General

Rosie Goode: My first 100 days at NG Chartered Surveyors

When I joined NG Chartered Surveyors as Associate Director, I knew I was joining a business with a strong reputation across the East Midlands. What has struck me most during my first 100 days, however, is the culture that sits behind that reputation.

One of my biggest observations has been the level of collaboration across the business. Everyone is highly knowledgeable in their own specialist area, but there is also a genuine willingness to share expertise, seek advice and work together to achieve the best outcomes for clients. Rather than departments operating in isolation, there is a real team mentality that benefits both the business and the people we work with.

I’ve experienced this first-hand through my work with the block management team, helping to prepare and review planned preventative maintenance programmes and supporting projects from initial discussions through to delivery. The respect colleagues have for each other’s expertise creates an environment where people can challenge ideas constructively and learn from one another.

From a market perspective, the East Midlands remains resilient, but there is no doubt that economic pressures continue to create challenges. Rising construction costs and inflation are still having an impact, particularly on residential projects. We are increasingly seeing schemes reach tender stage only for costs to come back significantly higher than anticipated. In some cases, projects are being redesigned, value engineered or temporarily paused while budgets are reassessed.

That environment makes early-stage professional advice more important than ever. Helping clients understand costs, risks and opportunities at the outset enables them to make informed decisions and avoid expensive surprises further down the line.

My priorities during these first few months have been straightforward: get to know the team, understand how the various departments operate and learn how Building Surveying can best support the wider business. I’ve made a conscious effort to spend as much time as possible in the office, listening, learning and building relationships with colleagues who bring a huge breadth of experience.

It’s also been important to understand our clients, their portfolios and the challenges they face. Every property and every client is different, and gaining that insight is essential to delivering effective advice.

I’m particularly pleased with how quickly I’ve been able to get involved in live projects. The River Crescent cladding project has been a great example, giving me the opportunity to take ownership and help drive progress on a significant scheme. Alongside this, I’ve been heavily involved in investigating building defects and water ingress issues across several managed properties, identifying root causes and helping develop practical remediation strategies.

Looking ahead, a key focus will be continuing to strengthen the links between Building Surveying and other areas of the business. There is a real opportunity to provide an even more joined-up service for clients by combining expertise from across our different disciplines.

Project management is an area I am particularly keen to develop further. There is significant potential to support refurbishment, maintenance and improvement projects across properties that we already manage, helping clients maximise the value and performance of their assets.

The culture at NG has undoubtedly been one of the highlights of my first 100 days and was one of the main reasons I wanted to join the business. There is a genuine family feel, a supportive environment and a shared ambition to be the best in our respective fields. People take pride in what they do and are committed to continuously strengthening the NG brand.

As I look ahead to the next 12 months, my ambition is to play a role in growing the business in a way that is sustainable, client-focused and built on the quality of service for which NG is known. We will continue to strengthen our Building Surveying offering, particularly around project management, while maintaining the proactive, commercially focused advice our clients expect.

Most importantly, we will continue to build strong relationships and deliver practical solutions that help clients achieve their objectives. In my experience, that’s what creates lasting success – for both clients and businesses alike.