_Sarah May-Brown: "I can see more clearly than ever the vision for the business"

For Knight Frank's Inspirational Women series, Sarah discusses the difficulty in navigating the early years of her career and why she now feels more ambitious than ever.

March 07, 2024

Sarah May-Brown is approaching her 20th year at Knight Frank, during which time she has risen to the role of Partner, currently serving as the Head of Private Wealth Intelligence in the Private Office. Her success, she believes, is attributed to a blend of hard work and a diverse journey through the global business with exposure to a number of different service lines.

Navigating industry shifts

Having worked in real estate for several years, Sarah joined Knight Frank in 2005, initially working in International Residential. A pivotal moment came in 2009 after the financial crash and redundancy. She moved to the Gulf to work for an investment management firm, rejoining Knight Frank in 2011 to establish the Middle East Global Wealth team. Reflecting on this phase, she acknowledges, “There was a time in my career when a big move was dictated more by circumstance than choice. However challenging that may have been at the time, it gave me the most incredible experience to work across the Middle East and Asia and the opportunity to acquire the cross border, cross sector knowledge so crucial for my role in The Private Office.”

Milestone moments

Sarah recounts numerous milestone moments in her career, including securing some of the company’s trophy instructions and asset sales. Another, she says, was her appointment to Knight Frank’s UK Residential Board in 2023, adding to diversity of thought and perspective as a female salaried partner. “But that feeling of pride often comes at times when you’re not expecting it,” she adds. “I regularly have little moments of feeling insanely proud of my team. It’s great when you achieve something yourself, but there’s nothing better than seeing one of your team do a really great job.”

Inspiring others

Paddy Dring, joint head of Knight Frank’s Private Office and long-time colleague, stands as one of her role models. Acknowledging the scarcity of women in senior positions throughout her career, she vividly recalls being inspired by Gráinne Gilmore, a former colleague. “I remember watching in awe as she presented to an audience of hundreds, speaking so eloquently and with such knowledge and insight. I never thought I could do that. I now present regularly, and while it’s never easy, it reminds me that with the right support, you can achieve what you set your mind to.”

Ambitious futures

After 25 years in real estate, Sarah is proud to say she feels more ambitious than ever. “Ambitious was never really a characteristic I would have necessarily associated with myself, partly due to being dyslexic. But also, very early on in my career, being honest, women weren’t overly encouraged to be ambitious. That change in ambition has undoubtedly come from seeing the change in the industry over the past 15 years or so.

“I’m privileged to be part of people discussions in the Residential and UK Strategy Boards and the depth of discussion and care the business affords these vital conversations. Now, I can see more clearly than ever the vision for the business and the leadership team’s commitment to achieve it - I’m excited to be a part of that future.”