for international customers, and met many MIPIM and MAPIC delegates because of this! I even sold polo shirts to Magic Johnson once.
My first big break: Aside from finally landing a place on a graduate scheme, it would be moving to Quadrant in 2014. As a young agent I was frustrated with giving advice but not always seeing it put in practice and not understanding why. By moving client side I finally got to see projects through from cradle to crave and understood the impact of every decision made along the way. Quadrant was particularly brilliant for this, being a smaller firm with an innovative entrepreneurial culture where I could learn, grow and take ownership of projects. I can’t think of anywhere else where I would have got better experience.
My greatest achievement/proudest moment to date: Looking back, I’m proud of how resilient I was as a 21-year-old trying to break into the industry. I was made redundant from my first role in sales as I started on the day of Lehman Brothers’ collapse, but got another job straight away. The lack of jobs in property at the time meant it could be quite disheartening. But I always believed if I kept at it and worked hard, I’d get to where I wanted to be. Later in my career, 2019 was a massive year for Quadrant when we concluded over £250m of transactions, including the acquisition of the former Reuters building at Canary Wharf, which we have just finished transforming into YY London. This new 415,000 sq ft building with sustainability at its heart has incredible amenities such as a 7,000 sq ft roof terrace with a 1,300 sq ft communal pavilion for yoga classes and events. It’s redefining what Canary Wharf offers modern occupiers, and I’m proud to have been involved with the transformation of a building that will play such an important role in shaping Canary Wharf’s next chapter.
The biggest challenge I’ve encountered to date: As I expect most females in the industry would tell you, I’ve had my fair share of instances where I’ve had to deal with the attitudes of men from a certain generation who are very stuck in their ways and don’t automatically give younger females a chance. It’s certainly improved in recent years, and I’m not saying this was an issue I encountered every day, but I do think being a woman in a male-dominated industry earlier on my career meant I had to work harder to be properly allowed into conversations. But I tried never to take anything too personally, believing that my gender had nothing to do with it and that my skills would shine through with hard work.
The biggest misconception people have about the property industry: Despite what I just said about the industry being male dominated, a lot has changed and it’s now more inclusive than most people think. Our team at Quadrant now has a circa 50/50 male/female ratio and more than 50% of us weren’t born in the UK. This is far more representative of the UK, London and our investors. Industry events are also becoming more geared to everyone. We recently held a charity cycle day that was attended by 185 people where e-bikes were an option for those who perhaps weren’t enthusiastic cyclists or didn’t have time to train because of family commitments. It meant a lot more people could take part and have fun.
My biggest bugbear about the industry/the one thing I would change about the industry: This is an easy one! It’s that you are required to do a RICS-accredited degree to become a surveyor, which is ridiculous. Most people at 18 don’t know what they want to do. If they happen to do a RICS-accredited degree, it’s usually either down to pure luck or because they have a family member in the industry. If you don’t do a RICS-accredited degree but later decide you want to be a surveyor, you have to do a RICS masters. But this is very expensive, and a lot of people can’t afford it or aren’t able to spend the time on another year of study. This shuts far too many people out of the industry and works against our attempts to make it more diverse. The reality is, you can learn everything you need to on the job, especially if you are on a good grad scheme. At Quadrant, two of our four equity partners aren’t RICS accredited, and our latest new recruit aged 26 isn’t either. We actually have a number of qualified architects. It all adds to the diversity and mix of people and skills we have at the firm.
Why I’m so passionate about DE&I: I am probably more passionate about it now that I have a daughter because I’d hate to think her gender would be something that would hold her back in anything she did. From an industry perspective, we are the ones creating places for people to thrive in, but if we are only creating them from one point of view, they are less likely to thrive. You need lots of different perspectives when building places and teams with different backgrounds and ideas of what people need will ensure our buildings are better and more successful.
Why I’m so passionate about ESG: Because without sounding too cliché, we all want the world to be a better place for our children. If we don’t think about the environment for example, what will be left for the next generation? Technology is also making it easier than ever before to be sustainable. Both YY London and OSMO, our major new ESG-led 140,000 sq ft workspace scheme in Battersea, are smart buildings. Modern technology has been a major factor in enabling both buildings to achieve net carbon zero with temperature control and lighting only being activated when necessary, for example. I’m passionate about being able to incorporate the latest technology into our buildings and helping ensure they make a difference by being as sustainable as possible in operation.
Where I’d like to be in five years’ time career-wise: Doing more in the senior living space. The UK has an ageing population, but we have a lack of high-quality housing for older people. If you look at the US or Australia the volume and availability of quality senior living accommodation is much higher. With Quadrant I’d like to be part of improving this in the UK.
Who I’d invite, living or dead, to a dinner party: Michelle and Barack Obama
What I do in my downtime: I don’t have much downtime as I have a toddler! But I thrive on trying to have a balanced life. While I work hard, I take time to take care of myself and exercise. I spin and I’m a qualified yoga teacher.
The job I’d be doing if I was not doing this: Something outdoorsy or working for a charity. An outdoorsy charity?!
My advice for someone just starting out: Don’t be scared to ask for help. Approach people, ask for advice, ask questions, be interested and keep at it. Something will come of it if you work hard. I was probably too scared of wasting people’s time when I was younger, but now when anybody asks me for a coffee for career advice I always try to say yes.
My motto/mantra: Be in the present moment and enjoy what you are doing. People want to be successful immediately but really it is as much about the journey as the end goal. If you keep at it and are focused you will get there. And it doesn’t mean not having a life. It’s all about balance.
