Q&A: Five minutes with Leigh Johnson, managing director of master-developer Barking Riverside

How did you join the property industry?

I came into the industry by chance and without much career advice. My father’s guidance was simple: do the best you can and get a job. Leaving school at 16, I was offered roles at Aston Martin as an apprentice and with an architectural practice through a youth training scheme. Being artistic, I took the architect technician role – sometimes I think of this as my ‘sliding doors’ moment.

What does your job entail?

My job is the culmination of everything I have achieved and loved in this industry. It’s about the delivery of a place with legacy. As a master-developer, we are placemaking, derisking and bringing parcels of land to market and ensuring quality homes, infrastructure and commercial facilities are brought forward at pace.

What do you like most about the industry?

The opportunities. The responsibility of creating homes and places where people can thrive is enormous. It is a privilege to be involved in that.

And what do you dislike most about it?

The perception that it is easy. Whether you’re delivering one home or 20,000, the complexity is immense. Housing is an emotive subject, so developers often come under attack. It is reductive when the discourse is simplified to ‘developers chasing profit’. The industry isn’t binary. Spaces and places are affected by market conditions and regulations, and politics plays its part. Every site is different, and this all adds to the complexity of our role.

What is your favourite building?

I’m drawn to the Arts and Crafts movement and its architecture. My current favourite is the RIBA Stirling Prize-winning Magdalene College Library in Cambridge by Niall McLaughlin Architects. The proportions, the brickwork, the craftsmanship – it’s practical, tactile and beautiful. That really resonates with me.

Who in property has inspired you?

A great personal mentor was Keith Parrett (now sadly passed), whom I worked with for 15 years at Barratt Redrow and Homes England. He really understood my strengths (and foibles) and gave me autonomy. Even now, I can hear him challenging my thinking.

If you had not gone into property, what would you be doing?

I’d be a livestock farmer. I like the idea of being rooted in something seasonal and connected to the land.

What would you change about the industry?

I’d love to see more transparency and collaboration. Partnership works best when everyone is open about the constraints and ambitions from the outset.

What challenges have you overcome?

Like many people, I sometimes experience imposter syndrome, influenced by not going to university, being female and, recently, encountering ageism in the sector. However, I’ve never personally felt held back. Instead,

I focus on championing my team through these barriers.

What are you most proud of in your career?

The impact on people’s lives. I always tell my team that every piece of work they do – whether back-end support, marketing or planning – results in someone getting their own front-door key. That matters.

What do you value in people?

Openness, integrity and a can-do mindset.

What advice would you give someone starting out in property?

Be curious. Look over the fence. Ask ‘what if?’

None of us know what the industry will look like in 20 years. Just start in the right direction, stay open and keep learning. That’s how you build a career – and places that last.