Branch News Item
Branch: Yorkshire and North East
Date: 20 May 2008
Title: Sheffield University student through to National Awards final
Marie Reaveley, who is studying Urban Studies and Planning at Sheffield University, has been announced as the Yorkshire and North East regional winner of the Association of Women in Property (WiP) National Student Awards 2008 – which were sponsored by our hosts Pinsent Masons LLP and Shepherd Construction.
Marie wins £500, an opportunity for a work placement at Leeds City Council, free membership of the Association upon graduating and the opportunity to participate in the WiP mentoring programme whereby a mentor will support them in their early career.
The Women in Property National Student Awards were launched in 2007 to mark the 20th birthday of the Association. Fuelled by their success, Women in Property is again running the scheme with 25 Universities putting forward their rising stars, a total of 41 of the most talented students from across the country.
The Awards are open to second year, female students studying a Built Environment Course and are run in conjunction with the Construction Youth Trust (CYT).
From the seven invited universities, nominees for the branch award were:
- Sophie Clark (Leeds Met) Human Geography and Planning
- Marie Reaveley (Sheffield Uni) Urban Studies and Planning
- Kirsty Holmshaw (Sheffield Hallam) Business Property Management
- Cassandra Walker (Newcastle Uni) Town Planning
Jenny Taylor Smith, regional Chairman of Women in Property and associate with Drivers Jonas in Leeds said, “We are delighted for Marie. This is a very tough competition, with the brightest and most impressive students in the region coming forward. I would like to thank all of the students who took part. Our aspiration as an organisation is to recognise excellence, encourage up and coming talent and nurture the role models of tomorrow. The National Student Awards do just that.”
Mark Owen, Head of Property, Leeds Pinsent Mason LLP said, “This initiative is exactly what the industry needs. We need to make it as easy as possible for girls and young women to choose property and construction for their careers. Not only is there a wide skills shortage in some parts of the industry but the ratio of women to men is still far too low. We are very happy to support WiP in its quest to raise awareness to this issue.”
Marie will now go head to head with winners from nine other regions across the UK, in a national final for a prize of £1,000 as the ‘Best of the Best’ which takes place at Claridge’s in London on 23rd September.
Commenting on her achievement, Marie said, “This is great news, I am really pleased. Winning the regional award will help me so much in terms of giving me opportunities I wouldn’t have had before, to develop my skills and experience. It has also really helped improve my interview techniques, ready for the final judging panel in September!”
The Awards are facilitated by CYT who invite Universities to nominate their best students. Panels of high profile judges then deliberate on the regional nominees. The Yorkshire and North East awards were judged by Jean Dent, Director of City Development at Leeds City Council, Michael Sharp, Partner at Gillespies and Jenny Taylor Smith.
Jenny concludes, “It is so important that the property industry recognises the great pool of talent available to them at the earliest possible stage. This starts with doing talks to girls in school, right through university and into their early careers. We are very proud to have such commitment from the judges involved in these Awards, who clearly recognise the long term benefits to the wider industry.”
Further details
Marie Reaveley (with sponsers and judges)
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