Cheryl’s career reaches new heights at The Galleries.
Property management company Encore believes in identifying and nurturing talent; and the success of Head Concierge Cheryl Whiting, 44, proves just how well that policy works. Cheryl, who started working for Encore as a cleaner, is about to celebrate two highly successful years in the Head Concierge role, overseeing the day to day running of the buildings and estate, comprising 246 properties at City & Country’s elegant listed building conversion The Galleries in Brentwood, Essex.
When Cheryl first took a cleaning job at the development, she soon proved herself to her employers at Encore by her willingness to go the extra mile. She was always happy to go above and beyond her normal duties, by staying on late to support the caretaking team with deliveries, taking on additional jobs and learning new skills. When, two years later, the job of head concierge became available, it quickly became clear that Cheryl was the perfect candidate for the role.
This beautiful development of apartments by award-winning specialist City & Country, built in and around a listed hospital building, is an exceptional collection of sensitively converted and newly built homes set in extensive grounds. The Galleries won multiple awards for its design and attention to detail, and so expectations from its residents was high. Given the prestigious nature of the development, it was essential that the right property management team was in place to help deliver a very high level of service attune with resident expectations.
“I fell in love with the building and grounds when I started here as cleaner, and as I got more involved with the day-to-day running, I took even more pride in everything I did,” says Cheryl. “When the head concierge job came up, I knew it was something I could do – and more importantly that I really, really wanted it.” Cheryl was worried, however, that she was the only female candidate applying for a role that is still often regarded as a man’s job – and at one stage considered withdrawing her application, but fortunately her managers at Encore provided her with the confidence and encouragement to go for the interview and be proud of the skills she was able to offer.
“I am not quite sure why, but I would say in general that concierge roles do seem to be predominately filled by men and despite having lots of hands-on experience, this made me a little nervous,” she says. “Encore was amazing though, giving me the confidence to not only go for the interview and be successful in getting the job, but also the right training and the support that I need. It really has been a life-changing role for me and it’s the only job that I’ve ever done where I wake up and look forward to going to work.”
“I absolutely love the building and stunning grounds here at The Galleries and that gives me extra motivation to ensure that everything is kept in immaculate condition and that our residents receive the high level of service they expect. Given the nature of the job and high expectations from residents, it’s not always straightforward, and every day we face different challenges – but being Head Concierge is all about dealing with any situation with a cool head and a professional manner.”
Founding director of Encore Neil Robinson says: “As one of the UK’s leading managing agents we can offer progression through a range of disciplines, and we pride ourselves on discovering and nurturing talent and helping people to develop their careers and find their potential. We are a large enough company to offer a variety of career opportunities, but small enough to care about every person we employ and every property we manage. We’re delighted to see what an asset Cheryl has become to Encore and to the residents at The Galleries, who can rest assured that their homes are in good hands.”
With a portfolio of Encore-managed sites, Encore Estate Manager Steven Hunter has to divide his time between them all and says that Cheryl and her team make a massive difference in the way The Galleries is managed.
He says: “I trust them implicitly to ensure everything runs smoothly on a day-to-day basis. They’re able to highlight and diagnose issues locally, and if they can’t resolve things they will manage expectations for residents which is incredibly important. Cheryl has built a great team with a brilliant team spirit; I’ve managed The Galleries for four years now and they are without doubt the best we’ve ever had in place.”
For Cheryl, no two days are the same but typically her role includes daily checks and ensuring that security and maintenance measures at The Galleries are in place and also that the grounds are tidy. Paperwork is handled and deliveries are managed, as well as any resident enquiries which require immediate attention from the team. Cheryl adds: “Residents at The Galleries know that we are a strong team and that jobs will get done efficiently and to a very high standard. As a result, there is a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere here and we don’t get complaints!
“I would definitely recommend the job of property management and concierge to anyone, male or female. It requires a cool head with an organised and professional approach and an ability to problem solve and of course multi task! My team knows that I would never ask them to do a job that I wasn’t prepared to do myself and so as a result we have a really professional team that is prepared to get stuck in and together we put our residents first.”
