Jo Clark: My career profile as Head of Relationships at Spring

We love to share news about our team and we are delighted that Jo Clark, Head of Relationships here at Spring, is featured in this months BE News 'career profile'. Discover how Jo started her career, her inspirations, and advice for those starting out in the property industry.

Name: Joanna Clark

Job title: Head of relationships at Spring

What I do: As head of relationships at Spring, I am responsible for day-to-day management of the relationship function, setting the key strategic direction for business generation, maintaining relationships with all our developer and agent partners, and heading up our growing relationship team.

Why I got into the property industry: I began my career in the logistics industry, but after a few years, an exciting opportunity arose to transition into the property sector purely by chance. With a strong passion for both property and working with people, I knew it was a chance I couldn’t pass up. The industry offers a great diversity of career paths, and I love how I have the ability to impact people’s lives on a daily basis. There are constant challenges too as the property industry never stands still.

How I did it: Working in TV and film logistics allowed me to see all aspects of a business, taking me as far as the Cannes Film festival. I began to notice the benefits of building relationships and the advantages it could bring to me professionally and personally, this was the catalyst to my relationship management path. I started working at Spring, then called National Property Trade (NPT), as a client adviser, working directly with our B2C customers and B2B partners, providing help and support at every step of the home selling journey. As the business grew, and NPT rebranded to Spring, my role developed into relationship manager, and now as head of relationships, managing a team which continues to grow.

My first proper job: I had lots of smaller jobs when I left further education, but it was my role working in logistics that set me on my chosen career path and led to where I am now.

My first big break: My first big break came when Spring was still National Property Trade around five years ago. After working as a client adviser for several years, I was offered a fantastic opportunity to grow our B2B client base with Spring co-founder Cormac Henderson and develop this side of our business.

My inspiration(s): My great nanna. She started working at 15 as a seamstress in Central London and ended up being head of department after two years. She then set up her own business alongside this which she ran until she was in her 90s! She was incredibly forward-thinking for her time; it was almost unheard of for a woman to work, let alone run her own business, in the early 1900s.

The biggest challenge I’ve encountered to date: Failing to find my career ‘passion’ until I was in my early 30s has been one of my biggest challenges. I don’t see it as a fail, more of a winding path with bumps along the way – but it led me to where I am now. Balancing a young family and a career, as most working mums know, can prove challenging, but again, it’s made me who I am, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

My greatest achievement/proudest moment to date: Having my son has been life-changing. He has transformed me in every way, making me more determined, more driven, and completely full of love.

The biggest misconception people have about the property industry: People often think it’s just about money and profit at all costs in property. I’m fortunate to work for a company that breaks the mould, with a great customer-centric reputation and consistently positive feedback. Speaking to partners and their customers, it’s fantastic to know I’ve been able to help, and move them on to the next chapter of their life, which is particularly the case for our retirement customers.

My biggest bugbear about the industry/the one thing I would change about the industry: It’s a very male-dominated industry and I think women must really fight for their voices.

Why I’m so passionate about DE&I: Our people make up our business, so Spring aims to foster an environment that values and nurtures unique talents and contributions from every individual within a culture of inclusivity. The team and I are committed to cultivating and empowering change by building an inclusive workplace where all talents can thrive, and this shows with 50% of senior managers in Spring being women, including one of the executive team.

Why I’m so passionate about ESG: ESG is fundamental to our core values and reputation as a business, and I want to make a positive contribution, especially at a local level. One great example of this is our partnership with a local charity called ‘Good Food Matters’ that we get to volunteer with several times a year. It’s a fantastic local initiative that’s been set up to help people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to learn how to grow and cook nutritious ingredients, in turn making a balanced meal that drives a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of the local community. Days like these are not only good for the environment and support our ESG initiatives but provide time for me to get back to nature and bond with the team. It’s win-win, with 75% of our team taking part in a volunteering session last year.

Where I’d like to be in five years’ time career-wise: I really believe in Spring and the growth trajectory we are on. I am very excited for the future and the growth of the team. Growing sustainably is key – we want to grow our market share and client base, but it can’t come at the cost of quality or service delivery, which must always remain our north star.

Who I’d invite, living or dead, to a dinner party: Emiline Pankhurst would be top of my list. I’m so grateful for the suffragettes and what they gave up to give women their voice. I would love to pick her brain. Then I’d invite all of my friends and family, local and afar. I moved to Wales to start my own family, so I don’t get to see some of my friends and family as much as I would like to. To have them all round one table to have a great night with would be excellent!

What I do in my downtime: Having my little boy has completely changed my downtime in the best way, so it’s usually swimming, visiting the park or walking the dog and splashing in muddy puddles. I am also a keen weightlifter and can often be found under the squat bar trying to hit a PB.

The job I’d be doing if I was not doing this: I come from a family who worked in the film and TV industry and would have loved to have been behind the scenes or working in production.

My advice for someone just starting out: Talk to everyone and soak up their experience and knowledge, make sure your voice is heard; people will pay attention, and this will get you noticed. Networking has also played an important role in my career development, so get out there and attend industry events, conferences and seminars; meet as many people as you can and learn from them.

My motto/mantra: I am a believer in fate, things have happened in my life that have ultimately led me to where I am. Be it professional or personal, even following a winding path, with a few hiccups along the way to test me, I wouldn’t change the journey I’ve been on. So, I’d just tell people to enjoy the ride, everything always works out in the end.

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