Companies founded, funding rounds raised, risks taken and opportunities seized. It has been a busy few years for the EG Rising Stars of years gone by.
Since launching the series in 2015, there have been examples in each cohort of Rising Stars who, years later, are exactly where they imagined they would be and there are those who have ended up in a completely different place to where they thought they were heading.
There are some who still proudly hold the same job title at the same company and others trying their hand at different roles. The common denominator? They have all achieved great things.
Here, we check back in with some of EG’s All Stars to catch up, get the inside track and steal their increasingly burgeoning haul of collective wisdom.
Priya Aggarwal-Shah Rising Star in 2018, aged 25
Job title then: Account manager, Built Environment Communications Group
Job title now: Founder and director, BAME in Property
Give us an update: 2018 was an incredible year for me – I had only launched BAME in Property the year before and it took the industry by storm. Since then I have spent evenings and weekends working on content, planning events, speaking with companies to continue the advocacy. I started monetising aspects of our work and in June 2022 I decided to work full time on what was once a side hustle.
What has been the biggest career lesson you have learnt since 2018? For every 10 times you hear no there will be one yes, so keep hustling!
The greatest surprise? Realising I had a lot more support than I thought.
And the biggest challenge? Getting companies to realise our added value.
Anything you would have done differently? I don’t think so. Everything has been a learning curve, I’m grateful for the life experience.
Prasanna Kannan Rising Star 2020, aged 34
Job title then and now: Co-founder, Native Finance
Have the past two years taken you along the trajectory you were expecting? Broadly. Which is surprising given I made the list during the first lockdown at a time of maximum uncertainty.
What have been the biggest career lessons you have learnt since you appeared as a Rising Star? Expect the unexpected and always question your own assumptions.
What has been your biggest challenge? Fundraising. B2B/CREtech propositions just aren’t that sexy and there isn’t enough capital coming from the industry itself for tech start-ups, considering how vast the asset class is.
Anything you would have done differently? Built our tech and gone all in sooner.
What has being a Rising Star meant for you? It has been hugely valuable and has given our business a great deal of credibility in a fairly traditional industry.
What piece of advice you would give to your Rising Star self? Don’t fear the future and enjoy the ride.
Kat Hanna Rising Star in 2018, aged 30
Job title then: Insight associate, Cushman & Wakefield
Job title now: Director, strategic advisory and special projects, Avison Young
Have the past four years taken you along the trajectory you were expecting? I have never really been one for mapping out my career, so I can’t say I had much of a trajectory in place.
What have been the biggest career lessons you have learnt since you appeared as a Rising Star? Be patient but not passive. And also, when it comes to work/life balance, you have to put your own boundaries in place.
What has been the biggest challenge? I didn’t find lockdown easy. Living alone, I ended up working more than I should have done, and had to work hard to put some boundaries back in place.
Anything you would have done differently? I’m not really one for regrets. Even on bad days, I have tried to remind myself that every experience and decision is an opportunity to learn.
Laurence Kemball-Cook Rising Star in 2016, aged 32
Job title then and now: Founder and chief executive, Pavegen
Give us an update: I have been able to facilitate large-scale funding opportunities to dramatically scale up Pavegen. We have invested heavily in the team and product development and have now collected more than 1bn footsteps on Pavegen from people around the world in excess of 36 countries.
What have been the biggest career lessons you have learnt? That hardware is hard and takes longer than you think to test. Pavegen is operating in every climate extreme around the world; from the deserts of Dubai and sub-zero temperatures of Minnesota to the humid heat of Hong Kong and the rain in Romford. This robust problem-solving is not possible overnight.
Anything you would have done differently? I would put more time into raising even more capital to focus our product market fit sooner.
What were known for professionally in 2016? Being a wacky inventor.
And now? An entrepreneur.
Tripty Arya Rising Star in 2018, aged 34
Job title then and now: Founder and chief executive, Travtus
What has been the biggest career lesson you have learnt since you appeared as a Rising Star? Stick to fundamentals. And do the hard thing.
And the greatest surprises? That being a parent is really hard. Being an ambitious parent is harder. Also, the right people will judge you on performance. The wrong ones will judge you on funding yardsticks and press clippings.
What about the biggest challenge? No one wants to change. But they do want to transform.
Anything you would have done differently? Kept our focus only on the US market. It would have saved us a year of both time and resources.
What were you known for professionally in 2018? Audacity.
And now? Silence.
What piece of advice would you give your Rising Star self? Stay quiet but vigilant. Speak less. Do more. Your job is not to convince an industry to want to change. Your job is to be the change.
Olga Turner Baker Rising Star in 2016, aged 26
Job title then: Associate director, CBRE
Job title now: Managing director, Ekkist
Give us an update: Since being named a Rising Star I have set up my own consultancy for the built environment, Ekkist. The company focuses on creating healthier buildings and masterplans by applying scientific research and international building certifications. I was listed in the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2019 and Ekkist has now grown into an award-winning practice, working with some of the largest and most innovative developers in the UK.
Have the past few years taken you along the trajectory you were expecting? No. I planned to “work my way up” at a large corporate. But when the opportunity arose to embrace a new sector and create my own firm, it seemed to be a now-or-never moment.
