Profiles in #Building Equality – Carolyn Strauss

Carolyn Strauss is Head of Sales & Marketing at Lioncor.

Carolyn Strauss headshot black & white

What was your professional journey before moving into Construction?

I studied Geography & Sociology at Trinity College and spent my third year of university at King’s College London

After leaving college, I moved back to London and worked as both a relocation agent and estate agent. On my return to Dublin five years later, I got a job with what was then Hamilton Osborne King and spent nearly ten years with their New Homes team under the stewardship of Ronan O’Driscoll. I have great memories of lots of hard work, long hours, many challenges but equally mixed with some wonderful clients and plenty of fun. I took a break from the industry for a while after having children and subsequently joined the new homes team with Sherry FitzGerald, where I worked for another four years.

What prompted you to move to Lioncor?

Agency is a great job, every day is different, you’re out and about meeting people and I loved the fact that I wasn’t desk bound. However on the flip side the hours are long and weekend work is a very big part of the role and after almost 20 years I decided that I needed to hang up the New Homes keys and try something new.

The opportunity arose to move to the developer side of the business and it has given me a whole new set of challenges, it’s an exciting role and like agency no two days are the same. I work with a great team of people and most importantly I like coming to work. I believe it’s vital to keep challenging yourself, it keeps you fresh, engaged and moreover gives you job satisfaction.

Would you recommend a move to construction to other women? If so, is there any advice you could share in relation to making the move?

I would absolutely recommend construction for women, there are so many different opportunities and roles involved in the industry. You don’t always need to come through the standard channels of a specific third level degree, there are lots of different avenues you can take. Some journeys will take longer than others but on those more protracted routes you can often find roles you didn’t even know existed and they just might be the right fit. One piece of advice I’d give to others considering a change is never be afraid to ask questions or say you don’t understand something, when you move from one part of an industry to another, the vernacular changes and its important not to feel intimidated by it.

Salary Guide

In an ever-changing employment market, the 2024 Salary Guide provides you with up-to-date insights about salary levels across all sectors. Whether you’re hiring, or looking for your next move, equip yourself with the latest data today.

Set up a consultation with a member of our expert team.

Download the latest Spotlight
report for your area