Q&A: Five minutes with Louisa Holmes, asset director, Meadowhall, at British Land

How did you join the property industry?

After my first year of university, I applied for a holiday job as PA support for a development company in my hometown that was transforming dilapidated hotels on the south coast into beautiful premium apartments. Initially, I was supporting on admin; but I felt so excited and inspired by what the company was doing that, after a few weeks, they got me involved in the planning and design meetings.

I already liked property and architecture, but the experience gave me a real insight into how creative property can be as a career.

I did a master’s in real estate at Reading and joined the BNP Paribas Real Estate graduate programme, where my career truly began.

What does your job entail?

I have an extremely diverse role, but the primary function is to lead the asset management team, creating and delivering a strategy for Meadowhall [shopping centre in Sheffield] that makes every element of the destination shine. That means focusing on customers’ wants and needs, while shaping a blueprint that allows the asset’s potential to be unlocked via strategic management aimed at showcasing its full value.

What do you like most about the industry?

The decisions that I make shape a space that millions of people interact with – more than 20 million every year in fact. Working on an asset the size and scale of Meadowhall has a long-lasting impact on communities. It has been around for 35 years and while my role is about taking it forward, it is always inspiring to hear about the memories it has created during that time.

And what do you dislike most about it?

Due to the nature of lease expiries and planning processes, for example, following the correct path and being patient mean it can take a considerable amount of time to see a positive and beneficial strategy brought forward.

What is your favourite building?

My own home. It is about 250 years old and part of it used to be a shop. We moved down to Sussex about five years ago and we’ve spent that time restoring and redecorating, enjoying mixing the old and the new. Whenever I am there, I feel a great sense of calm.

Who in property has inspired you?

Claire Barber, now at SGS UK Retail. She was previously at British Land and I moved shortly after her to join Cadogan Estates. I value her approach: she applies a vast amount of energy to whatever she does, is honest and direct and, for want of a better phrase, gets stuff done.

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

I’d be a Formula One team strategist, which would put my statistics and applied data science degree to better use. Plus, I love F1.

What would you change about the industry?

I’d rewrite parts of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 to make it more balanced. The best deal is one that everyone would do again, but often the provisions of the act force the landlord into a renewal position they would not otherwise have to agree to, in a changing market.

What are you most proud of in your career?

I was once told that “I take the team with me”. My ethos is it really does take a village to get something monumental done. I make sure that, as a team, we share successes when they occur as well as failures. If we’re not failing a little bit, I don’t think we’re trying hard enough.

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

Property has always been a very social industry, but a greater portion of many decisions are mathematically based. Getting confident with your numbers at an early stage in your career is fundamental. You can then overlay the rest with experience.