To conclude our Black History Month campaign, we are pleased to share the thoughts of Assistant Director at Deloitte UK, Alexander Smith who sat down for a chat with Urbanist Platform Founder, CJ Obi. Alexander perfectly summarises how we can create pathways for Black people to prosper going forward and how we as an industry can all build on the awareness that the UPxNLA Black History Month campaign has created.

CJ: What is the best advice you've ever been given?

Alexander: I don’t think I have a single best piece of advice but generally the synopsis is that it's not just about what you do or how well you do it, it's about who knows what you do well. Some say the people who talk the loudest get the promotion and there is definitely some truth behind that. My personality naturally isn't one to be blowing my own trumpet (as my Director will testify) but like a good marketing campaign it increases people's awareness of your positive activities. So making sure people are aware of your skills and actions.  

CJ: What made you choose a career in surveying?

Alexander: I was interested in buildings generally from a young age. During my GCSE years I had decided I wanted to become an architect and actually undertook a work experience at an Architecture / Engineering consultancy which I really enjoyed. Whilst this cemented my mind that I wanted to work in real estate, I wasn't totally sure on which aspect as the route to become a Chartered Architect at the time seemed quite long for me as a restless teenager. My mum actually suggested for me to consider surveying so I looked into it more whilst looking at potential future university courses. From that research I discovered there wasn't just one type of surveyor i.e. the ones who carry out residential home valuations for a bank mortgage. There were lots of different surveyors and the syllabus for the Building Surveying degrees looked the most interesting to me. 

Alexander: To me it's about increasing awareness of the various opportunities within real estate and showing those young Black people they won't be the enigma. One of the reasons why I set up the Multi-Cultural Surveyors Network was just for ethnic minorities to connect, share experiences and appreciate that they are not just an enigma. Surveying alone has more than 20 different specialisms which many teenagers simply will not be aware off when deciding what course to study at university. Additionally, I don't think the post graduate masters or conversion course route is well known either. The construction industry fairly or unfairly had a reputation of being an old boys club with business being won based on relationships rather than as a meritocracy. Therefore the profession as a whole needs some positive marketing and engagement with young people.

CJ: You've impressively worked your way up at Deloitte from Graduate to Assistant Director. As well as your personality traits, has anything else helped you in doing this?

Alexander: My mother taught me to work hard & smart but my life experiences allowed me to be adaptable. However, no one is an island so I've also been fortunate to have worked with good people who have helped me along the way. The Assistant Director in the team I first joined as a graduate acted like a mentor and took time to show me the ropes of Project Management. Coincidently he was a Chartered Architect & Chartered Surveyor. I then moved teams to widen my surveying experience and again one of the Assistant Directors in that team took the time to prepare me for my Assessment of Professional Competence, which I needed to pass to become a Chartered Surveyor. From working with different managers I was able to extract lots of useful information. So I would say what has helped my career is gaining the trust and respect from colleagues, obtaining the confidence of various clients and making the most of any opportunities presented. Being easy to work with has probably helped as well and I've had allies along the way.

CJ: Some argue against tokenism, but do you think we can do more as an industry to promote and empower Black people in leadership positions? 

Alexander: I would also argue against tokenism of anyone getting a job because of one factor e.g. their skin colour, etc. However, where two or three people have the ability to do the same job on offer, why not give it to the person who has had to overcome the most hurdles to even be in consideration for the job.

Unsurprisingly not everyone who starts as a graduate will become a Director or Partner at a surveying firm whether they are Black or not. The fact that Black people make up less than 2% of the RICS’s members shows the basic probability of a Black person making it to a leadership role is very slim. The industry as a whole is making positive change as there are a lot more Black surveying graduates than when I joined the industry, but it will take time for those graduates to filter into positions of leadership.

One of the contributing factors to the lack of Black leaders within various surveying firms is to do with the lack of training opportunities and mentoring. People naturally gravitate to people who have a similar background to them so Black people can struggle to find mentors or allies within the industry. As an example, the moment I meet someone from Manchester we have an instant connection to complain about the weather. Without allies in leadership you are unlikely to make it to the positions of leadership. One way to overcome this is to instigate reverse mentoring of Black colleagues and ensure they also have the opportunity to go on the leadership training programmes. Additionally Black people are keenly aware that some people will simply judge us by our colour, making it more difficult to win new business and consequently hit the fee targets required. 

Regardless of whether the above is addressed, promotions may still not be achieved so transparent promotion criteria and the salary gap reporting should become the industry norm.  

CJ: What have you found are the pros and cons of being labelled "BAME" and part of a minority in the sector?

Alexander: I personally think that BAME is like a catchy way to say non-White and by itself is simply too broad. However, on the flip side how granular do you go? Within the Asian community there are wide differences between how some Asians are treated in the work place or even just at the airport compared to others. A minority which suffers the most can be simply disguised within the numbers. Simply having lots of Black people in the company but no Asians or vice versa all under the guise of BAME can be misleading. However, it’s an established grouping in the UK so it has industry recognition. However, even if you make it more granular, just having overall numbers doesn’t make a difference unless management see there is an issue and put an action plan in place to provide a more inclusive work environment.

CJ: Who would you say inspires you? (property or non-property related).

Alexander: No one is perfect and we all make mistakes. My mum was a teacher and would volunteer and go extra mile to help less fortunate children of all races so I'm inspired by the stories of people who try and help the less fortunate, especially young people. Famous examples that come to mind are Lebron James and most recently Marcus Rashford. Coincidently they are both from poor single parent homes who have become famous sports players. Lebron James pays for the education of thousands of children and raises millions to help low income children. Rashford with his recent campaign to not just raise money but also to bring attention to children from poor families who risked missing out on meals. Critics will say, that these are celebrities who are doing this just for the good publicity and that may be the case. However, if it actually helps the less fortunate then it's still a good thing in my opinion especially when some other celebrities don’t give at all or worse have been caught using the money in their charities for their own personal benefit.

A non-famous person who I met by chance and totally mesmerised me is a guy called Dr Donald Kelly. He was born in Jamaica, studied Medicine at Oxford University in the 1960's and has since worked as a Medical Missionary Doctor all over the world (around 9 countries e.g. Papa New Guinea, Mexico, etc). He learnt Spanish fluently, taught himself to play the piano by ear and read music, suffered a stroke so had to relearn how to speak and is one of the most humble people you'd ever meet. I actually had to coerce this jaw dropping information out of him. I met him in the UK whilst he was visiting a friend, he was living in Sierra Leone, still working as a doctor and was raising eight orphans which he had adopted. 

My desire to help the next generation is what leads me to mentor people from all walks of life and try to enable surveyors to be better connected via the Multi-Cultural Surveyors Network as we can all help each other. Again, no one is an island. 

CJ: What long-term goals do you have in the built environment?

Alexander: Long term I'd love to build my own house (a building surveyor’s dream!) and set up a property development company. During a recent project I actually had to ask / negotiate with the neighbouring private road owners to determine if we could temporarily use their road for 12 hours. Whilst speaking to the first couple, I complimented them on their house and discovered they actually bought some land years ago and built 4.no bespoke houses for themselves and their relatives which got me immediately looking for land of my own. Whilst the saying goes – “it takes money to make money”, just remember that it doesn't have to all be your own money. There are always opportunities, it's just building up the courage to take the plunge, start small and hopefully it will grow…well that’s at least what I keep telling myself! I'd also love to continue to mentor, be in a position to offer work experience, help the less fortunate and promote the opportunities within the build environment industry to young people.