The Leader - May/June 2008 - (Page 79)

c a r eer D evel opM ent by jennie lazarus andrew Bradshaw charting the path joHnson controls’ anDreW BraDsHaW Early career choices charted the professional path for Andrew (Andy) Bradshaw. While traditional in its course, his path has taken Bradshaw into corporate real estate from the enduser side to the service-provider area of the industry over his 17-year career. Bradshaw’s career has carried him from Whitbread as a graduate of Reading University to Ford Motor Company, and on to Johnson Controls, where he has been Real Estate Director since 2006. He cites his most significant career decision as one made while he was still in school. “By a process of elimination – my school-boy logic told me that being a chartered surveyor was like a civil engineer, but with much less math,” he explains. “So, I arranged to spend some time in a local chartered surveying practice in Liverpool, and enjoyed what I saw. I then chose to do a BSc in Land Management at Reading University, and my career path was set from thereon.” Following a traditional path into the industry, he found himself a corporate real estate (CRE) professional before he even knew what the title meant. Describing his transition from end user to service provider, he says: “I suppose this is still the great divide within the CRE industry – are you an end user or a service provider?” Bradshaw has never been particularly comfortable with the labeling, saying he thinks CRE professionals are all service providers of some sort, and he says the challenge is in working together to meet the needs of our employers and shareholders. “In most cases, our measures of success (whether you are a service provider or end user) are the same,” he says. “The reality is that there is a choice to be made in terms of a career path, and this is where I chose to hedge my bets somewhat. Johnson Controls is truly both an end user and service provider – our Global Workplace Solutions team is well known in the CRE industry, but we form part of a diversified multinational corporation.” He adds, “Very few people in the CRE world are really ‘end users.’ We are all involved in providing a chain of services, and in that respect, I haven’t found the transition from end user to service provider to be stark.” Of course there are differences, he says. “There is clearly a difference in how commercial revenue is generated, for example. Otherwise the differences are more subtle – it is sometimes frustrating being more remote to the inner workings of a client, but it is also rewarding being part of a larger team of like minded professionals with whom you can share challenges and exchange ideas,” Bradshaw explains. “There is a more overt business development role as a service provider, but then again, when contracts are agreed, it is hugely encouraging to know that your client had a choice and actively chose to work with you.” When asked about the value of CoreNet Global to his career, Andy responds, “CoreNet Global has been extremely helpful in championing the CRE industry, creating an excellent networking and idea sharing forum, and backing this up with a very professional research and education program for Corporate Occupiers who generally don’t come together in the normal course of their work.” Andy’s advice for new CRE professionals charting their own paths comes from his own experience. He says it is critical to understand the role of real estate in a large corporation. Two particular topics he encourages a new CRE professional to build into their personal development plans are an understanding of real estate as a financial commodity, and also to “unlearn” the way the real estate industry has historically provided services and instead learn how corporations require them. “Think in terms of property-related solutions to business problems, not a menu of traditional service lines,” he says. tH e le aDe r 79 MaY / j u n e 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Leader - May/June 2008

The Leader - May/June 2008 Leadership Contents Message from the CEO Real Estate in the News Green Real Estate Work Without Boundries Building Flexibility Into the Business Strategy Multi-Generational Work-Force Design Work Force Longevity Analysis Wells Fargo's David Nelson Pennsylvania's Michael Rossman Globalization 2.0 Site Selection Consultant Directory The New York Report: A Core of Traditional and State-of-the-Art Opportunities Discovery Forum Findings Industry Tracker Young Leader Career Development Effective Leadership Economic Development in the News A Look Ahead In Our Next Issue Calendar of Seminars Index of Advertisers Executive Development Spotlight

The Leader - May/June 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.