Caroline is a Shareholder Director at HLM Architects. In 2004 she was instrumental in the successful management buyout of the practice, subsequently growing HLM鈥檚 wide ranging business portfolio leading to a yearly turnover of 拢13 million with over 230 staff. In 2013 Caroline was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors at Llewelyn Davies, part of the HLM Group.
I enjoyed my childhood. My school fostered creativity, application and participation. Learning within that framework was easy. I was a busy, active child - climbing trees, go-karting, fishing, exploring 鈥� celebrating life with my friends. If there was anything going on I鈥檇 probably be the ringleader, getting people organised and up for things. It鈥檚 not dissimilar to what I do now in practice 鈥� I move things forward by joining the dots. Sometimes that鈥檚 a bit frustrating because you鈥檙e not seen as the innovator with the brilliant idea. But I am good at testing those ideas, identifying the strongest ones and then working out what it will take to bring them to life.
I get stimulated by variety and having a breadth of experiences. I love trying new things and believe that you can do pretty much anything it you put your mind to it.
I liked the challenges I faced at school and university. The design and technology A-Level was new at the time and it was not seen as 鈥榓 girls鈥� thing鈥�. I tackled the subject with relish! I am still someone who is stimulated by variety and I love trying out new things. I believe that you can do pretty much anything if you put your mind to it - and even if it doesn鈥檛 work out, the most important thing is to have tried. It鈥檚 that attitude that led me to travel on my own round the world for a year once I had finished my studies.
In Australia I worked for an architect in Brisbane and became very aware that everything is not as it is in your own little country. The sun was in the north and we had to design buildings that would withstand a cyclone. I learnt a lot from my year travelling round the world. It was an eye-opener being exposed to different cultures and it made me much more aware of difference.
I came back from Australia, got married and started a family 鈥� so I understand first hand some of the dilemmas women face in the workplace. I remember when my son had just been born, colleagues came round with a roll of drawings for me to get on with whilst he was asleep! In those days we didn鈥檛 have decent maternity leave and I think I just got on with it. The school years can be particularly hard because you鈥檙e juggling so much and the guilt can kick in. But I just learnt to set up my life to make it work. Sometimes I couldn鈥檛 do everything the children wanted in the week and we had to compromise but I set a clear boundary around weekends and focused on the family. Everyone has a different equation for making it work and that was mine.
I just learnt to set up my life to make it work. Sometimes I couldn鈥檛 do everything the children wanted in the week and we had to compromise but I set a clear boundary around weekends and focused on the family.
There鈥檚 no doubt about it - our profession is very male. When I started out almost all the people in higher positions were men and that鈥檚 still the case; I remain one of the few female architect directors in a large practice. Men of that generation can be less aware of workplace issues 鈥� for example around parenting - because they haven鈥檛 experienced them personally. It鈥檚 not that they are deliberately trying to be obstructive but they just don鈥檛 see it. There are topics I raise at a board level that I don鈥檛 think would get talked about otherwise. And that鈥檚 part of my responsibility as a senior woman in practice. Over time I鈥檝e realised that people are watching, waiting for you to do things and wanting you to act 鈥� so you are inevitably a role model. If you鈥檇 asked me 10 years ago I wouldn鈥檛 have quite understood the affect we have on others.
The 澳门王中王 is our institution and I have quite a traditional belief that if you are part of a profession, you should stand by it and act as an advocate for it. The 澳门王中王 is not inclusive enough at the moment but we鈥檙e desperately trying to change and evolve. Some of the structures and meetings can be pretty daunting to work through and even the building at its Portland Place headquarters can seem austere and unwelcoming. I think the key is to take an outreach attitude, so that we connect more with the profession, talk about live issues and update them on the real progress being made.
