SEGRO Archives - Patchwork Foundation

Humility and Impact: Masterclass with David Sleath

Posted on October 22, 2020December 7, 2020 by Patchwork Foundation

When a chance arose to interact with David Sleath, CEO of SEGRO, I took it with both hands. Having been made aware of the experiences of last year’s cohort, I knew he was an inspiring person. With the masterclass being held virtually, I tempered my excitement slightly – but little did I know the information and inspiration which he imparted during the session would be more than I’d hoped for.

Initially, when I first heard about SEGRO sponsoring Patchwork I was very much curious as to how they fit into the foundation and its philosophy. Prior to the masterclass my colleagues and I had carried out some research on SEGRO, exploring who they were and what was their purpose. Upon researching, I found a direct connection to SEGRO as a consumer which piqued my curiosity further.

The masterclass started off with Mr. Sleath talking about his journey from carrying golf balls, to being a partner at one of at the time U.K.’s biggest financial firms, to starting his journey at SEGRO in 2006, and now serving as the CEO of SEGRO. Patchworkers had the chance to pose their question to Mr. Sleath, covering topics including the Covid-19 challenges and how they are evolving to meet post Brexit needs, to how young people like myself can get involved in the property sector. There was a strong focus on effective leadership skills too.

The questions asked were varied, however, the way in which Mr. Sleath always humanised his answers really touched base with me. As an aspiring leader having someone already in a leadership position showing humbleness and eagerness to know how they can help their community really resonated with me. When Mr. Sleath spoke about different aspects of SEGRO he also touched upon how to be a great leader, he spoke about having good communication skills, being good with numbers, and last but not least having humility.

After the session ended there was one word out of the whole masterclass that stayed with me and that was humility. As a young person, how can I be better at showing humility and incorporating it whilst still developing other skills mentioned above? Another aspect of the masterclass that has changed me is the way of which I will not be able to look at warehouses, nor my Amazon packages the same again.

Special thanks to SEGRO for making this interaction possible with their constant support with the programme, and Mr. Sleath for taking the time out of his day to inspire Patchworkers.

Written by Lipa Nessa, Patchwork Masterclass Participant 2020

The importance of soft power: Masterclass with Permanent Secretary, Melanie Dawes

Posted on October 14, 2019October 14, 2019 by Patchwork Foundation

Walking towards London Bridge, the landmark spanned the river as I headed towards Norton Rose Fulbright – our kind hosts for the latest masterclass session. Arriving at the law firm further fuelled my own desire in becoming a commercial solicitor – so the venue felt fitting, nonetheless. It became evident that I was eager to learn about policy making and the roles within the central government from not only an experienced civil servant but also a trustee of Patchwork Foundation.

Melanie Dawes, as the current Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, whose career – has had an impressive tenure of over three decades in Whitehall. As current Diversity and Inclusion Champion, the Permanent Secretary also served as the gender champion and asserts herself within the Civil Service Board and Senior Leadership Committees. Her distinguished career in politics has included leading roles within HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office and HMRC.

Over the years, she has been instrumental in encouraging her peers across departments to liaise closely with the Treasury and brokering deals which will see Whitehall departments giving up some of their power, passing money directly to local areas to design and deliver certain services as required.

I realised from the Permanent Secretary’s use of language that the approach she harnesses is that of soft power and influence: as leader of the department she facilitates conversations; asks pressing questions and collaborates to establish solutions for the local communities from a grassroots level.

The session cemented that Improving diversity across the board won’t be just about introducing schemes; instead it should be about building an inclusive culture and ensuring that talent programmes are properly diversity-proofed – this can be achieved by challenging our own individual unconscious bias.

All in all, it was insightful to hear from such a senior civil servant in an intimate setting. It was clear that her initial passion for individual’s stories was what saw her enter the public sector rather than pursuing her own legal career. The Permanent Secretary’s oratory was intellectually stimulating and provided me with much to reflect upon.

Above all, I recognised the importance of becoming a champion that vigorously fights for social justice.

Written by Nazrin Ysmailova

‘Be true to your value set’: Lessons from Masterclass with the CEO of SEGRO David Sleath

Posted on August 8, 2019August 27, 2019 by Patchwork Foundation

We had the pleasure to meet with the CEO of SEGRO David Sleath who led the SEGRO cohort’s most recent masterclass. The title of the masterclass was Leadership in Business but the title does not summarise the wealth of advice and reflections David Sleath imparted upon us.

