GET TO KNOW OUR COMMERCIAL LADIES
BY CASSANDRA GLOVER
Q & A WITH RAY WHITE COMMERCIAL WESTERN SYDNEY MANAGER - ASIAN INVESTMENT SERVICES VEE LI
Q & A WITH RAY WHITE COMMERCIAL WA - ASSET MANAGER PHOEBE MEADS
Q & A WITH RAY WHITE COMMERCIAL CANBERRA - DIRECTOR PROPERTY MANAGEMENT ELENI NOTARAS
What do you enjoy most about working in commercial real estate ?
I ’ m a property geek . I enjoy researching all types of assets , from developments , service stations , to brothels .
As a woman working in commercial real estate , what advice would you give to other women getting into the field ?
My advice would be to always think from a gender-neutral perspective , act as a respectful human being , be genuine , and be you . I know there aren ’ t many women in this field , but there should be . Get out there and get started because we have a real glass ceiling to knock off , sister !
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What do you enjoy most about working in commercial real estate ?
I mostly enjoy how fast-paced it is , every day is dynamic and presents new circumstances and learning experiences . There is never a tedious day in commercial !
Did you have any interesting previous careers ?
I was the centre director for a performing arts school in Joondalup for children aged 4 - 18 years , while I was starting my real estate career . They had one hour of dance , drama and singing lessons with an annual performance . I had five wonderful staff members who worked with me , however , unfortunately due to COVID-19 it wasn ’ t feasible to carry on . I also worked at the London 2012 Olympics for the main security company which ended up paying for my plane ticket to come to Australia 10 years ago from the UK .
How did you first get into working in commercial real estate ?
I ’ ve been around real estate my whole life as my father was a residential agent when I was a child , who then made the change to commercial real estate during my teenage years . He then opened his own agency where I worked part time while I was completing my tertiary study . In addition to the business he was always investing so it was something that I just grew up with .
I started in residential property management helping in accounts , reporting , and anything that was required really . The team was all women and they were very welcoming and keen to teach me what they knew as they were always busy and happy with any help they could get - nothing ’ s changed in that regard really . I was out of the industry for some years when I worked in my other profession before returning to the commercial side as a property manager , again working in the family business part time when my children were small . Eventually when they were all at school , I started working full time for the ACT Government in their land release program for a couple of years before transitioning to a full time commercial property management role .