Congrats Vicki, SA Manager of the Year 2016
Congratulations to Vicki Neilson, the manager of Lendlease’s Elliot Gardens village in the picturesque town of Port Elliot, for taking out the 2016 South Australian Manager of the Year award.
With a background in real estate sales, Vicki has worked for Lendlease for six years and at Elliot Gardens for three, implementing the village’s operations plans and managing five staff members and 340 residents.
The satisfaction of the village’s residents under Vicki’s management has increased so much (from 7.4 to 8.7 out of 10); Elliot Gardens now has the highest satisfaction rating of any of Lendlease’s 73 villages across Australia.
Vicki has recently successfully coordinated the installation of the NBN’s ‘fibre to the home’ network to all 194 units, has overseen a significant improvement in the village’s gardens and grounds and instigated a changeover to LED lighting in all common areas. A strong believer in sustainability, Vicki organised for a contractor to visit every home in the village to offer professional advice to residents on how to implement resource saving strategies and save money.
Vicki created a new system to track all village maintenance and identify the number of contractors called into the village each month, which is shared with maintenance staff at monthly meetings, ensuring they feel involved in the day to day running of the village.
Vicki also introduced an Annual Market Day, inviting local businesses to set up stalls in the village community centre, and organised for two opera singers to entertain residents and guests at a village open day. She has become one of the most recognised faces in the Port Elliot community, even participating in the residents’ Christmas Carols Choir and Annual Variety Show.
“Vicki embraced the opportunity to improve the village and better the lifestyle of her residents in a manner that has made her stand out from the crowd,” said Michael Eggington, Managing Director Retirement Living at Lendlease. “She leads by example, encouraging open and honest communication and is committed to ensuring any concerns are addressed in a timely fashion and resolved in a mutually beneficial manner.”
“Vicki’s attention to detail in welcoming new residents, interaction with existing residents and her general attention to all aspects of maintaining a vibrant village life is respected by all residents,” said Elliot Gardens Residents Committee Chairman Peter Darr.
“Elliot Gardens residents are indeed fortunate to have a dedicated, professional, approachable person with good communication skills to lead our village.”
Vicki now joins our other regional winners as a contender for the National Manager of the Year award, to be presented by award sponsor Programmed Property Services at the National Retirement Living Summit on 28 and 29 November in Melbourne – join us there.