January

Daniel Westley

Valuation & Advisory Services

Whilst in the International Valuation Team, I and another grad were sent out to Germany to carry out some internal inspections of newly purchased industrial units. We arrived in Hamburg early afternoon only to find that a white van had been booked for us as a hire car, needless to say we pretty quickly changed this and got on our way. The first day was largely spent navigating the German Autobahns and trying to find our hotel, as well as sampling the gastronomic delights that Hamburg and the motorway petrol stations had to offer!

Early the next morning we set off to meet a number of property managers and the client at our first industrial unit. The initial language barrier (given that they were all native and spoke little English) meant that even with the introductions and business card swapping, we all still completely misunderstood who each other was and began talking and asking questions that would usually not be asked, and all in broken English. We undertook 4 internal inspections all spread out across North-West Germany including one next door to a high security prison and throughout the day had to battle German traffic, one-way roads, the harsh winter weather as well as dealing with a lot of lost in translation conversations. To top off the trip, we flew home in what can only be described as a loo roll with wings and a hair dryer for engines, I couldn’t even stand up! However once back in the safety of the office, knowing that the inspections had been completed, I was able to gain some very good valuation work out of it and a different experience to remember. Just another day in and out of the office for a CBRE Graduate.

February

Sara Natar

CB Richard Ellis Investors

At CBRE Investors I am involved with the day to day direct property portfolio management for two of CBRE Investors’ clients. February was a particularly busy month as I was leading the acquisition of an industrial estate for one of our larger funds whilst still asset managing the existing portfolio of properties. The transaction involved liaising (almost daily) with our solicitor, building surveyor, agent and environmental consultant to ensure that there were no problems with the property and to keep the transaction running smoothly.

Usually once a week I am out of the office on inspections, either checking up on existing holdings or inspecting properties we are considering purchasing. In February, I was in Cambridge, Leamington Spa, Birmingham and Kettering. I also spent a day in Bisley clay pigeon shooting on a corporate event so my days out of the office are can be pretty varied!

March

Joseph Bahsoon

Government & Infrastructure

In March I was working on a project to procure a development partner for a large London Borough. This involved daily contact with the Head of Regeneration for the Council, the creation of complex development appraisals and calculating the cost of compulsory purchasing the land, which is anticipated to be in the region of £110 million pounds. The project involved meetings with leading UK retailers.

Alongside the variety of high profile projects, me and the other graduates in G&I have been on an expenses paid trip to the inaugural CBRE Tag Rugby tournament in Dublin, which the Graduate team narrowly missed out on winning. The trip provided the opportunity to meet employees from Dublin and other UK offices, not to mention sampling the Dublin nightlife. The graduates also became the fastest team to the top of the Gherkin in the Step Up 4 Christchurch charity event which included a mention in the BBC news!

April

Christian Anderton

Development Consultancy & Land Agency

The UK Development Land Team sits within the Business Space department and consists of specialists in the fields of Development Land Agency, Consultancy, Regeneration, Affordable Housing and Residential Investment. We represent major land and portfolio owners, promoting development sites to achieve their maximum value. As a graduate, I have had the opportunity to be fully involved in all aspects of the business. This has included attending client meetings, pitching, writing consultancy reports, undertaking site inspections and marketing opportunities.

In April, after several years of planning and design to de-risk the site, we were able to bring to market a former postal sorting office in Twickenham. With a total land area of 6 acres, by size and value, this is arguably the largest mixed-use development site that will be brought to market in 2011. As such, it has attracted offers from the most recognised property companies, developers and house builders in the UK. In my role, I have been responsible for drafting the sales brochure, leading site visits, responding to technical inquiries, evaluating proposals, client reporting and negotiating with shortlisted parties.

Outside of the office, I have had the honour of captaining the CB Richard Ellis football team. Football, as with is all sports, is very well supported within the company. This year we have competed in the Lionheart Surveyor’s Premier League, finishing the season as champions. We also took part in the Hays Property Cup, winning the plate competition in a closely fought match played at The Den, Home of Millwall FC. There are a number of graduates playing major roles in teams and we welcome any new additions wanting to get involved.

May

Rachel Ferguson

Planning

Since starting as a non-cognate in March 2010, I have built up my knowledge bank and expertise in planning and with it been given increasing responsibility on projects. In May I received a decision notice for a project which which I co-ordinated from start to finish including analysing the planning issues, writing the fee proposals, appointing sub-consultants, drafting reports and collating and submitting the final application documents.

The majority of my time is spent working alongside experienced colleagues on strategic development proposals within London which are at different stages of the planning process, from scheme conception through to releasing conditions for consented applications. To assist in this role, I continue to monitor the Mayor’s website for strategic planning decisions and the release of new policy documents, informing colleagues and producing Briefing Notes for internal and external circulation. I produced a note on the residential mix provision for Embassy Gardens - a hybrid planning application for a mixed use development comprising almost 250,000 sq m (GEA) new floorspace in the Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea Opportunity Area.

With summer approaching, I’m busy arranging softball matches. I co-captain the CBRE team with another graduate and we organise fixtures against other property firms and clients on a weekly basis. I am also preparing for a weekend in the Peak District with five colleagues to undertake the Hope Challenge. We will spend the weekend sleeping in a self-constructed shelter and undertaking orienteering challenges to raise money for Habitat for Humanity, one of CBRE’s corporate charities.

June

Annalise Walker

Valuation & Advisory Services

My current seat is in retail valuation where we value shopping centres, retail warehouses, supermarkets and factory outlets from all over the country. My workload as a graduate member of the team has always been pretty full on and every quarter since I joined last September I’ve been responsible for the valuation of three shopping centres. As part of a team we managed a shopping centre fund worth over £400 million. At the beginning of the month we attended the quarterly update meeting with the client where we ran through all of the changes to the schemes in the fund, and discussed where we thought the value of the fund was going. In the week that followed I was responsible for valuing the shopping centres, accounting for all of the changes to tenants and costs, talking to the rent review surveyors and letting agents before reporting back to the client on the final value and debating with them the outcome. The lot sizes of the centres I worked on range between £35-£70 million and are fantastic assets to value as a graduate as they’re very big with so much changing every quarter.

Aside from valuing shopping centres in June, one of my team mates organised a group entry into the Land Aid 5k Fun Run at Battersea Park. Over 20 of us took part from all parts of the business in the London offices, some more sporting and competitive than others! There was a BBQ put on afterwards so it was also a great excuse to relax and socialise with colleagues and surveyors at other firms. June also saw the CBRE Summer Ball at the Grosvenor House Hotel which was a huge party with over 1,000 CBRE employees from all over the UK – it was an absolutely massive event with a casino, live music and a raffle to win a return trip to New York. Sadly I didn’t win, but it was still a fantastic night and great chance to meet colleagues from all over the country.

July

Simon Steer

West End Office Agency

CBRE’s West End Office Agency team are the sole agents instructed to let space for a high profile client based in Mayfair. The building comprises approximately 34,000 sq ft of office accommodation over seven floors and includes three luxury apartments on the top floor. Since the downturn in the economic cycle, the construction of new office space in the West End has been very limited. It is therefore a real privilege to be involved in this letting campaign due to the scarcity of similar developments in the West End market. The project is particularly significant to CBRE due to the firm's involvement at all stages of the building’s delivery. Our planning team secured planning permission in January 2008 which enabled our West End Capital Markets team to sell the site to the current owners later that year. Our Building Consultancy team then advised throughout the construction phase to ensure the successful delivery of the building which completed in June 2011.

Since my involvement with the project, I have conducted inspections of the building with prospective occupiers who have included major players from the energy and financial sectors. Every fortnight I attend client meetings to discuss the ongoing marketing strategy. Working on this project has been a great opportunity to work with multiple departments within CBRE and I have made many new contacts outside of my own team.

When not letting office buildings, the summer has held many opportunities for teams to enter various property sporting events. In the last four weeks, I have participated in the LandAid Fun Run in Battersea Park and a Property Triathlon. Less strenuous activities have included a CBRE Sailing Regatta in the Isle of Wight and a West End Office Agency away day to enjoy some water skiing.

August

Oliver Sprackling

Retail Lease Consultancy

Fresh from my secondment at Invista Real Estate, I bear up to a new role working within the landlord team whilst carrying on with Central London lease consultancy. Within this new team the focus is on a collaborative effort between investment, agency and professional across the UK. This month was a highlight for the retail department as we attended the annual cocktail party at the Victoria & Albert museum. Up to 600 people were present and the attendees included some of the biggest names in both the retailing and Landlord world. During this period we set a new rental tone east of Oxford Circus, a project I heavily worked on. During this month my boss also gave me responsibility to asset manage a scheme just off New Bond Street which allowed me to work closely with our client.

