Nicole Fitzpatrick MRICS has become the latest team member at leading national Chartered Surveying firm, Bruton Knowles, to be promoted to the position of Partner within the firm.
Her advancement within the business was consolidated following her continued robust performance, which currently sees her sitting within the top fee-earners across the company.
Nicole sits within Bruton Knowles’ National Valuations Team, which has had its strongest start to the financial year to date (July 2022 to June 2023) and is looking to achieve continued growth and success over the coming months.
She is one of three women who have joined the partnership over recent years and the business continues to encourage diversity as part of its Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
James Bailey, Managing Partner at Bruton Knowles, said: “Nicole has proved herself to be a very worthy candidate for this promotion, and we’re delighted to welcome someone of her calibre as one of the Partners within the business.
“She shows real potential, and her extensive experience and commitment to delivering an outstanding service to our clients, as well as nurturing the talent of the future, will be of immense value moving forwards.”
During Nicole’s nine year tenure at Bruton Knowles, she has shown resourcefulness and commitment in working as a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Registered Valuer, delivering for a wide range of clients, most recently in the role of Senior Associate.
In that time, she has moved up through the ranks, thanks to the support of dedicated mentors within the business who aim to nurture young surveying talent and bring forward the next generation of leaders.
As one of the most experienced members of Bruton Knowles’ National Valuation Team, Nicole also deals with some of the most complex assessments across a diverse range of sectors. Her strong links with clients - including well-known banks and financial institutions plus private occupiers and owners - means she is well placed to help cement Bruton Knowles’ position as one of the most trusted surveying practices operating nationally today.
Nicole commented: “I’m thrilled to have been made a Partner at Bruton Knowles and to be working alongside such a fantastic leadership team to play an integral part in Bruton Knowles’ future growth plans.
“I’m passionate about being a role model for other surveyors, and for more women entering the sector. Alongside other groups, we are hugely underrepresented, so it is crucial that the stereotypes continue to be challenged to help more women and other minorities thrive in construction-related careers.
“I hope that stepping into this senior position at Bruton Knowles will give me a platform to champion the cause, and to help the business showcase that surveying offers everyone, no matter what their background, an incredibly rewarding and varied career path.”
Gender inequality in surveying, and in construction in general, is an ongoing conundrum that many businesses continue to face. Traditionally, the property sector has been male dominated from building site to boardroom, with only around 14.6% of the total workforce being made up of women.
With a recent survey amongst young people indicating that fewer than ever before were considering a career in construction - due to concerns about the sector’s ability to tackle climate change and meet Net Zero targets - this imbalance seems unlikely to change any time soon.
Yet another study found construction was viewed as an attractive career path for around 50% of young people, so opinions remain varied amongst the potential next cohort. Nicole believes that although awareness around surveying has improved in recent years, more could be done to boost this across schools and colleges to attract more people into the profession.
As a registered RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) assessor specialising in valuation, Nicole is playing her part in supporting those who do choose a surveying career. Outside of work, she can often be found running on-line Q&A sessions with prospective APC candidates to help them prepare for their exams.
Within Bruton Knowles, she has also taken on the mentoring mantle, having been buddied up with new graduates and placement students working within the National Valuation Team. This has involved them shadowing her on site visits to gain technical market insights.
She explained: “We believe on-the-job learning about valuation instructions and the subsequent timelines and processes is instrumental in ensuring emerging surveyors develop the right skills and expertise. Providing a safe, supportive environment to help them better understand how to provide high quality advice so clients make informed decisions is key.”
Prior to joining Bruton Knowles, Nicole qualified at Cushman & Wakefield (formerly DTZ) before moving to Colliers International UK and then Christie & Co. She is based in the West Midlands, working from the company’s Birmingham office, one of ten located across the UK.