Going Global: Katie Mansfield - The lady leading the way for Cushman & Wakefield’s Global Occupier Services
What do you enjoy about working in Global Occupier Services for Cushman & Wakefield?
In my opinion GOS is the most diverse department within C&W and with that comes a fantastic diverse group of colleagues. As well as enjoying working with some of the market leading figures, I also particularly love the cross border nature and daily variety of the job. One day I could be working on a lease renewal in Myanmar, the next a lease acquisition in San Francisco and then next travelling to Finland on a building tour!
How has your role progressed and changed during your time with the firm?
I joined as a graduate in 2004, in Manchester and over the last 12 years I have held various roles in different offices; from working in our valuation department in Manchester to moving to Ireland working in our investment agency and retail agency teams in Dublin. After a 12 month career break to travel during the GFC I returned to work in Dublin, focussing on corporate occupier clients which gave me my first insight into GOS. Seeking a new challenge in 2011, I transferred to our London City office to specialise in GOS and was rewarded after 18 months for my efforts and contribution to the business by being promoted to Partner.
What sets GOS apart from the competition?
I believe C&W GOS stands out from the crowd as we put our people at the heart of what we do. By the very nature of the people that lead our team, we have managed to keep a family unit feel and are always looking out for each other. C&W provides everyone with the platform to explore opportunities near and far and ensures that an individual’s specific skills or expertise are supported. Our team can only be the best in we invest in our employees as they are our business.
What opportunities has C&W offered you during your career here?
C&W has offered many opportunities during my career, some of which I have pursued some of which I didn’t. During the last 12 years I have transferred and worked across three different offices and I took a seconded role in Bank of Ireland’s Real Estate team for 8 months. The most recent opportunity I have completed, which was also a personal achievement, was hiking in the Himalayas with seven other colleagues for our company’s charity, Teenage Cancer Trust. We climbed to a summit of approx. 3,200m and raised in excess of £32,000.
I am also involved in a number of extra-curricular activities such as C&W’s inclusion and diversity group ‘Inspire’, graduate and team recruitment and the company’s People’s Committee Forum (PCF). There are many excellent opportunities at C&W if you put yourself forward, such as client secondments, C&W international office relocations / secondments, sabbaticals, volunteering, charitable events and sports and social events.
What advice would you give to a candidate who wants to work for us – what do the team look for?
GOS is a collaborative global team which covers a wide range of real estate services from, Transaction Management, Facilities Management, Programme Management Office, Data Centre Advisory, Strategic Consulting, Occupier Management and Enterprise Solutions.
We are therefore looking for candidates who are passionate and have a real desire to work in Real Estate. We are looking for a mix of candidates who are talented, ambitious and offer a varied skill set. If you are diligent, organised, adaptable, motivated and innovative and have an interest in working within an international team you would be a great fit for our business.
Join our Global Occupier Services Team.