Within SEGRO’s London offices we started the evening with a networking session before sitting down with David. He opened the session explaining his journey to becoming a CEO which included his early life and upbringing, his formative years through education and the start of his career in Finance. Following 17 years at Arthur Anderson, his first graduate role, and having successfully made Partner, David took what to some was a risk and left his job to work for Wagon as a Finance Director. He has now been the CEO of SEGRO for the last eight years.

We had the opportunity to question David about his experience as a CEO, his thoughts on what makes an effective CEO and the advice he would give to us as young people as we develop our skills and our careers. The masterclass highlighted the importance of opportunities and putting yourself forward. Reflecting on what he would say to his younger self David said ‘…put yourself forward and take a chance’. Saying yes to varying opportunities does not have to be negative but in fact will provide you with the broad experience and skills that are needed in senior leadership roles.

The second point centred around creating opportunities for others. It was great to hear that SEGRO and David committed to ensuring diversity and inclusion within the organisation. This ranged from looking at pay levels closely to ensure there is no bias in the pay levels between men and women, to practising blind recruitment and ensuring diverse candidate lists. One thing I particularly admired was David’s commitment to lead by example on the diversity and inclusion agenda by personally not speaking on a panel if it is not diverse and gender balanced.

It was incredible to see a senior leader such as David take such a firm stance towards breaking down barriers. For me, what underpinned the entire masterclass was David’s advice to us all around being true to your value set. In essence this is staying true to what you believe. Once you have clarity around that, it becomes a part of your personal brand and how you put yourself forward to others. This message for me really opened my eyes to the importance of not feeling the pressure to conform to the status quo and to not hide all that you stand for.

Finally, three key pieces of advice I have taken from David’s masterclass that I believe anyone can put into practice to help them achieve their goals are:

To take advantage of the different perspectives you can bring to the table. In senior roles you need broad experience and insights across different areas. It is not always necessary to be the expert.
-Life is too short to be doing something you don’t believe in! Be sure to try several different things and find what you want to do.
Have a positive disposition to saying yes. If you hear the words “would you like to try” put yourself forward!

David Sleath spoke very honestly, openly and genuinely about his experiences in a way that has enabled us as Patchworkers to learn about the realities of being a CEO and how we too can build ourselves as leaders in our own fields. This masterclass took us on the journey of an experienced leader and sparked a fire for the start of our own exciting journeys.

Written by Rabi Wilson

Confidence, Tenacity & Resilience: Lessons from Masterclass with Secretary of State for Education, Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP

Posted on March 21, 2019March 19, 2019 by Patchwork Foundation

This year’s Patchwork Foundation Masterclass programme had a terrific start with an insightful session with the Secretary of State for Education, the Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP. Since I was fortunate enough to be selected as a Patchworker, I was excited to learn from my first session and to collaborate with my fellow Patchworkers.

As a university student, learning about the roles and responsibilities of the Education Minister is crucial for me to understand the benefits of a university education and how it can prepare me for future career prospects.
Prior to the session, I did some research about the Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP and discovered that he was elected to the Education Select Committee and served until October 2012; the Secretary of State is also the Member of Parliament for East Hampshire, so he has a lot of responsibilities, both to his constituents and to the Department for Education.

The session was in Portcullis House, Westminster; we had some time before the event to have a briefing session – it was useful for myself and the rest of the SEGRO cohort to practice our questions and learn how to correctly address titled individuals. During the session the Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP spoke about his political journey and how education is crucial to having a fulfilling life. He spoke about the important of apprenticeships and how the National Apprenticeship Week, which took place between 4th to 8th March 2019, celebrates how apprenticeships are vital to our economy. Furthermore, he said he did not expect to enter politics because he worked in the private sector, mainly in pubs and hotels, but he learned the importance of transferable skills.

A valuable lesson he shared with us was that learning never stops. As a Member of Parliament, he constantly learns from other MPs and from his constituents in his surgeries. This has determined him to champion social mobility and promote equal opportunities for everyone. It was wonderful to hear the Secretary of State acknowledge the hard work teachers do everyday for the betterment of their students.

A key message I took away from the session was being confident, tenacious and resilient. He explained that campaigning is difficult and as a public figure, you need to be open to constructive criticism. But you should believe in your principles, work hard and bounce back from your hardships. This lesson really resonated with all of us.

I want to thank the Secretary of State for Education for taking time out of his busy schedule to talk to us. Thank you to the Patchwork Foundation team for organising the event and to SEGRO for funding our events.

Written by Raj Khan