Over a weekend, 17 of our wider team embarked on completing the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge. Organised by a couple of us younger guys, everyone of all ages and fitness levels made it round the route and raised over £4,000 for our departments chosen charity, Kidsco. Feeling in pain after the challenge, I embarked upon putting together a pitch on Tottenham Court Road in which I was given the opportunity to take the lead. The month ended with the landlord team undertaking portfolio reviews for two major clients. It’s my job to co-ordinate these reviews and with over 350 assets between them, I know I’m going to be busy!

September

Luke Armstrong

Valuation Advisory

Working in the International team is extremely varied and involves a lot of interaction with our European offices and International Clients. The work is diverse and there is a lot to do. Last month I was co-ordinating a shopping centre benchmarking project which involved all of our offices across EMEA for one of our largest clients.

As soon as that project had finished I was asked to assist a colleague with the inspection of several logistic units in Paris. There was an extremely short deadline for the valuations to be completed, with the instruction being received on the Friday and then us having to depart on the Sunday night. The days were pretty long, but there was a great opportunity to work closely with the client and our colleagues in the Paris office. On our return I was heavily involved in the valuation reports, one of which I took the majority of the responsibility for.

Despite the large and varied workload, as with all the graduates in my intake we get lots of opportunities to socialise and be involved in team sports. During the last month several of the graduates took part in a triathlon held by a competitor, which surprisingly we all completed!

October

Rupert Riley

Building Consultancy

CB Richard Ellis has provided exposure to all competencies within the Building Surveying pathway. In October I was involved in a number of Dilapidations Matters in and around London, acting as Contract Administrator for an extensive office refurbishment project, and also being involved in various Party Wall matters. The highlight of the month for me was a four day trip to Sweden, where we undertook Building Surveys as part of a large portfolio of properties.

The social side of CBRE is always very busy too. The CB Richard Ellis football team (who I play for) had a couple of games against other property/construction companies in the Surveyors league, which is a great chance to meet other colleagues around the business and surveyors from other companies. Also, a Contractor held a Go-Karting afternoon, yet another chance to network and meet other Surveyors and Contractors within the industry. I also won’t be forgetting the drinks in Sweden, especially on the last night in Stockholm!

November

Zara Sless

Business Space – Office Agency

I wake up extra early for an open morning launch of four properties followed by an on-site breakfast. It’s a good chance to see inside competing schemes/buildings and catch up on the latest market gossip with fellow agents, so although it was an early start it was worth it. Once back in the office, I’m busy calling other agents to complete an availability schedule for a new client requirement in Guildford, or following up with clients on the next steps of an acquisition following a tour of available offices in Ipswich I had last week. Even though I’ve had a busy day, I still manage to fit in a CPD lecture on development appraisals in the evening for my APC.

This month, the whole of agency within CBRE were invited to Birmingham for the annual Office Agency Conference. This is an opportunity to strengthen your network within CBRE. We spent the day meeting our colleagues from the regions as well as listening to presentations from the regional teams about the latest deals in their markets. We then had a tour of the city viewing some of the key instructions the Birmingham Agency team were marketing. We then stopped by a regional office agents society event, followed by a curry hosted by our Birmingham colleagues and a night out. On Friday it is back to the office for work with with viewings, inspections and measuring space for a completed deal.

Later in the month our team organised a lunch with our counterparts within a competitor for an opportunity to strengthen business relationships, especially on properties where we are joint agents. We hope to organise further lunches or events with other competitors soon.

December

Chris Hampson

Retail – Lease Consultancy

This story begins in December 2010, deep in the throes of a bitter English winter. I had been working at CB Richard Ellis for just under three months. Having become more familiar with the team, and the work that was expected of me, I had begun to find my stride. As a member of the Supermarket Retail Lease Consultancy Team, my day to day activities involved a variety of tasks including rent reviews, investment due diligence, agency and development advice. Having got to grips with the market, I felt that I was able to contribute to the team in an effective and useful fashion, and my boss felt comfortable with placing me in a client facing role which gave me added confidence. In short, I was finding my feet and beginning to enjoy myself professionally.

December also brings a hectic social calendar. Living in London, and working in the property industry, the opportunity to socialise and network was there. When the month was in full swing Christmas parties were in full effect. Looking back, I was able to cement relationships within my team, create new client relationships and within the surveying profession, all whilst having a great time. A fantastic aspect of working for CBRE, and of the property industry as a whole, is the opportunity to have fun whilst working, and Christmas time exemplifies this.