Snizhana Yesaulenko, CEO of The Gresham Aparthotel, is in the running for Woman of the Year (Commercial) and Leader of the Year (Commercial) at Property Week’s inaugural Inspiring Women in Property Awards.
The awards honour the people, teams and firms empowering women in the property workplace and recognise the role models inspiring the next generation.
Snizhana Yesaulenko burst onto the Property and Construction scene in 2019, after many successful years in banking and finance. Joining Cube Construction as Managing Director she used her career expertise to transform the loss-making company into a profitable business, introducing financial industry practices, to reduce operational costs. She is accountable for the company’s processes, cash flow, cost control, and ensures regular dialogue with the banks.
She is also part of Aimrok Holdings, the developer behind a major £17 million refurbishment of an iconic Grade II-listed Victorian building in Leicester. Snizhana led the team in the transformation of the former department store into The Gresham Aparthotel cornering a new market in Leicester.
Even when Covid-19 hit after construction had started Snizhana developed innovative strategies to allow continuous construction. She hired locally to ensure subcontractors could get to the site, and devised creative work patterns where all teams, whether electricians, plumbers, or construction, were put into work bubbles operating a complex rotation system to keep them spread around the building and separated, so if one bubble collapsed, the others remained unaffected.
One of the greatest pandemic challenges was the supply and delivery of materials. Snizhana convinced her fellow directors to outlay capital (a brave move under the circumstances) to pre-purchase building materials, storing them on-site. When the rest of the UK experienced shortages, Cube construction’s work continued.
Most recently she has featured on industry podcasts, represented ‘Team Leicester’ at MIPIM 2023 and was a keynote speaker in Invest Leicester’s showcase at UKREiiF.
Mike Denby, Director of Inward Investment and Place Marketing at Leicester City Council, said: “I have had the pleasure of working with Snizhana over the past year since I joined Leicester City Council and her passion for promoting The Gresham and Leicester is truly inspiring. She is a tireless advocate for championing the city and all that Leicester has to offer.
“Her enthusiasm is contagious and her commitment to the business and wider community is unwavering. Her involvement in the development of The Gresham has made an important contribution to the city for future generations to come.”
Since opening, The Gresham Aparthotel has set new standards and is performing beyond expectations, winning numerous awards not least the prestigious Serviced Apartment News Best Operator 2023 (50-200 units) in May. Fantastic reviews flood in daily and this landmark building is a significant part of Leicester’s heritage, hailed a catalyst for regeneration of the area, and is regularly cited as an exemplar Leicester inward investment project.
Mark Hills, General Manager of The Gresham Aparthotel in Leicester, said: “I have worked within the hospitality sector for many years and find it refreshing to work with such a progressive and focused entrepreneur. Snizhana Yesaulenko dedicates herself to every project she undertakes and is a great empowerment of people, ensuring everyone is given opportunities to grow and be part of the journey with her.”
The winners of the awards will be announced at a black-tie awards ceremony at Grosvenor House hotel in London on 12 October. Full shortlist can be found online.