What has being a Rising Star meant for you? It helped to propel my career, particularly when building my own firm. I felt like I had the backing of a major industry voice and it gave me the confidence to engage with influential people.
Jacob Loftus Rising Star in 2016, aged 28
Job title then: Head of UK Investment, Resolution Property
Job title now: Chief executive, General Projects
Give us an update: I left Resolution shortly after the Rising Star awards. It’s been quite a journey starting General Projects just 48 hours after the Brexit vote. We have since grown into a team of 13 and built a portfolio of more than 1.5m sq ft working on some of London’s most iconic buildings.
Have you achieved what you set out to since 2016? I think so but equally there is still so much we would like to accomplish, and it feels that we are really just in the first innings of General Projects as a team and as a business.
What has been the biggest career lesson you have learnt since you appeared as a Rising Star? Nothing ever stays static.
Hamish Dupree Rising Star in 2020, aged 30
Job title then: Head of London markets, WiredScore
Job title now: Director of business development, UK & Ireland, WiredScore
Have achieved what you set out to in the past two years? In many ways. A highlight has been launching SmartScore, our certification for smart buildings, which has now become the benchmark for the smartest buildings around the world.
What has been the biggest career lesson you have learnt? To manage my emotions more effectively. I am now much better at thinking clearly during times of high stress and focusing on things within my control.
And the biggest challenge? Choosing the most impactful
area to focus on. There are a huge number of exciting opportunities we could pursue. Choosing the best one is the most difficult part.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to your Rising Star self? Remember to be present. It is very easy to be so focused on what comes next that you forget to enjoy yourself in the process.
William Newton Rising Star 2016, aged 30
Job title then and now: President and managing director, WiredScore
Give us an update: We were a five-person team in the UK in 2016. Now we have 80 colleagues in the UK, 150 colleagues globally, offices in seven countries, and are working in 27 countries.
Have the past six years taken you along the trajectory you were expecting? Not expecting but certainly hoping.
What has been the biggest career lesson you have learnt? Scaling globally is harder than it looks.
What has been the biggest challenge? Predictably, running a company through a pandemic. There was no playbook for what to do and, as with every other leadership team of a business, we had to make it up as we went along. We got some things right and some things wrong, but using a north star of caring for our employees and clients is something I think allowed us to come out of the other side even stronger.
Charlie Wade Rising Star in 2017, aged 32
Job title now and then: Managing director, VTS
Give us an update: Opening the London office for VTS and being a part of the company’s international growth over the past seven years has been incredible. Working for any high-growth business is exciting and it is why I decided to leave the more traditional path of a chartered surveyor to pursue the opportunity.
Have you achieved what you set out to since 2017? When you reach a major milestone it doesn’t take long to look ahead and set the next so, no, there is always more to achieve.
What have been the biggest career lessons you have learnt? Managing people is hard. When you are really invested in developing a team it becomes so much harder than just managing your own personal success.
What piece of advice you would give your Rising Star self? Don’t forget to take time to celebrate the journey and thank those around you who are supporting you.
Ross Bailey Rising Star in 2015, aged 23
Job title then and now: Founder and chief executive, Appear Here
Give us an update: Back in 2015 when I was a Rising Star I made a list of where I wanted Appear Here to be by 2020. My dad told me to add a zero on to the figures for headcount and company valuation and by March 2020 I had achieved it all. We had offices in London, Paris and New York, more than 100 people working for the company and a valuation of $100m (£86m). Then Covid happened and it all disappeared overnight. We had to lose 100 people and our revenue dropped by 95%. We had to focus on staying alive, which we did. Now we are rebuilding and, in the UK, we are nearly back to where we were pre-Covid.
What has been the biggest career lesson you have learnt? Resilience. From the ages of 23 to 28 it was all about growth. By the time I hit 30 I fully understood what resilience is.
What piece of advice would you give your Rising Star self? Ignore the highs and the lows. Don’t get too excited by the ups or depressed by the downs. Success comes from continuity.
The best of the rest
- James and Thom Elliot, Rising Stars in 2015, aged 29 and 31. Co-founders, Pizza Pilgrims
- Savanah de Savary, Rising Star in 2016, aged 25. Then: Founder and chief executive of IndustryHub. Now: Founder and chief executive, Built-ID
- Lee Butz Rising Star in 2017, aged 27. Then and now: Founder, District Technologies. Now: Co-founder, Authentic Technologies
- Jack Sibley Rising Star in 2018, aged 23. Then: Head of global innovation, TH Real Estate. Now: Head of partnerships, Insurami
- Harri John Rising Star in 2019, aged 25. Then: Co-founder, CREation. Now: Head of digital advisory, CBRE
- Esha Vatsa Rising Star 2020, aged 33. Then: Investment manager, PiLabs. Now: VC investor, Forward Partners
Thanks to Convene at 22 Bishopsgate for the use of their space to photograph our Rising Stars.
To send feedback, e-mail emily.wright@eg.co.uk or tweet @EmilyW_9 or @EGPropertyNews
