30/05/2008
Each week we meet a property character from a different age bracket. Today,
Lydia Stockdale meets Luke Philpott, 27, a rugby-playing fiance who likes to bore in French
What do you do?
I'm an associate director at Devono, which is the only property company in London that only acts for tenants. Our work involves an enormous amount of research into what is on the market that would suit our clients. I've been here for just shy of two years. Last year, I personally carried out 50 separate acquisitions for clients, which I believe is more than any other individual in the London market.
Which clients have you been working for recently?
I've just acquired some space for Bebo - a younger version of Facebook- at Holden House in London's West End, and also for Toshiba, another household name, on St Andrew's Street in the City of London.
Are you into social networking on the internet?
I am on Facebook, but I'm not an obsessive. It took me about six months to add a photo of myself. However, it's massively interesting to find out what guys I went to school with more than 10 years ago are doing now.
How did you get into property?
After leaving university and moving to London, my first proper job was in advertising at the Financial Times, but I wanted to get into property. A guy from estate agent Stirling Ackroyd called. He wanted to place a series of advertisements. I told him that I wanted to get into property - it was very hush-hush as my boss was sitting behind me - and we went for lunch. A month later, I had an interview at Stirling Ackroyd and went on to spend three and a half years in its commercial department.
How did your move to Devono happen?
Devono was acquiring some space from Stirling Ackroyd in the summer of 2006, and they asked me whether I would come in and have a chat with them. When I met Robert [Leigh, owner of Devono], he spoke passionately about his aspirations for the company and how l would fit in with them. I'd had other job offers before Devono's, but none of them were particularly exciting. I wanted whatever I did next to be something different and genuinely inspiring. Crucially, the move also offered me the opportunity to get in at the beginning and gain equity, which was incredibly important to me.
Does that mean you've not sat the APC?
No, and at this stage, with six years' experience and with the way Devono is going, I don't need to. Obviously, if I were starting all over again, I would do it - it's better to have a qualification under your belt. I studied sociology at the University of Surrey, but looking back, I should have done a real estate degree. I went to university and played rugby non-stop for four years. I didn't think about what I was going to do afterwards.
What do you do in your spare time?
At the moment, work is all-consuming. We all work insanely hard, but the rewards for us are different from most companies - it's very much an 'eat what you kill' atmosphere. I was the fifth member of staff at Devono. Now there are 11 of us altogether working here. Our numbers have doubled over the last 18 months.
Do you still play rugby?
Yes, I do. I've played rugby since I was six, and now I play for Hampstead in north London - I'm a fly-half. I'm getting married in August, and playing rugby has been a great excuse not to have to go and do wedding stuff at weekends. Now the season is over, every single weekend has been planned for me. It will only stop when we go to Bali on our honeymoon.
Have you ever been on any long trips abroad?
I took a break halfway through university and went to live in France for a year. I studied, worked and did a snowboarding season. My French improved while I was over there, and even now it's not bad. Occasionally, when I've been drinking, I find French people and bore them - I don't get to put my French to any use, otherwise.