The Senior Partner/CEO, Knight Frank Nigeria, Mr. Frank Okosun, has underscored the need for academic institutions to help address the industry’s needs for better impact.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony for 21 young professionals from the Cohort Three of the Knight Frank Academy, in Lagos, Okosun said: “Today, we are excited to announce that 21 young professionals have gone through a rigorous training process at the Knight Frank Academy for two months, plus two months internship at Knight Frank and other collaborating firms in the industry.
“This brings the total number of young professionals who have been trained at the Academy to 60 and are now adding value to the industry as valuers, brokers, property managers, and facility managers. This total number of graduates makes this Cohort more special as it coincides with our 60th Anniversary celebration this year.”
Okosun thanked the facilitators and collaborating firms who volunteered and have been supporting the Knight Frank Academy initiatives by sharing their wealth of experience and providing internship placement for the young and promising professionals.
“I also thank our institutional partners — Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI-Nigeria), and International Facility Management Association (IFMA, Nigeria Chapter), among others — for offering young professional membership, free conference tickets, and recognition to graduates of the Knight Frank Academy,” he emphasised.
Also, the President, FIABCI-Nigeria, Mr. Akin Opatola, commended the graduates for showing competence, resilience, and the hunger to grow in the dynamic and ever-evolving real estate industry. He noted that FIABCI-Nigeria was committed to continuing its close collaboration with Knight Frank Nigeria.
“This is the third year we are actively partnering with the Knight Frank Academy, and each time, we are reminded of the alignment of our values; excellence, ethics, and the commitment to nurturing the next generation of real estate leaders,” he said.
Past President, IFMA, Nigeria Chapter, Mr. Stephen Jagun, also commended the impactful initiative by Knight Frank. He recalled that in recognition of the laudable initiative, the Global President of IFMA approved five slots for Cohort Three graduates of Knight Frank Academy to attend the IFMA global conference in Lagos.
Head of Human Resources and Administration, Mrs. Toyin Lasaki, highlighted the improvements made in Cohort Three following feedback from the Cohort Two.
“We enriched the curriculum and engaged new facilitators to provide a more robust learning experience,” she noted. She explained that the curriculum covers technical and behavioural competencies required to grow and excel in the real estate industry and was delivered in case study style. The interns were graded and assessed based on individual tasks, group assignments, practical group projects, and submission of individual projects.
Lasaki further acknowledged and thanked collaborating firms, including Dele Olaiya & Associates, Estate Intel, Gbenga Olaniyan and Associates, MISA Nigeria Limited, Olawale Jordan Company, Osas & Oseji, Rogba Orimalade & Co., Solid Foundation Estates, and Alpha Mead for accepting interns from the academy on two months internship programme.
While presenting a compilation of the research reports submitted by the 21 interns during their time at the Knight Frank Academy to the Senior Partner/CEO, Mr. Frank Okosun, the Academy Director, Dr. Beryl Ehondor noted that the quality of work was highly commendable.
“This is a valuable addition to the body of knowledge in the industry by these young and promising graduates of estate management, building technology, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering,” she declared.
The Knight Frank Academy, launched in 2023, was established to bridge the gap between fresh graduates’ academic knowledge and the practical skills required in the dynamic real estate sector.
