‘Doing things differently’
Meet the building consultancy shaking up the industry. Sillence Hurn Managing Director Alex Hurn talks to The Business Magazine about the company’s plans.
Sillence Hurn Building Consultancy is celebrating its second year of growth in the industry with new offices for its expanding team.
Armed with more than 30 years’ experience and ready to forge its own forward-thinking brand, Alex Hurn (pictured fifth from left) and David Sillence (sixth from left) co-founded Sillence Hurn during summer 2019.
Since then the team has grown tenfold, and they are celebrating new offices at the heart of Ocean Village in Southampton. Now the company is looking ahead to the next five years, including a London office to further support its clients.
Where does Sillence Hurn fit within the property industry?
We are a private building surveying and project management practice based in Southampton, Hampshire, servicing London and the South of England. We partner with landlords, public organisations, developers, lenders, and property managers within the commercial and residential space.
At the core of this are our values. These underpin the holistic approach that we’re proud of. We want the best outcomes for our people, clients and team. Ultimately, it is this good business ethos driven by our team which ensures our clients’ success.
Why are you ‘doing things differently’?
In an industry that is constantly evolving, staying relevant is key. We are built on providing best practice to our clients. To achieve that we must stay ahead of change and ensure our team is equipped with the best tools and skills to do so. Too many firms follow a model of ‘this is how we do it’ without a view to the long term or impact on the wider community. The turbulence experienced in the past 18 months is testament to why this traditional model is no longer sustainable or in line with client and team expectations.
We pride ourselves on our personable and tailored approach. This continues to underpin our unique offering that delivers over and above client expectations, every time.
How do you overcome challenges?
Like all businesses, we are faced with micro and macro challenges. The first, becoming established in a well-connected industry. As I mentioned before, it’s a traditional industry built on sound relationships and experience. We are continually building on our 30 years’ combined experience, so searching and retaining talent is hugely important for us. Most recently we have welcomed associate and senior building surveyors, a project manager, design consultant and marketing manager to the team. All of which will be supported personally and professionally to develop their career as they wish.
Within the wider sector, building standards are constantly evolving and environmental sustainability is more important than ever. Our approach to continue to broaden our range of service offering and expertise allows us to stay abreast of crucial changes and trends so that we can continue adding value for our clients and strategic partners.”
What’s next for Sillence Hurn?
We have some exciting plans in the pipeline. Over the next few months, we are expanding our presence in the Greater London area to better serve our clients in the area. Meanwhile, our core management team are currently mapping out the next few years as we seek further positive change in the industry.
For more information, contact Alex Hurn and the team at:
02380 014786
