Stephen Jokelson is all set to bounce back

Feb 5 2010 by Chris Knox, The Journal

A REAL estate entrepreneur who fell victim to Dubai’s property market crash is now confident of bouncing back after attending an innovative programme that aims to retain talent in the North East.

Newcastle-based Stephen Jokelson, was forced to leave his post as property director at Worldwide Property management in Dubai last year after a number contracts linked to the Dubai World project ran into difficulties.

He then returned to his native North East and, with the economic downturn still hitting the real estate sector, did not hold much hope of picking up any work and was even considering moving to mainland Europe to help increase his chances.

The 52-year-old has been involved in the property market for more than 25 years, including a number of years in Latvia, but is now planning a long career in the North East after participating in the One North East-backed Leadership Enterprise Opportunity (LEO) programme.

The three-week programme, which was the second to be hosted by Newcastle-based recruitment company NRG, saw 17 executives visit some of the region’s thriving business sectors and receive advice on how to create the perfect CV, brush up on their networking and launch a new business.

Mr Jokelson said he was already in contact with a number of businesses who were keen to tap into his skills and experience, including Newcastle-based environmental support services company eaga. He said: “The programme was extremely helpful and opened my eyes to the opportunities that are now open to me here in the North East.

“When I came back from Dubai I was convinced that there would be no work for me here. However, I now realise that there is much stronger support network in the region.”