More and more of us are meeting our life partners through work. So to mark St Valentine’s Day, Julia Cahill spoke to three couples who have the property industry to thank for bringing them together and asked them how they balance work and home life
James Darkins & Jane Hamilton
Jane was HSBC’s European head of corporate real estate until December 2013 and is now developing her non-executive career. James is chief executive of TIAA Henderson Real Estate. They met in 2000. James was working in Sydney at AMP, which owned Henderson. Jane joined as managing director of property management and they worked together for three months before James moved to London. They only met again five years ago, while Jane was working for ANZ Bank and James was on a business trip to Australia. Jane moved to the UK and they married in 2011.
What professional quality do you most admire about your partner?
James: The way that Jane has been able to achieve consensus among stakeholders in large institutions such as ANZ Bank and HSBC. And the way she has developed the careers of women in her teams and made a lie of the glass ceiling.
Jane: His intelligence and professionalism. James thinks very strategically and is incredibly tenacious.
What is your partner’s proudest career moment?
James: Jane was responsible for commissioning and delivering ANZ Bank’s 1.4m sq ft HQ in Melbourne, Australia’s largest single-occupancy building. I have never seen a better-functioning HQ.
Jane: James has had a very varied career, including establishing a yacht charter business in the Mediterranean in his twenties, but I think he is proudest of the team he has built at TH Real Estate.
Your advice for making a relationship work in the same industry?
James: Clear segregation between work and home. I work best when my brain has down time to process information in the background. So sharing non-property interests is important as a couple and good for productivity and innovation.
Jane: Respect for each other’s need to keep work confidential and clear guidelines if you are working on conflicting projects.
What is the geekiest property-related activity you have done at the weekend?
James: When Jane moved to the UK and was talking to prospective employers, we spent a weekend visiting every property that a major investment bank had in London.
Jane: When we go to a new city we always tour the CBD and look at properties.
What would your partner do if he/she did not work in property?
James: Jane could go back to her first career as an actress.
Jane: Still property, but James would have been a builder. On honeymoon we stayed in a rustic beach shack in Croatia and James took a tool kit to fix any problems.
Roberta Anderson & Roger Southam
Roberta is head of acquisitions at ground rent investor Dorchester, which was set up in 2010 and launched a fund with Aviva Investors in 2011. Roger Southam is chairman and chief executive at residential asset manager Chainbow and a past master of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors. The couple met at an industry conference in 2007 and were friends for five years before dating. They married last July.
What is your partner’s proudest career moment?
Roger: Achieving her MRICS at the first attempt – more than I could do. And her appointment to the development board of Oval House, a fantastic charity that needs huge support.
Roberta: Being master of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors, celebrating 25 years in business with Chainbow and being appointed non-executive chair of the Leasehold Advisory Service.
What are the tell-tale signs that your partner is snowed under with a big deal or project?
Roger: The weight of her briefcase.
Roberta: Increased concentration.
Your advice for making a relationship work within the same industry?
Roger: Keep a strict division between work and home.
Roberta: Remember you married an interesting person, not a career prospect.
Who is in charge at home?
Both: Equal partnership
What are the best and worst aspects of being married to an industry peer?
Roger: The best is going home together from networking events we both attend. The worst is people assuming we have nothing better to talk about at home than work.
Roberta: Ditto
What is the geekiest property-related activity you have done at the weekend?
Roger: Nothing geeky, but the coolest has been the Surveyors Livery weekend on HMS Echo with our two military affiliates, TA135 and 7010 Squadron.
Roberta: Not at the weekend, but a charity parachute jump. It was excellent.
Rosemarie & Christopher Jones
Rosemarie is deputy surveyor for the Church Commissioners and Chris is a director at Masons Property Advisers, City. They met in February 2005 at a City building for which Chris had been appointed letting agent by the Church Commissioners.
What professional quality do you most admire about your partner?
Chris: Her ability to run a diverse team and deal with a huge variety of property and land across all sectors.
Rosemarie: There are two, integrity and kindness, and between them they cover just about everything – and I think kindness in particular is very underrated.
What is your partner’s proudest career moment?
Rosemarie: Becoming a director at Masons.
Chris: Celebrating 25 years at the Church Commissioners with her colleagues.
What are the tell-tale signs they are snowed under with a big deal or project?
Rosemarie: I just don’t see Chris.
Chris: Rosemarie is glued to the laptop.
How do you avoid talking shop at home?
Both: We often talk markets and news at home, but our golden rule is that we don’t talk about current deals.
Who is in charge at home?
Both: Our daughter, Eleanor, who is seven.
