2020 Influential Businesswoman Awards

30 Acquisition International - 2020 Worldwide Finance Awards hristina Valentine, of Christina Valentine Property Services, is taking the interior decorating and refurbishment industry by storm. She is a one-woman powerhouse, and when it comes to renovating your home, she has a wide and varied set of skills that means she can do it all. With over 30 years’ experience working all over London, Christina is skilled in: painting, decorating, wallpapering, carpentry, plumbing, kitchen fitting, bathroom fitting, property restoration and interior design. During her early twenties, Christina was already a skilled tradeswoman. She soon found that her clients were impressed by her wide skill range, and was seen as a novelty, not only for being able to carry out all these jobs independently to an amazing standard, but also because she is a woman doing it in a male-dominated industry. At the age of 36, Christina decided to go back to university to do a degree in interior design and environmental architecture, it became clear to her that she did not want to work in an office, or to be an interior designer stuck behind a computer screen. Prior to starting university, she toyed with the idea of hanging up her tools, but soon realised it was her unique skill. After graduating, Christina returned to her tools and added her design and architecture knowledge to her arsenal of skills for her loyal customers. Since starting her career, Christina said that she hasn’t seen the industry progress as much as she would have liked, or as much as you’d expect it would have by now. “Since starting my career, I can't say that I've actually seen that many changes within the construction industry in regard to women to the degree that you would expect over 30 years. “When I started all those years ago, it was only around one or two per cent of people on the tools who were women. Shockingly, that statistic has barely changed and it is still around two to five per cent, depending on which survey you look at.” Although she has said that social media has eased entry into the industry for women as it empowers people to become self-employed, the education system is still old fashioned. Standard training colleges “can be a barrier to learning because often, as a woman, you are the only female in that completely male environment. This can be daunting because the sexism and the stereotyping starts at this point. And sadly, this is often how it continues after training for a tradeswoman A self-proclaimed rarity in the field, Christina Valentine is a one-stop-shop tradeswoman for all your interior design and redecorating needs. In an industry dominated by men, she stands out from the crowd and is well-deserving of the Most Influential Businesswoman in Property Restoration and Refurbishment 2020 (South East England) award. Most Influential Businesswoman in Property Restoration and Refurbishment 2020 (South East England): Christina Valentine C working on building sites or for subcontractors within building companies which are heavily male-dominated.” Christina not only stands as a role model in the industry but is actively changing the accessibility of the industry for other women. A new project of hers is to start up her own training school where other women can learn trade skills. The Tools for Life Trade Skills and Welfare Academy for Women is entering a pilot stage where Christina will take 12 unemployed women and teach them all the skills they need to become a hands-on tradeswoman. It will utilise an empty property that needs refurbishing, to give them a playground in which to practice their skills. Afterward, Christina plans to set up a brand-new company where the women can gain employment. The entire process will also be filmed so that it can be turned into a documentary that will further the recognition of women in the trade industry. When asked about the biggest achievement in her career, Christina simply gestured to her business as a whole. She feels that being a successful, self-employed tradeswoman with over 30 years’ experience, working from high-end jobs to charitable work, is a huge achievement, and we’re inclined to agree. Not only is she amazingly skilled with her hands, Christina is somewhat of an inventor. She has patented a design of a ladder that has innovated safety, particularly on sloping surfaces. It will help to reduce deaths and injuries from falls from heights. It is soon to be licensed to a manufacturer to trade. Christina is an incredibly successful and influential businesswoman, and we’ve been lucky to be able to chart her success. Not only does she have an amazing set of skills, but she is also actively working towards the betterment for women in the trade, using her position of power to help open doors for other women. Company: Christina Valentine Property Services Contact: Christina Valentine Website: www.christinavalentine.co.uk