5 female clients have been included in an International Women's Day roundup

Top row: Samantha Scott-White, Marie-Julie Gheysens & Claire Whisker

Bottom row: Lili Oliver & Naomi Heaton

In celebration of International Women's Day 2025, PrimeResi invited leading female figures in the property industry to share the advice they wish they had received at the start of their careers. Among these influential voices were Samantha Scott-White, Claire Whisker, Lili Oliver, Naomi Heaton & Marie-Julie Gheysens. Their insights offer invaluable guidance for aspiring female professionals in the property sector.

Samantha Scott-White

Samantha Scott-White, the Founder of Cotswold Buying Agent, reflects on the significance of intuition. She urges her younger self to "trust those gut instincts" and not be swayed by external opinions.

“Trust your instincts: Your gut feeling is often a valuable guide when making decisions in the property industry. Don’t be afraid to trust your instincts, but also do your due diligence;

Don’t be afraid to ask for help: There’s no shame in seeking advice from mentors or colleagues when you’re starting out. Learn from their experience and use it to inform your own decisions;

Stay focused on your goals: It’s easy to get distracted or sidetracked in a fast-paced industry like property. Set clear goals for yourself and stay focused on achieving them;

Take care of yourself: The property industry can be stressful and demanding, so it’s important to prioritise your health and well-being. Make time for self-care activities like exercise, meditation, or hobbies.”

Claire Whisker

As the Founder of First In The Door, Claire highlights the necessity of assertiveness. She advises her younger self to "refuse to be invisible."

“Use your time wisely: Most people are never going to have as much time and energy as they do in their 20s. So, throw yourself into your work, and take breaks and challenge yourself outside of work too. When you’re young, you have the advantage of being able to sustain long hours at work while you forge a new business or focus all of your attention on demanding business goals.

“This becomes harder as we get older, with increased responsibility typically with children and ageing parents to look after. Remember to take interesting and adventurous breaks outside of work and develop your hobbies too… climb that mountain with friends, improve your forehand and go sailing for the weekend!”

Lili Oliver

Lili Oliver, Founder of Bristol buying agent Oliver Roth, underscores the value of continuous learning. She encourages her younger self to "stay curious and keep learning and developing."

“Shift the focus to spend more time looking inwards than outwards! Whilst I was fortunate to have had decades without social media telling me how successful and ‘perfect’ everyone else was, my competitive younger self from day one had eyes on how ‘well’ all those around me were doing. Early on in my career, this need to always try and be as good, if not better, than those around me, was my main driver. Having started my career in an international law firm, I had the delights of tangible benchmarks: salaries, client wins, promotions to Partner etc that made it very easy to focus only on the world around me. By focussing more on the outside, the perception of success becomes warped.  Instead, I wish the focus earlier on had been about setting my own personal goals, objectives and sense of success, rather than always looking around me. On a daily basis this is something I try and encourage with my own young daughters: it doesn’t matter that everyone else did better in their maths test…you did a lot better than last time!

“Spending more time looking inwards, enables us to be true to one’s own sense of self and values and ultimately makes for a far happier and fulfilling career.  When I do look around me, those who I truly respect as being ‘successful’ in their careers have such an incredible amount of authenticity that I can now see comes from shifting the focus inwards.  They don’t try and conform or seek approval.”

Naomi Heaton

Naomi Heaton, Founder of The Other House and LCP Private Office, reflects on the importance of embracing the journey.

“When you hit a roadblock, look for a way round and you will usually come up with a better route than before. Trust your instincts about people and plans, they will usually be right. Don’t post-rationalise your way out of it. Reach for the stars you and won’t come up with a handful of mud. This is a paraphrase from Leo Burnett, eponymous founder of the first ad agency I worked for after I graduated, and it’s true.

“Be the boldest, bravest, version of yourself, believe in who you are and what you do. It will mean you always stand out and it will take you furthest. There is far too much vanilla in business. Don’t feel you have to conform or fit into a corporate environment. Corporate speak usually means ‘talking the talk’ without ‘walking the walk’.  Being true to yourself, will be more interesting, intriguing and set you apart. Being different is what makes you stand out. Be tuned in to what people want, their needs and their aspirations. This is key to both innovation and selling ideas or products effectively.  Never forget it, or you will lose their trust. Trust is the foundation of any successful business.”

Marie-Julie Gheysens

As the Managing Director UK at Ghelamco, Marie-Julie Gheysens emphasises the importance of authenticity. (NB: This client is part of my PR consultancy work for marketing firm, Bridging London.)

“It is ok not to know what is ahead of you. It makes you live in the moment and embrace growth and bold ideas. You take risks unconsciously as you are not shaped yet by experience. Enjoy the innocence, invest your time in a good network and mentorship. Knowledge fast tracks wherever you see yourself.”

Read the full article here (paywall)