Alumni profile: Divya Patel, Senior Registered Valuer at Beca

For someone who has rapidly become a rising star in the property industry, a university career that began with a major in chemistry sounds unlikely – but this was exactly how Divya Patel’s study journey began. The process of settling on a degree “was definitely quite a roundabout experience,” laughs the winner of the 2023 PINZ/NZIV Future Leader Award. As she searched for alternative study options to complement the business papers she had already picked up, a Property 101 coursebook piqued her curiosity – “I just started flipping through it and thought ‘Actually, this looks quite interesting’ – and a quick pivot to a BCom/BProp degree followed. Science’s loss became Property’s gain.

From the outset, she loved the “hands-on experience” that the Bachelor of Property programme provided. “It was really real-life, relatable content. And the variety of courses that [the University of Auckland Business School] had within the Property degree was just so diverse as well – you were doing law, you were doing marketing, you were doing property development, valuations – there was just a whole spectrum of technical, calculation-based, real-life content [as opposed to] more theory-based content. It was relatable and applicable learning.”

The BProp’s emphasis on networking also appealed. “I loved connecting with industry professionals. Deborah’s [Professor Deborah Levy] words echo in my mind – she’d always say ‘network, network, network’. Professional connections and student connections were a good part of [the programme]. Property is a really people-based profession…I definitely relish opportunities to talk to people.”

Divya took up an internship at professional services consultancy Beca in her final year of study and has been with the company ever since. Now a senior registered valuer for the organisation, she works as a team leader for their Asset Advisory Business, describing herself as a “specialised asset valuer”.

However, her contribution to Beca has always extended beyond her own professional development. “Our team was heavily, if not all, male at the time I started,” she notes. “Because I was the only graduate that ended up taking on a full-time role within the team at the time, I’ve used that as a sort of leverage to make changes in our business – to [ensure I’m not] the only female and also to advocate for getting more graduates. This is where I began to envision a future for our valuation team where we could foster a supportive, diverse, inclusive, and enjoyable work environment for all team members. The support of my seniors has been exceptional in driving these initiatives and creating a more inclusive, supportive culture for our team.”

Divya’s commitment to changing the culture at Beca – and within the property industry as a whole – informed her decision to apply for the PINZ/NZIV Future Leader Award. “In my application, I talked about the fact that we’re in a sort of generational shift within our industry. [We need to have] conversations around our standards and governing bodies and what they look like in the future, as well as how accessible you make [the profession] to everyone – [ensuring] it’s a level playing field.”

Divya is the first recipient of the Future Leader Award, which is a new addition to the annual Property Industry Awards and was presented at the National Property Conference Gala Dinner in June. The submission process included providing three commendations from people that applicants either worked with or mentored, along with details of the applicant’s contributions to the property industry. Divya included a commendation from a junior valuer, which highlighted for her that “now I’m that person that people look up to, which is a super-weird feeling – but quite cool at the same time. It gave me a really good perspective of the contributions I’ve made to their career so far.”

Divya was the first graduate at Beca to progress from graduate to registered valuer within three years – an achievement which was notable as registration requires at least three years of relevant work experience, and Beca typically does less traditional valuation work than other valuation firms. It’s the perfect illustration of the trailblazing path she has already paved for the next generation. “The growth of our business in being represented as not just an engineering company, but as a consultancy, has been quite a journey as well. Beca wasn’t really well-known as a valuation business, and there was a myth that no one [at the organisation] could get registered. I guess I was the trial person to see whether it was possible – and I think it’s given our graduates a lot of confidence to see that you don’t have to be working for one of the traditional valuation firms to achieve registration.”

Gaining registration does remain a daunting process, however, and one of Divya’s many future goals is to make this process easier: “There are a few of us within the younger generation of registered valuers who really want to be able to make the process much smoother for new people. We held a panel discussion recently where we invited anyone who was preparing for registration to come and listen to our experiences. I think people got a lot out of it.”

Divya is quick to acknowledge that she is not alone in her commitment to driving change within the property industry, singling out her three fellow Future Leader Award finalists as an example. “It’s just awesome to see the talent that we have within the industry – to be a finalist is an achievement in itself.” Being a ‘future leader’ is not just a “one person thing”, she adds. “It requires a collective effort – having people that are so passionate about not only driving their own career, but also [contributing to] the professional community and the new generation.”

Divya certainly fits into this category. Although she claims she is still “figuring out what impact I do want to make”, it’s clear that she has made a significant impact already – not just within her own workplace, but within the property industry in general. As for her future plans? “My days are too short,” she laughs. She already acts as a diversity and inclusion liaison within the Property Institute, but her interests don’t end there. Her goal is “to invite people from outside our industry to talk about things like pay equity or gender gaps, work/life balance, sustainability, climate change, women in property…these are all really key topics of today. I want to have conversations that empower people.”

She’s also keen to attract people into the property industry by highlighting the variety of career options available: “I want to be able to call myself a consultant [rather than a valuer], because the work that we do is so broad and so varied that you don’t need to be siloed into ‘you’re a valuer’...I think in terms of a career pathway, there’s just so much opportunity.”

Ultimately, “I have a genuine drive to be able to make these things happen,” she says. “I’m passionate about making a change – it doesn’t matter how big or small.” Spoken like a true leader.