Graham will retire at the end of November, leaving behind a strong management team and a company that continues to grow.
No one would ever describe Graham White as a shy and retiring sort of person. However, it is nonetheless true that after a long and highly successful career he is retiring from White Associates, the company he co-founded with Konrad Trankels back in April 2005.
Planned over the past three years, Graham’s retirement at the end of November comes at a time when White Associates celebrates its 18th birthday and looks ahead with confidence, in a time of growth. The business is led by Konrad with exceptional directors in place – Justin Maritz, Darin Bayer and Brett Zeiler – plus a new Associate Director and a strong roster of Associates in the team for a year now. There is longevity within the leadership team, with Director Justin Maritz and Associate Weng Tan celebrating their 10-year work anniversaries this year.
Structured and strong, White Associates has expanded successfully into the South Island from its Auckland base, establishing a flourishing office in Queenstown led by Elliott Smith which is now in its fourth year. White Associates’ service offerings now span four thriving departments: Pre Contract, Post Contract, Funding Representation and Advisory Services.
The track towards this level of success was laid in the very first days of the firm, when the immediate priority was to win work in the right way, says Graham. “Konrad and I always said from Day 1 ‘we’re not going to do it the old way’. We determined to do what we thought was right, and this has always been the litmus test for everything that has followed.
“We have grown over the years thanks to meeting great people along the way: brilliant clients and people who have worked in our team. The relationships and teams we have forged along the way, as well as the projects we have been fortunate enough to work on, have been the defining feature of my working life, and I will never forget them.”
Graham adds that over the years he has realised that White Associates is great at doing its job, and that it doesn’t need to go beyond that. “We have learned to focus on what we are great at, so we have spent considerable time and resource in creating processes and people in place to be truly effective as a QS firm. White Associates has improved hugely over recent years, growing in a sustainable and structured way while reclaiming its core value of ‘doing it right’. Truly we’re going from strength to strength.”
Appointed an NZIQS Life Member in December 2019, Graham says that as White Associates reaches its 18th birthday now is the right time to go. “This is my baby; it is a big thing for me to leave, but it is the right time, something we have planned for the last three years. I’m ready to move on to the next chapter of my life, and it is good for the directors to grow as a team. It is good for the company as well: a refresh, time to grow with our leaders in place.
“I am leaving White Associates in brilliant shape. Konrad has been running the company for years, and I am truly in awe of our team. The structure is in place for White Associates to succeed into the future, with our technical teams focusing on getting the job done in the best way for our clients and our staff, and Konrad at the helm ensuring all facets are aligned to the White Associates’ vision.”
That said, he also says that he plans to keep in touch for years to come. “I will continue to meet regularly with Konrad to be a sounding board, to help him and hear what’s going on. I want to hear great things about White Associates when I bump into people. I know I will.”
We know that Graham has formed many great relationships and made many friends along the way. If you have any messages you’d like to send him, please click HERE: