10 in 10: Matthew Jones

Matthew Jones is a founding partner of Jones Hargreaves, an independent commercial property consultancy with offices in Leeds, Manchester, Cardiff, Bristol and London and is the latest regional professional in the hot seat as the p.ublished group of newspapers gives him just 10 minutes to answer our 10 burning questions.


What does a typical working day involve?

No two days are the same as a Building Surveyor! We have a very varied workload, including undertaking various types of survey, handling dilapidations claims and overseeing construction work. Add in the role of helping to run the business and work life can become rather hectic. I try to spend at least one day in our Leeds office each week. Most other days involve travel, predominantly within Yorkshire, but also to our other offices in Manchester, London, Bristol and Cardiff.

What makes your company special?

Jones Hargreaves grew out of the credit crunch and has achieved sustained, consistent growth since its formation. We purposefully avoided a hierarchical structure internally. Instead, we employ senior commercial property experts as associate partners, giving autonomy to our growing team and scope for our team members to progress in the industry.

The result of this approach is that everybody gets the opportunity to work on complex projects end-to-end alongside trusted colleagues, which keeps motivation high and creates a supportive working environment. This then translates into providing dynamic, commercially-savvy consultancy advice for clients.

We’re proud to now work with a range of clients including occupiers, private individuals, fund managers, institutional investors and pension funds to deliver high quality work with sustainability at the core. I’d say we definitely punch above our weight in terms of the size of projects we work on and the clients we work for - we think there are real advantages to delivering a bespoke, personalised service.

Do you have any business rules you swear by?

Property is very much a ‘people’ based industry. My number one rule is to make sure that colleagues are happy, motivated and well looked after. Our business is built on strong relationships between our colleagues and our clients and that will always be a priority for Jones Hargreaves.

Do you dress up or down for work?

Generally the trusted Building Surveyor’s jeans, shirt and jumper combo (brown brogues optional..) is the standard work attire. When on site, we’re very used to wearing HiVis jackets and safety boots. In our line of work, it’s about being smart yet practical.

What piece of advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?

Don’t worry about what other people think of you. I’d definitely make it clear that it’s important to recognise your strengths, work hard and enjoy the day-to-day rather than look elsewhere for validation.

What’s your favourite Yorkshire venue for an event or team away day?

York Races, preferably in the Ebor Restaurant where the food and views of the course are fantastic. I am slightly biassed being born and brought up just outside York but the Knavesmire on a warm sunny afternoon with colleagues or clients is also hard to beat!

How do you prefer to travel for business?

By train as much as possible. The ability to get work done (provided you can get a seat) as opposed to driving saves a lot of time and has environmental benefits as well. I’m generally very positive in my outlook but one of the worst things about Leeds is the lack of a decent integrated public transport system. I'd really like this to be addressed and improved in the future.

What’s your favourite place in Yorkshire to relax?

At home with my family or out for the evening with my wife, Simone, at one of Leeds’ great restaurants. I also like to head out into the countryside - we’re spoilt for choice with the Yorkshire Dales and interesting places such as Bolton Abbey on our doorstep. And in the summer months I enjoy heading to the Yorkshire coast, particularly Robin Hood’s Bay.

Where is your favourite place to eat in Yorkshire and what dish do you recommend?

I’m a simple creature when it comes to food. The ribeye steak with peppercorn sauce at Sous le Nez in Leeds city centre is hard to beat (fillet steak for special occasions!). I’m equally happy with a decent curry at Akbars or seafood at the Flying Pizza.

What do you miss about Yorkshire when you are away?

The variety of environments in relatively close proximity. Despite the well publicised transport issues we have in Leeds, you can still get from the busy city centre out to the edge of the Dales in half an hour (on a good day).