PEOPLE PERSON ISOBEL O’REGAN SPEAKS ABOUT HER CAREER, AND HER ROLES AS LEADERSHIP CHAIR AT SAVILLS IRELAND AND INTERIM CHAIR OF THE RICS MANAGEMENT BOARD.
I
sobel O’Regan says that there
the leadership team, supporting the managing
professional membership organisations are
was no ‘lightbulb moment’ that
director, Mark Reynolds, and chairing our
something that Isobel is very passionate about:
led to her current career, but
meetings, but also developing that sense of
“It's something that I would encourage people to
rather a steady progression of
collegiality across the group. Helping to engage
embrace. Professional organisations are very
roles in Ireland and the UK,
and connect people is probably the key part of it”.
much a guardrail, and can help advocate, for you,
culminating in her current senior executive
Isobel’s day-to-day work, however, is still very
for the profession, and for the wider benefit. Our
position at Savills Ireland.
much as a practising surveyor: “I'm a registered
professions are about lifelong learning and SCSI
Originally from Dromagh in north Cork, Isobel
valuer and that would still be a part of my day,
or RICS are there to support us with that. So
studied quantity surveying before switching to
inspecting property and providing valuation
much of what will happen in the future will start
what was then called ‘general practice’. The
advice. I'm also involved in the investment side
at Government or international level, and how
early 1980s were a tough time for the sector, but
of the business”.
they're contemplating their decisions should be
Isobel was fortunate to start work with Kevin
She says her favourite element of her job is the
influenced by people at the coalface, and that's
Silke, a sole practitioner in Cork: “I stayed with
personal interaction, whether with clients or
where membership bodies become important”.
Kevin for about four years. I did my exams when
colleagues: “You can be online or look at Google
I was with Kevin and he was very good to me. At
Maps as much as you want, but really nothing
that time I also met my lifelong mentor in Roger
beats walking through a building, meeting other
Flack, who has given me advice and a guiding
people who might have a different perspective to
hand during my entire career. I was lucky to
you, and broadening your horizons”.
meet him when I started out and it taught me the value of having a mentor. Then I went to London
Professional representation
to work with a company called Chesterton. In the
Isobel has also recently served as interim chair
late 1980s, an opportunity arose to come back to
of the RICS Management Board, where she has
Ireland to work with Hamilton Osborne King (as
been involved in steering that body through a
they were before they became part of Savills) in
period of change and development: “RICS went
Dublin”.
through an extensive review process, and now we are in the process of recruiting for the role of
Leadership
chair of the Board. It has been a challenging time
Isobel spent 11 years in Dublin before returning
for the institution, but I am confident now, with
to Cork in 2000, where she specialises in general
the implementation of the Bichard Review
commercial agency and professional services.
underway, it will regain its prominence in the
This year, she was also appointed to the key role
natural and built environment”.
of leadership chair: “It's a governance role, very
As a long-time member of the SCSI’s Southern
much around working with my colleagues and
Region, and former chair of its committee,
Friends and family are extremely important to Isobel, and she is a big sports fan. As a rugby fan (particularly Munster, of course), she’s been particularly enjoying the recent successes. She’s also a Spurs supporter and a “constantly learning” golfer.
SURVEYOR PROFILE Ann-Marie Hardiman Managing Editor, Think Media Ltd
SURVEYORS JOURNAL Volume 12, Issue 4, Winter 2022
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