Celebration time at Halls as two graduates qualify as chartered surveyors

Kate Oakes, 23, and Charlotte Hurley, 24, who work for Halls’ Rural Professional teams at the company’s Shrewsbury headquarters and Kidderminister office, respectively, received the eagerly awaited news from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) that they had passed their Assessment of Professional Competence. .

Halls is one of the UK’s leading independent firms of estate agents, chartered surveyors, auctioneers and valuers with 10 offices across Shropshire, Worcestershire and Mid Wales.

Kate, from Penkridge, joined Halls a year ago while Charlotte, from Ombersley, has worked for the company since 2022. They are both Rural Enterprise and Land Management graduates of Harper Adams University.

Kate was joint best graduate in her university cohort and won three other awards at the graduation ceremony last year. Earlier this year, she was third in the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs auctioneering final.

Secretary of Chase YFC, she is a keen horse rider and owns a small flock of award-winning Poll Dorset sheep. Her parents run a smallholding where they specialise in breeding standard bred horses for harness racing.

“I was absolutely thrilled to receive the good news that I had passed,” she said. “Appearing in front of an RICS assessor panel for an hour recently was quite nerve-racking. I had to provide them with my formal experience and prove my competence.

“I started on the journey to become a chartered surveyor in 2019 and the wide experience I have gained at Halls has been invaluable. There are so many different departments that I get to work with.

“Becoming a chartered surveyor and registered valuer means that I can now do more formal valuation work and build my own client base. I will continue to focus on general practice and working within the livestock market.”

Charlotte, a BSc honours graduate, also comes from a farming background was chairman of Cutnall Green YFC for two years. She first ‘worked’ for Halls as a runner at the company’s machinery sales as a teenager before enjoying a summer placement in 2019.

Whilst at university, she spent a placement year with the company before returning to the Kidderminster office following her graduation in 2022.

“I couldn’t have qualified without the support of Halls,” she said. “The company has given me experience of varied work and trusted me with extra responsibilities which has definitely been beneficial.

“I felt a mixture relief and excitement when I received the news from RICS and the whole office has been celebrating. I look forward to continuing my work and growing my client base with Halls.

“It’s an exciting time to be with the company, which continues to grow. It’s also a very challenging time for the agricultural industry, which is in turmoil following the Government’s controversial change to farm inheritance tax. My colleagues and I will be doing our best to help farmers through this difficult period.”

Halls’ managing director Jon Quinn, said: “Kate and Charlotte are shining examples of the blossoming talent that we have within our business. I am delighted that they have both qualified as chartered surveyors and look forward to watching their careers continue to grow with Halls.

“A skilled, dedicated and multi-disciplined workforce is essential if we are to achieve our future growth plans. There is real energy and enthusiasm to drive the company forward to continued success by taking advantage of emerging business opportunities.”