Three members of our team have achieved new professional qualifications.
Head of Estate Planning Richard Clark and Strategic Estates Planner Laura Garnham have both achieved a Masters in Planning Buildings for Health at London South Bank University.
They studied part time for three years, spending a week per module in London and also studying remotely, graduating on November 6th.
Laura said: “I found the course extremely helpful for both learning and networking. Being able to discuss my approach with others helped to develop my strategy planning and see things from new perspectives.
“It also led me to working at Shared Agenda, which was very important for me.”
Rich said their success has led to being invited to speak at a major conference in London next year.
He said: “We have been asked to talk at the European Health Design Conference in June following our dissertations and we’ll present the academic papers. We’re delighted to be involved in it.
“My dissertation looked at how the NHS calculates the number of rooms it requires and Laura’s looked at multi-specialist health contracts.”
Meanwhile, Caroline Havler, Head of Estates Management, has become a full member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the professional body which accredits professionals in the land, property and construction sectors across the world, after qualifying as a Chartered Surveyor in November.
To become a chartered surveyor, Caroline had to complete training in a facilities management role and be assessed on projects she has worked on before facing a panel to determine her competency in the field.
Caroline said: “Undertaking the RICS qualification has been a long term personal goal for me, having completed my property management degree 10 years ago.
“RICS is not a requirement for my role at Shared Agenda. However, it is a reputable accreditation to have and I join my colleagues, Tim Wigglesworth and Dan Simmons, who are also chartered surveyors.
“I have been supported massively by my colleagues over the last 18 months, with mock interviews and guidance both from colleagues internally and externally.
“RICS is a well-regarded organisation and offers best practice guidance and training to help members keep up to date with continuing professional development.”
Jo Barnes, Managing Director, said the new qualifications are a real positive for the team and customers.
She said: “We are delighted by the success of Richard, Laura and Caroline. It reflects our commitment to supporting the ongoing training and development of our team, which in turn benefits our customers.
“Richard and Laura are part of a very small pool of people nationally with that level of skill and education in health service planning, and Caroline’s success adds to the growing number of professionally qualified people in the team.”
