For the latest instalment in our 60-second blog series, we sat down with our Systems Director, Sam Short.
Sam has worked at Rendall & Rittner since 2003, having originally pursued a fashion career in New York. Working as a PA to Directors Duncan Rendall and Matt Rittner, Sam quickly became involved in the various aspects of property management. In 2005, Sam was promoted to Team Leader, before continuing to progress through the roles of Associate Director, Area Director and Divisional Director. In 2020 Sam took responsibility as Product Owner for developing the requirements for our new IT solutions before recently being made Systems Director in January 2022.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
I’m very much a morning person, so I’m usually at my desk by 6.45, I’ve often been processing ideas overnight and I like to get started fresh and early.
What do you like most about your job?
I love the variety of different challenges that I deal with. In every role I have had within R&R there has been plenty of scope to think creatively and problem solve in innovative ways, I get a real kick from this.
What challenges do you face?
There are always plenty of tasks to juggle! In my new role I’m driving forward our technology transformation which will revolutionise the way that we work and the service we can provide to our clients and customers. This is hugely rewarding, but a big challenge, so making sure that all parts of the project are moving forward at the right pace and that we are engaging our people and bringing everyone along is one of the greatest challenges right now.
What made you pursue this career?
Like many others, I fell into it! I had good office skills and a keenness to learn, so I started in a junior role, listened intently and worked hard. As it turned out residential property fascinates me; there are so many moving parts that people don’t see and we have such a personal connection to where we live and how we make a community.
What are you most proud of?
I feel proud every time I make things better for someone. I’m proud to have been appointed to my new role and entrusted to use my knowledge and experience to develop our new tech platform. This is a huge honour, but of course there’s a lot of responsibility to get it right. My hope is that we can all be proud of what we are building and what we will achieve for our clients and customers as a result of it.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I love being outside. We live between the beach and the south downs so I spend a lot of time walking, particularly with our four year old beagle who loves to chase seagulls! I also practise yoga which is great for both body strength and calming the mind.
What are you most looking forward to this year?
Outside of work I’m looking forward to spending some time abroad. Nothing fancy, just time outside of the UK after the last couple of years. Professionally I’m looking forward to delivering the first version of our new portal and seeing how this is received by our clients and customers.
Posted: 09 May 2022
