We’re so proud to share that our head of sales and marketing, Samantha Palin, has been crowned female property champion of the year at the Construction and Property Awards.
Championing the range of roles for women in the property industry is something Samantha is passionate about and encourages her colleagues to inspire a new generation.
With 25+ years’ experience, Samantha’s career began as a sales consultant aged 21.
“My mum worked in the property industry, and I was never conscious of it being predominantly male. I’ve always been heavily influenced by women I’ve worked with,” Samantha said.
Being a young mum also shaped her management style.
“I had my son at 18, so empathise with those who might need to adjust working patterns to take time off with their children. It’s important to take the needs of working parents into account,” Samantha explained.
Sales executive Jasmine Carr said: “I love working for Samantha – she has such positive energy, despite her job being high pressured. We can go to her at any time with any questions. She’s not afraid of doing things differently and is always finding new ways to market the homes.”
Diana Irving, from interior design company Marblehead Home, said: “Samantha has an upfront, open and honest approach with her communication skills. She’s never afraid to push boundaries when it comes to design and style. Samantha likes to be the first to offer something that little bit different to inspire buyers, all with the emphasis on high quality finishes.”
Samantha orchestrated a brand refresh for Prospect, including new logo and website, plus introduced VR technology in marketing suites.
“Visuals and aesthetics are particularly important to women. With the VR screens, they can test out the options such as different kitchen colours and see them on screen in real time,” she explained.
Prospect is part of the Riverside Group, a leading social housing and regeneration organisation. All profits from the sale of Prospect homes are re-invested into Riverside to finance social value work and support some of the most vulnerable in our communities
Riverside’s Stephanie Hunter said: “Samantha exemplifies inclusive leadership and management. She fosters a collaborative environment where we make the best decisions for marketing our new homes. Samantha’s eagerness to learn, understand and her commitment to championing the work of others is inspiring. She praises colleagues and shows genuine appreciation. Together, we’ve successfully delivered a new brand style and vision for Prospect. I’m proud to work alongside Samantha and the other remarkable females who contribute to Prospect’s ‘Homes for Good’ vision.”
Prospect advocates diversity within its workforce, recognising the invaluable contributions women bring.
“Almost half (43%) of Prospect staff are women including architects, a land manager, customer care and sales executives,” Samantha said. “This shows women can work across all specialties. It’s great to have women involved at every stage of the housebuilding process. Women have a huge influence when it comes to buying a home, so I think it’s so important that there is female input into how a home looks or is built. Whether it’s from the commercial team, who arrange the purchase of materials used in building the home, or the architectural team, who design the homes.”
In 2024 Prospect was one a few SME housebuilders in the North to offer placements in under the HBF’s Women into Home Building programme.
Samantha believes if children physically see or meet women working in the industry, it will be a catalyst to getting more females working in construction.
“We’ve been into schools close to our developments in Whalley, Lancashire, and in Widnes, Cheshire, to educate children about the varying roles and it was a team made up of mostly women,” she said. “Even if we inspire one girl into the industry then we’ve done a good job.”
