IN THEIR OWN
WORDS
CHARLIE WILLIS Head of London Residential at Strutt & Parker Photography
R E B ECCA N O O N A N
A
s a self-proclaimed outdoors fanatic, it still surprises me that I have ended up working in the heart of London where there isn’t a mountain or lake in sight! I grew up in Lochwinnoch, near Glasgow, and was educated in the Perthshire glens, always surrounded by hills and water. At age 17 I joined the Army, having made a conscious decision not to go to university (much to my father’s surprise as we are in no way a military family). I wanted to see the world and learn practical skills, and for the next five years that’s exactly what I did in the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, Scotland’s only cavalry regiment. Having been one of the first to arrive in Saudi Arabia for the start of the First Gulf War conflict, I went on to spend a very enjoyable year-and-a-half in Germany, finally training up troops in Catterick, North Yorkshire and Ayrshire Yeomany, the distinguished TA regiment. In 1995, two weeks before I was due to leave the Army, I saw an advert in the back of a Foxtons magazine saying they were
IT’S A TESTAMENT TO MY LOVE OF OUR CAPITAL THAT I GRAPPLE WITH A FOUR HOUR DAILY COMMUTE looking for new recruits. I thought it was worth a shot and went in to meet Jon Hunt and Sean Cusack at their South Kensington office. Foxtons only had 25 staff at the time and was a bright, young firm. I remember being struck by the buzz and comradery in the office, and could see that training to be an estate agent wouldn’t be a typical desk job: I would be out and about, meeting new people every day; something I had not thought possible if I had fallen into a job in the City. At the end of the interview Jon Hunt asked if I had any questions and I cheekily said, “When’s my second interview?” My brazen attitude paid off and marked the start of my life in estate agency. To begin with I was learning the ropes and how to win market appraisal pitches for new business. After a few months I became a negotiator working on properties with a price limit of £250k. Next, I
was asked to head up the lettings team in South Kensington, a fastpaced department which billed a sizeable £70k per month. In 2000 I left Foxtons to join Strutt & Parker’s then sole London office on Sloane Street. Over the past 20 years I have been through two peaks and troughs and I’ve learnt how to drive a business forward. Every year pundits predict that the market is going to pop, and yet the Prime Central London market continues to grow. This year I took on a new role as Strutt & Parker’s Head of London Residential. It’s a challenging role, for sure, yet I am very excited about spearheading the next crucial stage in the Partnership’s London story. It’s a testament to my love of our Capital that I grapple with a four hour daily commute from a coastal farmhouse in Maldon, Essex to Mayfair every day. I moved there with my lovely wife 13 years ago and now we have three daughters, two ponies, and a boat. The wild water of the estuary is a far cry from the immaculate streets of Knightsbridge, but I love the fact that I am able to enjoy each with equal pleasure in their diversity. u
S T RU T T & PA R K E R H E A D OF F IC E / 020 7318 4665 / struttandparker.com
ABSOLUTELY MAGAZINES
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