Ed Portsmouth
I joined Swan’s graduate programme in May 2010, after graduating with a degree in Real Estate Management from Oxford Brookes University.
I quickly gained exposure to the Development Department’s core business areas, and was given my own areas of responsibility from the moment I joined. While working in the Development department I also completed rotations in the Marketing & Sales and Construction departments.
I have now been at Swan for 9 months and have taken on the responsibility of project managing a 24 unit mixed-use development in Goodmayes. The construction programme for the site is nearing the final stages, and watching its progress week by week has been an exciting process to be part of. As a member of the team that works in Redbridge, Havering and Barking & Dagenham I have had the opportunity to be involved in a wide range of different projects, from small developments to large regeneration schemes.
One of the most exciting and interesting projects that I am involved with is the development of a large site in Romford, that was formerly part of the Oldchurch Hospital. This has involved working closely with the Architects and the Planning consultants to design a scheme that would get planning approval. The development will provide 366 new homes to the borough, with a combination of social housing and private sale homes. It has provided valuable experience in managing the process of getting planning permission on large, complex developments.
Swan is sponsoring me to complete my professional qualifications, and I am currently 6 months into the process of completing my Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) and becoming a Chartered Project Management Surveyor with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. This process provides a structured training program, to supplement the Swan graduate training, over the course of two years and will leave me with a widely recognised professional qualification to further develop my career with Swan.