Alice Cadfan-Lewis, Inspirational Woman of the Quarter 2017. Authored by Donna Duggan, Marketing Consultant and Owner of Donna Duggan Limited. Connect with Donna on LinkedIn.
All of us are shaped by our environment and by the people that surround us. Alice Cadfan- Lewis is no exception to that rule.
Her role model from an early age was her mother, a successful interior designer, with a passion for property, colour and texture. Alice frequently accompanied her on projects, sparking a lifelong interest in the transformation of buildings, and discovering along the way challenges faced by women in the workplace.
Discovering an aptitude for organisation and being a natural ‘people person’ she left school and joined PMR, one of London’s most successful agencies in supplying on-site property staff. With hard work and enthusiasm, Alice rose quickly through the ranks, becoming an equity shareholder and director of PMR at just 24 years old.
Having experienced working in a partnership, it was at this point in her career that Alice began to seek autonomy. In a male-dominated industry, she sought to forge a new path, allowing her the freedom to establish herself, her vision, and to cement her credibility. Spying a gap in the market for an agency specialising in the provision of management candidates to the block management sector her dream became reality in 2014. And, Block Recruit was born. Establishing herself in the sector quickly followed with News on the Block including her in their ‘Top 100’ for the last two consecutive years.
“Everybody is of equal importance and value to me. To be able to listen and encourage are invaluable lessons both at home and in the workplace.”
It’s not without humour that we add ‘plate-spinning’ to Alice’s list of achievements. As one of the founders of Doyenne she’s passionate about its continued growth as a forum in which women in property can support each other and share experiences. And at the same time Block Recruit continues its upward trajectory with continued expansion of both staff, clients and candidates. People are very much at the heart of what makes Alice tick.
But of course, Alice is more than just a woman in business and this blog, much like her life, would not be complete without her family. It is with the support and love of Bryn, her beloved husband, and Ralph, her treasured son, that Alice can add wife and mother to her long list of life achievements. Spending time with her family, sisters and brother, is Alice’s greatest love and their endless support and encouragement continues to spur Alice on to dream and achieve.
And what of the future? One thing’s for sure, Alice has room for a couple more plates so all we can say is watch this space…