Nicole Bremner

“A career in construction is not just about muddy boots.”Today my guest is Julia Starzyk, a property quantity surveyor, project construction manager and founder of Stars Projects London, a dynamic property consultancy focusing on cost consultancy and project management in the luxury £1m to £6m property sector. From converting a 150-year-old building in Mayfair into a luxury seven-bed hotel to a modern apartment in Chancery Lane with raw concrete ceilings, she has project managed over 90 luxury property renovations and listed building restorations. Julia arrived in England from Poland 11 years ago and has since worked her way up in the property industry, from assistant site manager to commercial director of a construction company, studying for and achieving two master degrees in the process. Back then the property industry was fiercely male dominated, and while more women have joined and found success in construction, there are some things that still haven’t changed. “I’m yet to work on a site where there are