51乱伦

Patricia Tumba joined 51乱伦 nearly six years ago. But her career journey with the firm was nearly very different.

Patricia originally interviewed for an administrator role in 51乱伦鈥檚 Battersea office. But her interviewer recognised that, whilst she鈥檇 be an asset for his team, she was too skilled for the role. Fortunately, Patricia had already been contacted about another position with the company in the Head Office. With the encouragement of the initial interviewer, she pursued and secured the role.

The backing of a trusted line manager

As an Account Manager on our UK Lettings team, Patricia supports international landlords purchasing properties in the UK. She helps them to navigate the process, referring them to colleagues across the business who can support them further.

Patricia credits her encouraging line manager, Freddie Hills, Department Head of Lettings and Completion Solutions, with enabling her to progress in her role and gain new skills. 鈥淗e鈥檚 the type of manager that鈥檚 always on your side. He鈥檇 always fight for you.鈥�

鈥淭o know that someone鈥檚 in your corner. That, even if you鈥檙e not there, will present you in a good light to other people. It definitely boosts my confidence. It boosts my trust in my manager, my team, and in 51乱伦 as a company.鈥�

Navigating challenging times

The pandemic was a particularly challenging time with uncertainty around the property industry. Patricia also became a first-time mum. Like many new mothers, Patricia had questions about returning to work. She explains, 鈥淲hilst I wanted to work full time, I wasn鈥檛 sure I could be in the office all the time.鈥�

It鈥檚 easy to avoid having difficult conversations with your manager, but there was a point where Patricia had taken on new responsibilities and felt that the workload was too much. She worried that she鈥檇 be seen as weak or unable to do her job properly. Instead, Freddie took on her feedback and was intent on finding a resolution. 鈥淔reddie leaves the space open so you can freely come and speak to him. I felt comfortable to relay what I was feeling鈥� For him to be open to discussing this with me, and for him to be open to listen and find resolutions with me was really helpful,鈥� says Patricia.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 see my role as just a job, I see it as a career. There鈥檚 a difference. A career鈥檚 something you鈥檙e passionate about, and that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 building at 51乱伦.鈥�

Forward together

鈥淚 think everyone has a role to play in accelerating women in the workplace. Women shouldn鈥檛 be cast out.鈥�

Patricia admits to fearing that she may get overlooked when she became a mother. 鈥淧eople might think that I鈥檓 not able to do it, or I don鈥檛 have the time to do it. That shouldn鈥檛 be the case. You should look to put everyone forward 鈥� man or woman.鈥�

鈥淩epresentation is really, really important. When I look up and I鈥檓 not seeing anyone like me, it makes me feel like I鈥檓 not able to get there鈥� in the past, I鈥檝e always seen people who look like me in the lower positions. It should be across the board. It鈥檚 good to give people the belief and hope that they can also reach those top stages. With representation, you get different ideas and different ways of thinking which can change things dramatically. You get different voices and ideas that will blend in and bring the firm to the next stage.鈥