EXPLAINED
When I joined Pure more than two decades ago, I thought I was signing up for a career to be spent mostly with clipboards, comparables and property details. However, the truth is that our sector and the role of a surveying business have evolved far beyond bricks and mortar. Today it’s about data, digital fluency and judgement under pressure— although one thing that hasn’t changed is that it’s still very much about people. The shifts have shaped the way I try to lead and the kind of company we’re building together at Pure. Surveyors are relentlessly practical about service. Pure tracks turnaround times, spots postcode pinch points and recruits depending on market needs. We also run a free estimated value check when expectations look out of step with local evidence. Sometimes, the bravest service decision is to decline an instruction that’s unlikely to land well for the lender, broker or end client. It saves time, money and trust—three assets that compound when you protect them.
Words by HELEN SCORER Operations director at Pure Panel Management
Bridging & Commercial
Spending 20 years in valuations has taught me about leadership, resilience and people—as well as handling expectations and decisions
TRUST AND TOUGH CALLS I didn’t arrive with a neat job description, and I still don’t have one. My role has always been to find the gap, steady the ship and back our people. Great outcomes follow when your panel feels known and supported, and when your internal team knows you’ll stand beside them in hard calls as well as easy wins. That’s how a group becomes a team and how a team becomes a family. Mentorship sits at the heart of that philosophy. Early in my career at Pure, founder David Gillam told me I was “too trusting”. He was right that discernment matters; he was also the first to back me when I had to make tough calls. Mentors don’t make you a different person; they optimise your strengths so you can lead with clarity.
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