Meet rising real estate star Sarah Shezi

You can also listen to this podcast on iono.fm here.

It’s August 1, the start of Women’s Month in South Africa, and we are profiling leading women in the property industry on The Property Pod, South Africa’s premier property investor podcast.

Our first guest on the pod this month is Sarah Shezi, a rising star in the commercial property industry. She’s an estate manager at Cushman & Wakefield | Broll. But more recently she was named one of the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans, quite a big campaign that the Mail & Guardian has been running over the years that recognises top young achievers in various fields.

On this podcast, 30-year-old Shezi shares her thoughts on her growth in the industry, why she loves property, her contribution to industry organisations, and her ambitions for the future.

Highlights of her interview appear below. You can also listen to the full podcast above or download it from iono.fm, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Highlights

Sarah, you are a young upstart of sorts making waves in the industry. How did you get into the property industry and what attracted you to the sector?

“Initially, I just wanted to draw buildings. That was my main interest. I initially wanted to be an architect, but I found myself studying a Bachelor of Social Science and Housing at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, UKZN, which was more focused on the public sector and housing policies.”

“But I knew that I wanted to get into the private sector and learn more about how you actually make money out of property and real estate. That’s when I pursued my postgraduate studies at Wits University, where I studied the postgraduate diploma in property development and management.”

“Then I found myself at Broll [Property Group], being an intern, and I’ve progressed in my career to where I am now.”

Read/listen:
Back to the office …
Property trends emerging across Africa
The big ‘back to the office’ debate

What role do you have in Cushman & Wakefield | Broll currently? What does it entail – your workday?

“At Cushman & Wakefield, I’m employed as an estate manager, which can be noted as a portfolio optimisation division where we assist our corporate clients who are in the business of property to just maximise on their property portfolios – including freehold and leasehold – and any other [property] maintenance they might have to ensure that they are getting the best value from the offers we send out to the landlords, and actually make sure that we save them as much money as possible so that they can be profitable in the business that they focus on.”

“I think my initial interest is just in the art of drawing, so I still very much in my spare time draw. I am an artist, but I’m very happy with where I’ve landed up in the industry, and I do not foresee myself entering the architect space anytime soon.”

On the Mail & Guardian’s Young South Africans campaign, you were featured in the 2023 campaign as one of the 200 top Young South Africans to watch. How do you feel about being featured in those awards?

“It’s really such a great honour, I think firstly because you have to be nominated by someone to even be recognised. So the fact that someone did see the great works that I have been doing in the industry and all the effort I’ve been putting in, for someone to just nominate me is the first achievement, and then also just being announced and nominated was such a thrill.”

“Even on the day when we had the actual gala dinner for our names to be presented, to be among the other 200 young professionals in the country was such a thrill.”

“I remember even asking some of the people I was sitting with what they actually did. To think that [I was] sitting with 200 other young achievers – [it] was so mind-blowing …”

“The work that people are out there are doing is so fantastic. I’m not the only one, but just to be celebrated as young professionals is really a great platform.”

Listen/read:
Be the best South African you can be
Millions of young South Africans are jobless …
Work experience programme opening doors for young people

You are 30, where do you see yourself in five to 10 years? Still in the property industry, a CEO of a property company?

“Definitely. I have developed a love for corporate real estate management. At first, I wasn’t too sure what it was all about but, being in the field, it’s something that I really want to pursue further. My interests are to relocate abroad, hence my involvement in these international organisations which are opening up the opportunities and the network [in which I] actually find myself.”

“I definitely do foresee myself managing an international portfolio of corporate real estate properties.”

“[My] advice – when I started off, I just wanted to do everything in the industry because I felt if I focus on one thing, I’m going to miss out on something. So maybe [it’s] just to actually find out what exactly you feel you can add to the industry at large, and what really gives you that tick, something that really inspires you – and rather focus on that.

“Establish yourself in that, obtain the skills that you need, get the support, get the mentorship, and then pursue that wholeheartedly and you’ll see yourself actually achieving all the goals that you’ve set for yourself.”

“But don’t do everything. Focus on one thing [in which] you really can be a professional and really do well.”

Just in terms of you being a young black South African, we know about transformation in the industry or transformation being a hot topic across various sectors. You are part of that transformation. Do you have any views around black economic empowerment and transformation in the property industry – not just from a woman’s perspective, but it is a hot topic in the industry?

“Specifically in the property sector, I know that we have organisations which try to foster or implement initiatives which can help the previously disadvantaged groups to be participants, and active participants, in the industry. I have recognised some of the efforts that they have put in place and the measures which aim to assist uprising young professionals of colour to be active participants in the industry.”

“Because I’m currently president of Irem [Institute of Real Estate Managers] South Africa Gauteng Chapter, I’m fortunate to sit as a council member of the Property Sector Charter Council.”

“So my involvement there, just being a young black woman, I get to interact with some of the leading organisations when we sit and discuss some of the skills and development policies that can be implemented towards the transformation of the industry.”

“The progress might seem slow, but definitely I have seen change, and I do believe that, as more young professionals get involved – not just in their day-to-day jobs, but get involved in the organisations which actually make the decisions and have the influence to transform our industry – we really have a good future ahead of us.”

Listen/read:
Waterfall City developer Attacq scores top B-BBEE rating
Portia Tau-Sekati on empowerment in SA’s property industry
Breaking down property entry barriers for the youth with Monedi Lefakane

Can you share a little more detail about what Irem does, as an organisation? Also, are you part of other industry bodies? 

“So yes, Irem, which stands for the Institute of Real Estate Management, is an international organisation. Through the professional board exam, their members obtain a designation called ‘Certified Property Manager’. Also, an organisation can obtain a [certification] called an Accredited Management Organisation. The main focus of this organisation is to develop skills, ethical leadership, and [to] foster collaboration among its members.”

“We have the only African chapter in South Africa, which is the one I’m president of, and we currently have 100 members of certified property managers. The organisation really tries to bring us to par with international role players in the property management field, and we’ve been [making] great strides in really getting our property managers accredited.”

Masters 

“The other organisation which I’m part of, or where I’ve recently been awarded a scholarship to pursue a Master of Corporate Real Estate professional designation [is CoreNet Global] … which really speaks to the work that I do at Cushman & Wakefield | Broll as a corporate real estate professional. It’s also a global international organisation. It aims to advance the practice of corporate real estates.”

“Internationally corporate real estates is a big deal, and through the organisation of CoreNet Global, of which Broll is a member, being part of that organisation really makes an organisation stand out and gives it that stamp to say that we are playing in an international field, and we are [on] par with other international professionals within the field.”

“So those are the few organisations which I am part of. Like I’ve mentioned, I really try to ensure that I associate with organisations which emphasise the professionalisation of the industry and advance skills development to ensure that as professionals, as much as we might have the degrees and the certificates that we do at the universities, really the work that we do, if we don’t have collaborative efforts, what we do we cannot really gauge with the rest of the world globally.”

Listen to the full episode here.

You can also listen to previous episodes of The Property Pod here.