What It Does: Knight Frank specialises in the valuation of lands and homes, residential, commercial, and international property investment, fund management, and rural consultancy.
Mission: Knight Frank's mission is to engage people and property perfectly to create an enabling environment that will inspire its people to be outstanding in their chosen fields.
Size and Presence: Knight Frank employs thousands of people in the UK.
Best Known For: Knight Frank has won numerous awards due to service excellence. The most notable ones include the Customer Commitment Award at the UK Customers Satisfaction Awards. In the 2022 edition of the CoStar awards, Knight Frank won the Most Active Acquisition Agent. In the 2022 edition of the Property Week Awards Shortlist, it won Offices Agency Team of the Year.
The Good Bits: Working at Knight Frank comes with many employee benefits. The work is exciting, and the atmosphere is enjoyable. The company also provides numerous training and growth opportunities.
The Not-So-Good Bits: The work can get intense sometimes.
Knight Frank's history dates back to 1896 when Knight, Frank & Rutley was established in the UK. The following year, the firm recorded its first property sale, which was a cycle machinery and facility in Battersea for about £270. In 1911, the company sold The Crystal Palace to Lord Plymouth for £210,000. Three years later, the British Government knighted Howards Frank, a senior partner of the company. One of the most popular property sales for the company was in 1921 when they sold an entire town (Reigate) for £203,840. In 1981, Grand Metropolitan bought Pan-American World Airways Intercontinental Hotels Corporation for $500 million through Knight Frank.
In 1996, the company rebranded to “Knight Frank” and dropped the Rutley from its name in a bid to spread internationally. 10 years later, Knight Frank established an international real estate partnership with Newmark, a top New York real estate service. In 2007, Knight Frank established over 165 countries in 36 countries, effectively expanding internationally. The company’s workforce grew to a numerical strength of 5,000. In 2008, Knight Frank moved its global headquarters to Baker street, London. The company celebrated its 125th-anniversary last year.
Knight Frank has a very good working atmosphere where employees are given the latitude to perform without much supervision in the execution of their job roles. Every employee is encouraged to speak up and air their views. The company also encourages collaboration among employees to foster harmony. Employees are usually put in teams to work, which has enhanced the quality of service to clients. Most employees are friendly and willing to take new intakes, such as fresh graduates and interns, under their wing. Knight Frank also welcomes racial, cultural, religious, sexual, and gender diversity in its workforce. What matters most to the company is the competency of its staff. The company's dress code is semi-formal.
The company offers apprenticeships, internships, and graduate programs to its employees. Apprenticeship programs are targeted at undergraduates who get to learn at the university level and earn a salary. At the end of the program, they should gain relevant qualifications and practical work experience. The internship program is a 4-week program for interns to get real work experience as well as networking opportunities in the company. There's also a 12-week Industrial Placement which gives interns a chance to work with some of the best minds in the industry and get an insight into life in Knight Frank. The company's graduate program includes schemes such as planning scheme, general practice, rural scheme, and so on, which gives freshers a means to immerse themselves in the company and explore their potential.
The company's hiring process involves the following:
A fresher working at Knight Frank earns an average of £24,000 annually.
Knight Frank has donated to Rainbow Trust and supports LandAid. This company has also donated to Alzheimer's Society, Young Minds, and Contact the Elderly.
There's no widely published controversy involving Knight Frank in the UK.