Meet the female leaders in Melbourne's property industry

Leadership roles in the property industry remain dominated by men, but the tide is turning.

Hodges’s Carmel Baker last year became the second woman to take charge of a major real estate agency in Victoria after Harcourts chief executive Sadhana Smiles.

They are among less than 10 per cent of female chief executives in the industry, according to a report by consultants Ernst & Young.

The 2014 report reveals women occupy only about one in four management positions, while below management roles are spread more evenly. 

With real estate overtaking mining to become Australia’s most profitable industry, and to mark International Women’s Day, we take a look at some of the women leading the charge in Melbourne. 

Danni Addison, Victorian chief executive, Urban Development Institute of Australia

Photo: Slingard

Danni Addison found her passion for the housing sector when she worked with a law firm’s property and construction team. 

Before joining the UDIA as principal advocate, she was a senior adviser to the former planning minister Matthew Guy and a policy advisor at the Property Council of Australia.

Ms Addison, 29, says she cares for good public policies that help the private sector and the urban development industry deliver affordable and accessible housing.

“There’s a really big responsibility within my role to make sure that the voice is there on behalf of the industry and home buyers to make sure that we’re getting good outcomes from policymakers, from governments and also that there is someone out there talking about the industry with the broader community.”

Carmel Baker, Victorian chief executive, Hodges 

Photo: Supplied

Carmel Baker is Hodges’ first female chief executive and has a bold vision to expand the agency from its 13 offices by half that number this year.

She wants to increase the agency’s presence around the bay, from Point Nepean to Queenscliff. 

Ms Baker, 44, was integral in the growth of Wizard Homes Loans – now a part of Aussie – which saw the business named a 2008 finalist for Franchise of the Year by the Franchise Council of Australia. 

“In Victoria, we’re certainly seeing an increase in the number of women in the real estate [sector], and particularly in senior leadership roles, more so than what I have experienced in NSW,” she says.

“Historically, and certainly in Victoria, a lot of the CEOs were real estate people who worked their way through the tree, and traditionally there’s been fewer women in those roles.

“Now they’re learning that there’s a lot of knowledge and experience that can be gained from outside of the industry.”

Cate Bakos, buyers advocate, Cate Bakos Property

Photo: Meagan Harding

Cate Bakos, 41, finished her degree with honours in chemistry, but in that final year, she says, she spent a lot more time studying what property to buy than facing her exams.

She made her first purchase when she was 21 and launched her career in the industry as a real estate agent in 2003. 

“It was a few planets that aligned for me; I was pregnant with my daughter and decided to find a role I could do that would keep me close to residential property, but [without] the gruelling hours and the evenings,” she says.

Ms Bakos worked as a mortgage broker for several years before combining her two passions – working with people and understanding the numbers – and going to the industry she loves. 

She assisted more than 300 clients as a director at Empower Wealth, and eventually started her own business in 2014. 

Jennifer Cunich, Victorian executive director, Property Council of Australia

Photo: Andrew Hobbs Photography

Jennifer Cunich has a background in small business and industry associations, and was initially appointed the director of the Property Council’s ACT division. 

Ms Cunich, 56, has now been with the council for nearly 20 years and says she loves the property sector. 

“We cop a lot of criticism from different areas, but at the end of the day, I’m very proud of being associated with some fantastic organisations that build pretty amazing things in our city and in our state,” she says. 

“This industry is building hospitals, schools, universities, residential, retail and commercial.

“So it impacts on every part of your life and that’s why I stayed here for so long; because it’s always changing, it’s always evolving, it’s always exciting and it’s always incredibly challenging.”

Ms Cunich’s Victorian division established the Women and Diversity Committee, which runs a successful mentoring program with women comprising half of its mentees, and it supports young women in the property industry. 

Annick Houle, director, O’Connor and Houle Architecture + Landscapes

Photo: Supplied

Annick Houle completed her masters degree in architecture at Harvard University and became fascinated by how architecture can change lives. 

The 47-year-old has worked at a firm in New York and on the Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts with Frank Gehry. She has also lectured at Monash University and RMIT. 

