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In conversation with Christian Tooley

Christian Tooley

4 June 2018

Christian Tooley is a Regional Manager at CBRE Asia Pacific, the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm. Since graduating from his Master’s of Science in International Planning, Christian lived a self-proclaimed nomadic lifestyle before settling in Hong Kong with CBRE in 2015. Along with his role, Christian is also the founder and chair of LGBT+CBRE, the first real estate pride network in Hong Kong. He tells us about his career and what the UCL Alumni has meant for him.

Where has your career taken you? What do you do now?

My career has taken a very non-linear path! Two weeks after I handed in my dissertation at UCL I left London on a one-way ticket to Asia. I did not know what I wanted to do for work post-academia, so instead, I decided to be a nomad and backpacked for 11 months. Along my travels, I visited a friend in Hong Kong and immediately fell in love with the city. I've been working here since 2015. I am currently a Regional Manager at CBRE Asia-Pacific in their consulting team. I focus on the future of work and employee experience.

In Hong Kong and globally, I am proud to lead many inclusion and diversity initiatives. I am the Founder & Chair of LGBT+CBRE, an industry-first network in Asia. I also work with the British Chamber of Commerce on talent and policy, and I run LSE's LGBT+ Global Alumni Group. Recently I was shortlisted for Hong Kong's LGBT+ Inclusion Champion Award. LGBT+ advancement is still needed in so many areas of our lives. When we foster inclusion, we can all achieve greatness.

How has your connection with UCL continued since you graduated?

I am one of The Bartlett's Global Ambassadors for the built environment. I connect with current and former students to help them with their career paths. I like to stay active through our alumni events and I'm always happy to connect with UCL students/alumni. Please feel free to reach out to me via LinkedIn.

What value do you think mentoring has for both you and your mentee?

You often give the most impartial and best advice to someone other than yourself! It is rewarding for me to offer insights from my experiences. It means a lot to me for mentees to have a mentor who will be a soundboard for their aspirations.

What value do you think mentoring has for both you and your mentor?

I have recently found a mentor via UCL's new alumni tool. It is refreshing to talk about my ambitions, anxieties and abilities in a casual setting. I enjoy having a thoughtful outside perspective on my career.

What would you say to someone thinking of getting involved in mentoring?
You can craft the experience any way you want. Whether it is over coffee or drinks, an ad-hoc phone call or monthly email thread.