St. Modwen Logistics |

“The rotational programme has given me a great breadth of diversity within the industry, and has allowed me to focus on areas I find more interesting, whilst gaining exposure to all aspects of the industry”

I joined St. Modwen straight out of university, after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography. Whilst it’s not a real estate background, my geography studies exposed me to real estate from an urban development perspective, which I was fascinated by. I had statistical analysis skills from my degree, and had a strong understanding of how complex development could be — so I was well-set for my current role in St. Modwen.

I really enjoyed the recruitment process, and couldn’t wait to start on the rotational logistics programme. I knew that I wanted a career in real estate, but didn’t know where to begin — so the rotational programme was a massive benefit to me. It’s given me a breadth of diversity within the industry, and has allowed me to focus on areas I find more interesting, whilst also gaining exposure to all the different aspects of the property sector.

In my current role, I assist the FP&A and Portfolio team as a portfolio analyst, reporting on and analysing business decisions. It’s been a learning curve, but one I’ve been supported through by St. Modwen and the team around me. I can now use PowerBI and Anaplan confidently, which I couldn’t before!

When I think about my career highlights so far, there’s one project that sticks out. Earlier last year I worked with the acquisition team, completing the transaction of a large south east portfolio. Seeing the process of an acquisition from origination to completion was exciting, and I can’t wait to work on similar projects as I progress in my career at St. Modwen. It’s a special place here, made exciting and inspiring by the people. They’re a friendly, supportive bunch.

Alongside the people, St. Modwen is a fast-paced business that’s always changing for the better. It has been fascinating to see the amount of change over the past year, and the continued improvement of our operations.

If you’re looking for a role in the industry or at St. Modwen Logistics, I’d tell you to keep an open mind, and try to find a role that allows you to explore the breadth of the industry — whilst developing your professional experience. For St. Modwen specifically, I’d encourage you to get acquainted with what we actually do, and the values that we embody as a business. When you’re in the recruitment process, talk about your attitude, how it fits in with our values, and what you can contribute to the business!

If you’re thinking about applying, go for it! Anything is possible here at St. Modwen.

First things first, did you come from a Real Estate background? How did your degree set you up for success at St. Modwen?

I came to St. Modwen with a Bachelor's degree in Economics and didn’t have a background in real estate. However, during one of my finance modules, we explored the investment market, and how real estate has become a key driver in the growth of alternative investments. This laid the foundation for further research into the industry and cemented my interest in pursuing a career in real estate.

My degree helped strengthen my analytical skills and gave me a solid foundation in micro and macro economics. This has allowed me to confidently understand the background of the decision-making processes across each of the different business units at St. Modwen.

How did you start your career at St. Modwen, and why did you choose us?

I joined St. Modwen after an internship at Blackstone, where I researched the logistics sector and how their portfolio companies were driving growth in the industry. After discovering St. Modwen Logistics and reading about the rotational aspect of the graduate programme, I knew that it would be a great opportunity as someone without a cognate background to gain direct exposure to the core business units and obtain a holistic understanding of real estate.

What sort of work do you do, and what are the skills required?

I spend a lot of time underwriting and analysing new deals, inspecting potential acquisitions in different regions, collaborating with different business units to form a joined-up view on investment decisions, and implementing new initiatives to help streamline our investment process and analysis.

This requires solid collaborative and communication skills as you’re dealing with different stakeholders. Being able to work in a fast-paced, constantly changing environment whilst maintaining attention to detail is a must. It’s also best to approach everything with an open mind — you’ll constantly be learning new things!

What makes St. Modwen a great place to work?

Being joined up makes working so much fun, as different teams work together to share their specialisms, and achieve the same goals.

I also love the projects I get to work on. After underwriting and analysing a new opportunity, I enjoy inspecting the sites as you never know what to expect!

What are your tips on securing a role in Real Estate?

Networking is extremely important, as it is a very sociable industry where a good reputation can take you a long way. Be open to doing different types of roles, and don’t narrow your career

options — there’s valuable experience to learn from across the industry.

For St. Modwen in particular, I’d read up on any recent developments or deals that we’ve done that stood out to you. Also, I’d read up on our values, and talk in your interviews about any experiences you’ve had that relate to them.

Any last comments?

St. Modwen Logistics is an exciting, fast-paced work environment — it’s perfect for building your career in real estate. The people in the business are so motivated to help you develop your career, both personally and professionally.

How did you join St. Modwen, and what made you decide to choose us?

I came to St. Modwen after completing my Masters in Real Estate, at the University of Reading. My career advisor sent me some information about the graduate scheme at St. Modwen — after reading about the company and learning about the rotations, I was convinced that this was the best place for me to develop further.

I started in the Development Team, and spent the first few weeks sitting in on meetings with consultants, landowners, legal teams and agents, before starting to have my own responsibilities like producing appraisals, and helping development managers pull together investment committee papers.

What sort of work are you doing, and what skills are required?

The work in the Development Team is very varied, which I enjoy. One day I can be focused on appraisals and the financial viability of a scheme, and the next I can be communicating with agents about the market and demand in certain locations.

There’s one scheme that comes to mind, where we were struggling to make the scheme financially viable. But, by engaging with agents to increase rents and finding ways to reduce both land and build costs, we were able to remove the gap in the appraisal, and made the scheme viable.

An important skill to have is problem-solving, as each scheme provides its own challenges — just because something works in one scheme, it doesn’t guarantee that it’ll work elsewhere.

