Podcast
Episode One
Vanessa Murray – One of the Leading Ladies in London’s Property Scene
The first episode of the podcast features Vanessa Murray an Asset Manager at Stanhope PLC, it shines a light on the mentoring scheme Mentoring Circle, which she recently launched for young women within the property industry.
Our guest
During the episode, we discuss Vanessa’s musical beginnings, her journey from EasyJet to Stanhope PLC, and her advice to those looking to get onto the property career ladder. Most importantly we talk in-depth about Vanessa’s new venture, the Mentoring Circle, designed to help keep women in property by providing them with the best possible mentors and advice from women in senior positions.
Naturally, Vanessa answers the burning question we’ve all been dying to know the answer to…what is her Rule #1.
In her current role, Vanessa works as an Asset Manager for Stanhope Plc, a UK based Property Developer
Prior to joining Stanhope Vanessa spent 8 years specialising in Property Management. Originally client-side with EasyJet, she transitioned to consultancy and headed for the bright lights of London. It was here she found her niche managing high-end commercial portfolios, working for both Workman LLP and subsequently Savills as an Associate Director.
With a degree in music and no connections to the surveying world, her first few years working in property were particularly challenging. The difficulty of building a network from scratch and the lack of access to senior female leadership was the inspiration behind Mentoring Circle, an initiative that Vanessa founded to provide free mentoring for junior women in the industry from women in senior leadership roles.
“I’ve worked with some really brilliant young women throughout my career who struggle to promote themselves leading to a lack of diversity at a senior leadership level. I wanted to create an accessible platform for young women to connect with inspirational female leaders within the property industry at this key early stage of their career journey”.
Her ambition is to grow the programme in order to secure mentorship for any young woman working in the industry who isn’t already part of a structured training scheme.