Since 2000, we have welcomed over 250 graduates and placements to Fisher German through our early careers programme. Each graduate and placement gain exposure to many different areas of the business regardless of the office or scheme they join. Graduates are supported throughout their training and professional qualifications, by a dedicated supervisor and counsellor and those following the surveying route, will also have access to a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Doctor who will meet with them throughout their qualification period.
Partner, Ruth Ofield has recently handed over the baton to Olivia Yates as Head of the Graduate Team. Ruth joined the graduate team 8 years ago and took over the leadership of it in 2018. She has worked incredibly hard by providing excellent strategic leadership that has seen our annual intake grow from 10 to 50 graduates this year. She's overseen a fantastic APC pass rate, driven and has future-proofed the business and the careers of many individuals.
Ruth said: “I am a huge believer in people development and succession. I have sat on the graduate team since 2015 and have loved engaging with colleges and universities to find future partners for Fisher German. I am confident that Olivia will do a fantastic job with the great team around her.”
Olivia, who is one of our senior associates, graduated from the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) in 2016 following the completion of a summer placement with Fisher German in 2015. She joined the Ashby office and went on to pass her Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV) exams in 2017 and APC in 2018. She moved to the Worcester office to work in the rural estate management team but has since moved into the compulsory purchase team. Her role is to constantly develop the programme and work with the other team members to support our graduates. She is also involved in the placement and recruitment process, interviewing, assisting with insight programmes, training days and APC exams both internally and externally.
Olivia said: “Graduates have played a pivotal part in Fisher German for a significant number of years and our passion and commitment to inspiring and supporting young professionals is stronger than ever. Regardless of your background, education, or training qualifications, it is enthusiasm and aspiration to learn and develop what we are looking for. We have an established award-winning graduate development programme with training and support to give every individual the opportunity to be the best that they can be. The programme forms a solid foundation to provide for young professionals to grow and develop and go on to progress their careers within the firm.
I experienced the programme first-hand as a summer placement student who then returned as a graduate and undertook the programme for a two-year training period. I can safely say that the time, effort and support I received throughout that period shaped me into the professional I am today, the skills I developed in that period will stay with me forever. To be able to play a part in offering that same support to others and provide training to upcoming professionals within Fisher German is a real honour.”
Brogan Fodczuk is our Early Careers Talent Advisor; her role is graduate recruitment and support. She joined us in the summer of 2022 as a talent advisor having worked in recruitment for over 6 years. Brogan said: “As somebody who followed an apprenticeship route, I have always had an interest in early careers and ‘future talent’. I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity to join the graduate team in Spring 2023.
“From recruitment to coordinating training events and programmes, I am the go-to person for anything early careers related. I enjoy working for a company that puts so much time and effort into the early careers provision and the success of the programme speaks for itself.”
One of our associates, Ben Minns, has the role of managing the RICS Doctor programme. He joined Fisher German in 2016 following a previous career as a geologist in the oil and gas industry. He works in the minerals team where his time is split between corporate estate management and mineral surveying. In the graduate team, his role is to oversee the RICS Doctors within the firm, a mentoring scheme which provides APC and AssocRICS support to graduates outside of their immediate teams.
Ben said: “Fisher German kindly sponsored me through the part-time Rural Estate and Land Management (REALM) course at Harper Adams University which I completed whilst working as a graduate surveyor in the minerals team at our Ashby office. I graduated from Harper Adams in 2018, passing my APC and CAAV exams a couple of months later.”
Two other surveyors, Kit MacDonald, and Katy Moore work together to run our training events to ensure that they meet the needs of our diverse and talented group of graduates. After graduating with a business degree from the University of Leeds Kit decided on a career in surveying and joined Fisher German in 2020.
Kit said: “With graduates coming from a vast variety of educational backgrounds and undertaking work across a variety of disciplines, we are continually looking for ways to adapt the programme and ensure it continues to achieve the success levels it does, both in terms of professional qualification but also personal development.”
Katy Moore joined Fisher German in 2019 after graduating from the RAU with a degree in Rural Land Management. She passed her CAAV exams in 2021 and her APC in 2022. She currently works in our property management and consultancy team at our Knutsford office and her role involves the management of diverse rural estates in the North West.
Katy said: “My role within the graduate team involves working alongside Kit to organise graduate training days and events which provide graduates with help and guidance and to equip them with the knowledge and expertise they require to pass their professional qualifications. These days can also provide an excellent opportunity for networking between graduates which provides a great platform for support and sharing ideas.”
Senior Associate, Tom Parry, recently joined the graduate team to oversee graduate rotations. He joined Fisher German as part of our merger with Matthews & Goodman in 2022 and works in our Liverpool office. He graduated from Liverpool John Moores University in 2016 with a master’s degree in Commercial Property Management and passed his APC in 2019.
He works within the valuation team undertaking valuations of a range of property types including commercial, residential, and mixed-use properties for both public and private sector clients.
Tom said: “My main role in the graduate team is to plan and arrange rotations for the commercial graduates across Fisher German, as well as supporting the rest of the team with recruitment, counselling/supervising and mock interviews.”
Associate partner, Matthias Charlton, graduated from Harper Adams University in 2014 with a degree in Rural Enterprise and Land Management. He went on to join an international surveying firm and qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 2015 and came to Fisher German in 2018 and joined our rural property management team. Since then, he has moved into the advisory services team. Matthias added: “My current role is diverse, providing professional services to a variety of clients including landowners, farmers, and corporate bodies across the UK, specialising in the valuation of rural assets.
“Within the Graduate Team, my role is to oversee and manage the mock APC assessments with Brogan. This involves everything from arranging dates, selecting assessors, and overseeing assessment days. I also assist with interviews for the firm's graduate in-take and am an RICS Assessor, Supervisor and Counsellor to internal and external candidates.
Click here to find out more about our early careers at Fisher German by clicking here. Our current graduate scheme is now open and will close on 24 November. See our graduate brochure by clicking here.