What makes St. Modwen a special place to work?

The people. They’re great. From my first day, I was made to feel very welcome by everyone I came across. And, the projects we work on are best-in-class in the UK — so we have a combination of amazing people, and amazing projects. It’s a great place to work!

What are your tips to secure a role in Real Estate, or at St. Modwen?

It’s really important that you build a strong network. Real estate is a small industry, so going to networking events is a great way to meet people who you’ll likely be working with in the future. Also, I’d tell people to stay on top of industry news — be interested in what’s going on, and follow news articles and relevant reports.

As for St. Modwen, learn about the company and what we do. Be prepared to talk about what makes you stand out as the best possible candidate! Also, demonstrate that you can work under pressure, and as part of a team. Give examples of where you’ve done this in the past — it’s a critical part of working in Real Estate!

Do you have any final comments to people reading this?

Good luck!

My experience on St. Modwen’s Asset Management Programme: Rawa Serwan

Rawa studied Geography at Durham University, before joining St. Modwen on the Rotational Logistics Programme. Although he didn’t have a real estate background, his geographical studies exposed Rawa to real estate from an urban development perspective, piquing his interest in the industry. Confident in his non-cognate degree, Rawa applied to St. Modwen — he’d picked up strong statistical analysis skills and an understanding of development complexities whilst at Durham, and was keen to use both in the real world.

He knew he wanted to work in property, but didn’t know where to begin — so our rotational programme was perfect. It’s given him a wealth of knowledge, and a great introduction to property. “The rotational programme has allowed me to focus on areas I find more interesting, whilst gaining exposure to all aspects of the industry”, he says. At the moment, Rawa is a portfolio analyst on our FP&A and Portfolio team, where he’s become skilled in programmes like PowerBI and Anaplan. He’s loved the pace of change at St. Modwen, saying “it’s a fast-paced business that’s always changing for the better. It’s been fascinating to see the amount of change over the past year, which has continued to improve our operations”.

Rawa’s thriving in our rotational programme. Here’s what he has to say to other people who may be coming from a non-real estate background: “keep an open mind, and try to find a role that allows you to explore the industry whilst developing your professional experience”.

Thriving on the Investments Team: Alex Sesay

Alex also came to us without a cognate degree — he studied Economics at university. It was during one of his finance modules that his desire to work in real estate was realised. “We explored the investment market”, he says, “and how Real Estate has become a key driver in the growth of the alternative investment sector. This cemented my interest in pursuing a career in real estate”. After completing an internship at Blackstone, Alex knew all about our work in the logistics sector, and jumped at the opportunity to join the St. Modwen Logistics team.

He’s now part of the furniture here, and has thrived in the investments team. When asked what he’s been doing, Alex rattles off a long list: “underwriting and analysing new deals, inspecting potential acquisitions in different regions, collaborating with the different business units to form a joint-up view on investment decisions and implementing/improving new initiatives to help streamline our investment process and analysis”. He’s definitely been busy!

So, what gets him excited in the day-to-day? “Can I have two things?”, he asks. “I’d have to say inspecting the sites — you never know what to expect. That, and our value of being joined up. It makes working a lot more fun, as different teams work together to share their specialisms in order to achieve the same goal”.

A journey on the Development team: Harry Margolis

Harry joined us straight out of university, after studying for a Masters Degree in Real Estate, at Reading University. He knew that he wanted to pursue a career in property, and St. Modwen Logistics was top of his list. “After reading about the company and learning about the rotations”, he says, “I was convinced that this was the best place for me to develop further”. Starting on the Development Team, Harry was soon working with plenty of responsibility. “It only took a few weeks before I started to have my own responsibilities, like producing appraisals and helping development managers pull together investment committee papers”, he says fondly.

No day quite looks the same at St. Modwen Logistics, which is one of the things Harry appreciates the most. “The work in the Development Team is very varied, which I enjoy”, he says. “One day I can be focused on appraisals and the financial viability of a scheme, and the next I can be communicating with agents about the market and demand in different locations”. It’s a place where change is a constant, and people like Harry revel in it.

Aside from the rate of change, what else makes St. Modwen Logistics a special place to work? Harry answers instantly: “the people. They’re great. From my first day, I was made to feel very welcome by everyone I came across. And, the projects we work on are best-in-class in the UK — so we have a combination of amazing people, and amazing projects. It’s a great place to work”. We’re glad you think so, Harry!

What are their top tips for applying to St. Modwen?

After navigating the St. Modwen Logistics recruitment process themselves, here’s what Rawa, Alex and Harry would recommend to anyone thinking of following their path.

• Be familiar with the values

Learn about St Modwen and what the company does, and be prepared to talk about what makes you stand out as the best possible candidate. Get a good understanding of St. Modwen’s values and what they mean to you, and discuss how your attitude would reflect them.

• Be up-to-date

Read up on any recent developments or deals that St. Modwen has done, which stand out to you. Show your interest in the industry and what’s going on, by following news articles and relevant reports.

• Bring up your relevant experience

Even if you don’t have any real estate experience, it’s crucial that you demonstrate that you can work under pressure, and as part of a team. Give examples of where you’ve done this, as it’s a big part of working in real estate.

• Network, network, network

Networking is a big part of working in property and real estate, as it’s a very sociable sector — having a good reputation can take you a long way. If you can, go to networking events, and meet people who you may be working with in the future.