Ms Houle and partner Stephen O’Connor founded their Albert Park-based firm in 1996. 

“It’s a very male-domainted industry and I think there’s a lot of work to be done in that area,” she says.

“Women certainly have a voice in the industry; especially in the design sector, probably much more so than in the construction sector.”

Jeanette Large, chief executive, Women’s Property Initiatives

Photo: Anu Kumar

Jeanette Large studied behavioural science at university, believing she would train as a psychologist.

But she developed a passion for women’s housing, starting from her work with unemployed youth for whom housing was an issue. 

From there she worked in youth refugees, as a youth housing worker and taught a housing elective in the community development course at university. 

Ms Large, 61, is now leading the not-for-profit registered provider of affordable housing for disadvantaged women and their children. 

She was also integral in the launch of Property Initiatives Real Estate social enterprise, which will pump its profits back into WPI. 

“Because we have set up our real estate agency as a social enterprise, there are many challenges in the beginning, particularly in sourcing the funding to get it up and running,” she says.

“Since we’ve opened the doors, we’ve managed to source properties for property management, we’ve managed to source a bit more funding to purchase a rent roll and we’ve only very recently appointed our sales agent.”

Colleen Peterson, managing director, Ratio Consultants

Photo: Geoff Fairlie

When the property market crashed in the late ’80s, Colleen Peterson changed her major from environmental planning to town planning.

Changing majors gave her a peace of mind because there are many jobs in local government. 

Ms Peterson, 44, took a job as a cadet after university and has been working as a town planner since 1992.  

Being the only woman among the seven directors at Ratio, the working mother is actively looking to bring on another female director in the next few years. 

“I’ve worked very hard for a long time to show not only my clients, but my fellow directors and also employees, that one can have a genuine work-life balance and still be successful in many aspects of your life,” she says.

“I’m hoping that sets a good example not only for the women in our office but for the men – that there is an opportunity for work-life balance.”

Joanne Royston, auctioneer/director, RT Edgar Williamstown

Photo: Supplied

Joanne Royston is one of a handful of female auctioneers in Melbourne, along with Karen Vogl of Hocking Stuart, Ruth Roberts of Woodards, Katie Pickering of Hodges, Janet Fleet of Noel Jones and Dionne Wilson of Harcourts. 

After kicking off her career in property management, she became a director at Hocking Stuart Yarraville at the age of 27, and later bought the company’s Williamstown branch. 

Ms Royston, 43, says she has seen a growing number of female sales agents, with some completing training to become an auctioneer so they can provide the “complete package” for their clients. 

“I love performing and I see it as a performance,” she says. “I love the adrenalin and that whole experience [of] being able to get out there.” 

Sadhana Smiles, chief executive, Harcourts

Photo: Andrew Campbell

Sadhana Smiles started her property journey as a receptionist in a real estate agency and has worked her way through various positions of selling, listing and training. 

A divorce prompted her to focus on her career, and she aspired to lead a large organisation and drive its growth, branding and profitability.  

“So I wrote it all down on a piece of paper, and I put it on my shower wall – and I’ve always put my goals on my shower wall for the last five years – and became this really focused person,” she says.

Ms Smiles, 50, was appointed the chief executive of Harcourts in NSW in late 2011, was awarded the title of 2013 Telstra Victoria Business Woman of the Year. 

“There are a number of challenges [women in] the corporate world face, and as you climb the ladder, the higher up you get, the challenges get harder,” she says. 

Esther Yong, director, ACProperty.com.au

Photo: IRIS

Esther Yong and business partner Ivy Xiao saw an opportunity to start a Chinese-language portal about four years ago when they were working at Xynergy Realty. 

They now have 26 people on their team, which is largely based in China. 

“We wanted to sell to Chinese buyers, but there wasn’t an avenue to do it,” Ms Yong, 32, says. “A lot students who came in to buy properties were scanning all the information we gave them and sending it back to their parents.”

Ms Yong, who started in the industry as an architect, says she enjoys working together with agents and developers on a range of marketing campaigns and sales strategies.