5 Minutes with Eleanor Furness in Property Week

Here’s a Q&A feature that saw our Leasing and Asset Manager Eleanor Furness in the hot seat, answering all the questions

The leasing and asset manager at Multi-Realm on the influence of Grand Designs on her career, fighting for women’s rights in the property industry, mentoring young surveyors and her love of Elton John.

How did you join the property industry? 

My inspiration was Channel 4’s Grand Designs, which I loved watching as a child – and still watch today. My dad encouraged me to look into university courses that would provide me with skills aligned with property development. This was how I ended up doing a degree in real estate at Sheffield Hallam.

I quickly realised that the commercial side of the sector was really interesting and undertook a placement year at Lambert Smith Hampton as part of my degree, returning as a graduate in the retail and valuation teams.

What does your job entail? 

I recently joined Multi-Realm, where I am responsible for Lakeside Village in Doncaster and Ringsted Outlet near Copenhagen in an asset management capacity. On the leasing front, we work as a team across the portfolio, as we believe our strength Lies in our collective relationships with brands and operators.

Since joining Multi-Realm, no two days have been the same; one day I could be taking a prospective brand around a scheme and the next I could be reviewing unit plans and costs for refurbishments.

What do you like most about the property industry? 

I love the fact that you can make a real change to the places in which people work, shop and live on a daily basis. It’s exciting to be creating spaces for communities, shoppers and visitors.

And what do you dislike most about it? 

Real estate can sometimes feel very closed and possibly even ‘secretive’ to anyone who doesn’t work in the industry and, as a result, it attracts criticism. Even in the industry, there can be greater understanding of the specialist subsectors that contribute to the whole.

Take the outlet sector, which has always fallen under the broader ‘retail’ umbrella – which in recent years has meant it might not have been looked at in detail by investors. However, it is an area of retail that bucks the trend and almost always performs well in downturns due to the discounting angle of the outlet experience.

What would you change about the property industry? 

Educate children in schools about the real estate industry so they can make informed decisions about their A-Level and degree choices. RICS has an ‘Inspire’ programme that has worked with more than 40 schools in the UK so far. It would be amazing if this could reach every school in the country.

What are you most proud of in your career? 

Mentoring and supporting young surveyors through their journeys to becoming chartered surveyors is something I am proud to do, especially seeing their individual progress and the confidence they take with them on to the next steps in their career.

What do you value in people? 

Sincerity and honesty.

What advice would you give someone starting a career in the property industry? 

Listen closely to the experiences of people who have been in the sector for a while, and reflect on how they relate to your own aspirations.

For me, observing and understanding how colleagues build and manage successful relationships with clients, consultants, partners and tenants – and with one another – was incredibly helpful. These relationships are the backbone of our industry.

Top recommendations How would you spend £1m?:

I’d love to buy a house by the beach in North Wales, on the L1.9n Peninsula. Having a little sailing boat would be a perfect way to spend the summer days, too. I’d also definitely buy an Aston Martin if there was any budget left after all that!

Favourite TV show?

I’ve watched the two series of Kin recently, and it was very gripping. I love a gritty drama, especially when the family dynamics are so intriguing. My favourite character, Birdie, was always ready for anything that came her way and as the spine of the family, she showed incredible female power. I really hope they make another series soon.

Favourite podcast/radio show?

Off Menu is a hilarious podcast by Ed Gamble and James Acaster. They take celebrities to their ‘dream restaurant’ and ask them to choose their favourite dishes. Poppadoms or bread?!

Favourite celebrity:

I would love to meet Elton John. His tunes are so good and I’m sure he would have some stories to tell. Hopefully there would be a piano to hand.