Ally Reid

At PeopleDem property we believe in celebrating our community by spotlighting black excellence in property. Today we are celebrating Ally Reid.

Ally is a chartered commercial property surveyor and registered valuer who has held roles in construction, valuation, and property investment since 2013. She simplifies what she does in one sentence: “I tell the story of the value we can achieve so we can decide when to buy, sell or develop a building.”

Born and raised in Lewisham, Ally grew up in an area where prospects were limited for young people of colour. Her family instilled a strong work ethic if you work hard, you will succeed. She earned a scholarship to Blackheath High School and later attended Brunel University.

As a child, Ally always had her head in a book and often asked her mum big, unusual questions like, "What is a recession?" After school, she initially set her sights on joining the diplomatic service, believing it would allow her to change the world. She was drawn to roles where she could see the full picture and challenge authority. However, during the application process, a personality test revealed that acting without questioning wasn’t one of her strengths prompting her to reconsider her path.

Ally then applied for a finance role at a construction company. During the interview, she learned they were also hiring a quantity surveyor a role she hadn’t heard of before. Once she discovered that quantity surveyors estimate and control costs for large building projects, she knew it was the perfect fit. She would arrive at the office in heels, change into work boots, and head to site. Ally absolutely loved it. However, she was one of only three women on site at the time, and it wasn’t until she told others to put on their hard hats that people began to take her seriously.

For personal reasons, Ally later took a break from work to care for someone close to her. As they recovered, Ally decided to re-enter the workforce gradually. She applied for a couple of weeks of work experience at JLL, just to ease back into a professional environment. That short placement turned into six years. She qualified as a valuation surveyor and became RICS certified alongside her valuation work. Since leaving JLL in 2017, Ally has continued to thrive in the industry.

She has built an illustrious career, working at companies such as Permasteelisa Group, JLL, Landsec, and QNB Group. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Ally is deeply committed to improving diversity and inclusion in the real estate industry.

In a previous role, she was responsible for oversight and advisory of European real estate funds, including a prime Central London mixed-use portfolio with commercial, leisure, luxury BTR, and hotel properties held by overseas investors. At Landsec, she worked at the highest level to maximise the value of a £12.8 billion real estate portfolio.

Her work spans investment strategy, sustainability, project delivery, and the coordination of multidisciplinary advisors. She delivers strategies that enhance the investment value of properties requiring significant intervention, complex operations, sympathetic placemaking, refurbishment, and repositioning.

One of the proudest moments of her career was transforming the old BHS building in Lewisham into an H&M. Having grown up in Lewisham, standing outside the newly opened store with her mum felt especially meaningful. “Standing outside it 20 years later with my mum, having turned what is quite an iconic and well known building on the high street into another well known current retailer, felt like a proud moment. It showed how far I had come.”

Ally is a vocal advocate for reducing barriers to entry in the real estate sector to help build a more diverse and inclusive workforce. She served as chair of Diaspora, the ethnic minority affinity network at Landsec, and remains active in several community initiatives focused on increasing visibility and access for minority groups in the industry. One such contribution is her role as a committee member for Black Women in Real Estate. The organisation tackles underrepresentation by creating spaces where Black women can connect, empower each other, and amplify their collective voice. As Ally explained in an interview with Madison Berkeley: “I want to see more young women of colour in this industry. When I was starting out I didn’t have any role models in the industry that looked like me. I want to create a diverse real estate workforce so that diversity isn’t even a thing anymore. This is an industry for everyone.”