Logged In: Ben Aspinall of Aspinall Verdi

BEN Aspinall, director of property regeneration consultancy AspinallVerdi in Leeds, talks to TheBusinessDesk.com about the coalition government, the importance of RDAs for regeneration, and why there needs to be more competition between city regions.

What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?

Travelling to different places around the region and meeting new people – but the best thing is the satisfaction of being able to contribute constructively to take development projects forward.

What key challenges do you anticipate will affect your sector over the next six months?

We certainly live in very challenging times and we are interested to see how the international banking crisis and now state debt crisis pans out. It will also be interesting to see how well the new Lib-Con coalition holds together. Both of these things will impact on funding and consumer and business demand which must be sustainable this time around.

More specifically for regeneration, government needs to be clear about the role of Yorkshire Forward moving forward. The RDA is still responsible for a range of programmes, for example administering European funding in the region, which need to be managed.

Tell us what key skills you think every entrepreneur should have?

Passion and commitment for your chosen business sector. A supportive family and a friendly IT guy!

Why do you think Yorkshire is a good place to start up a business?

Because Yorkshire is so diverse in terms of its geography and economy there are lots of business opportunities at every level and scale. We have found work in Leeds and Sheffield but also in the rural and coastal areas of Settle, Malton and Hornsea. 

Also Yorkshire people tend to ‘cut-to-the-chase’ which makes life easier and quicker.

If you could improve anything in the region what would it be?

I’d like to see the region’s administration be more aligned to the economic geography on the ground. I firmly believe that the current regional administrative structure in the north of England, and probably England as a whole, is an impediment to economic growth in the 21st Century. 

The historic English regional boundaries should be reviewed and the best bits of the regional development agency brought into a series of functional sub-region agencies – Leeds city region, Sheffield city region, the Humber Port region etc. 

This will enable functions such as investment, economic development, marketing, transport and maybe even housing, health and education to be ‘organised’ on an efficient scale which reflects the economic geography on the ground.

There should be healthy competition between the city regions on certain aspects, but is it also important that the city regions collaborate on issues that affect all of the north of England such as high speed rail. We need the public sector to be as ‘aligned’ as possible in assisting the economic recovery.

Your views on the recession…

The writing was on the wall as it was clear that people were living beyond their means. I hope that the economy that emerges is more sustainable although I suspect that memories will fade and it will be ‘business as usual’. 

House prices and other household costs need to get back in line with real incomes.  I think that we still have some way to go in the current phase to rebase asset values.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Always ensure that your client has had more to drink than you at a party! But on a more serious note, I was advised to become qualified as a chartered surveyor – achieving membership of the RICS demonstrates that I have the expertise and skills to give authoritative specialist advice and guidance to my clients.

And the worst?

I can’t recall ever receiving ‘bad’ advice. All advice is good advice – it is important to listen to other people’s point of view.

What barriers have you had to overcome in growing your business/developing your career and can you explain how you overcame them?

The transition from employee to owner has involved a steep learning curve of business administration – our next challenge is handling recruitment and growth.

What was your first job and what did you spend your first wage packet on?

I had a couple of jobs driving a milk float and fork-lift truck, but my first ‘proper’ job was with Weatherall Green and Smith where I worked for four years in the valuation and insolvency department. It was great experience to be involved in valuation, property management and agency of a broad spectrum of property. I spent my first wage on a mobile phone which was the size of a brick.

If you could choose to start your career over again would you do anything different?

I had a break in the year 2000 to work as scuba diving officer for Operation Raleigh in Belize.  

The charity does some fantastic work on conservation and social projects and the experience of travelling in a developing country was a real ‘eye-opener’. I would encourage anyone just leaving education to take this time to do voluntary work overseas before finalising career plans.