Meet Jessica Wilson, an Associate Director in Newsteer’s planning team. Jess is working on planning projects in London and across the UK, advising private and public sector clients on planning strategy at varying stages of development; from feasibility and inception, to securing planning permission, and project delivery. An active member of Newsteer’s Real Estate Balance Committee, Jess recently joined a panel discussion alongside Real Estate Balance, celebrating International Women’s Day, championing initiatives to create an inclusive, balanced and diverse workplace, where everyone feels valued and supported.
Jess shares her career to date, how Newsteer is fostering an inclusive culture, and why planning is a great career choice:
Why did you want to become a planner?
I did a BSc degree in Geography at University of Sheffield followed by an MSc in Urban and Regional Planning at University of Birmingham. After that, I completed a couple of short placements at a local authority and a private consultancy during the summer of my third year.
Towards the end of my degree, I researched careers relating to geography and the environment as I knew I wanted to continue in the same sphere. Pursuing a career in which I have a keen interest and job security has always been a priority for me. After much research, I narrowed it down to meteorology (exploring how realistic becoming the next Sian Lloyd could be!) and urban and regional planning (very different I know!).
In the end, planning won – mainly due to the opportunity to work in a people-focused environment and across disciplines spanning the full breadth of the built environment. A clear career progression was also an important part of making that decision.
What type of projects do get involved in?
I have always enjoyed working across a range of projects – both in terms of land use and scale. I work on projects across multiple sectors, from central area residential-led mixed-use schemes on relatively constrained sites, to major greenfield residential sites. Since joining Newsteer I have also been working with a number of NHS clients across several hospital sites in London and beyond. I am currently taking a lead role in supporting the building of a new regional hospital in the East of England which is part of the Government’s New Hospitals Programme.
It’s exciting being part of a new business and in a really successful team which is successfully working closely with clients in delivering more than 5,500 new homes across London and the south east (private sale, affordable, co-living, Build to Rent), as well as student accommodation, commercial, health and retail space.
Have you ever had to overcome bias in your career to date?
Over the years, I have experienced some bias both in attending and leading project meetings. Sometimes I am the only woman in the room. That can lead to a certain dynamic, however I always believe that I can bring another perspective to a project and make sure I focus on clear and robust advice which I have no issue defending. I find that builds respect and a stronger team ethos.
The most important part of my role is feeling confident that I am performing to the very best of my ability, achieving successful outcomes and therefore not giving any reason to question anything around my identity or background.
How is the Real Estate Balance (REB) Diversity Toolkit helping promote an inclusive and diverse workplace at Newsteer?
The toolkit has been instrumental in the preparation of our Community Behaviours, which provides guidance and agreement on the ways we want to work to enable our Business to grow, not only in terms of gender balance but also wider diversity. We acknowledged that our business was set up by a predominantly male team but we are now closer to a 50/50 balance of male/female – I’m very proud of my business for that! Our membership of REB is a positive platform from which we can enrich our commitment to change.
How else can we encourage an inclusive culture – especially in a real estate start up?
We see real value in engaging with REB at such an early point in our Business growth. Given our size, we want to maximise the potential that the REB network offers in providing the opportunity to promote talking about inclusivity and diversity more, and learning from others across the industry. Ultimately we want the inclusive culture we are encouraging through our Community Behaviours to grow organically as the business continues to grow too.
What would you recommend to any budding planners? How do they make themselves stand out?
In planning, I find there are always many different factors and variables to consider on any project, and so there is a skill in being able to adapt and be flexible in navigating the planning system to achieve the best outcome. I would recommend making sure you form a solid technical basis. Although it may seem tiresome, getting to grips with the legislation and regulations which underpin planning really is a key starting point and will stand you in good stead for developing your career.
How can we support more women to choose a career in planning?
If I think back to being at school and university, planning was not a clear potential career path for me and so I feel that there’s more work to be done in terms of careers education at an earlier age.
Planning provides an opportunity to work across the built environment in a way which encourages interaction with all the different elements of the development process. It is a key component of shaping the places and spaces around us. Planning is a fantastic career choice, with lots of opportunities for individuals and many more to deliver change for society as a whole. But it needs to be highlighted as a career choice and visibly accessible to everyone, so that more women feel encouraged into the industry.