Disrupting the status quo
At a sell-out breakfast of 100+ women and a handful of men, Grocon’s Chief Executive, Carolyn Viney, and JLL’s Chief Operating Officer, Adrienne Revai, gave a candid view on diversity in their organisations.
Guests heard how Grocon’s boutique nature presents a unique opportunity for innovation and collaboration within the workplace, however its construction arm presents challenges when targeting gender diversity.
JLL, with over 55,000 staff across 70 countries, has developed a number of formal diversity initiatives, with graduate programs particularly targeting youth in the workforce. Its global workforce provides an opportunity for staff members to collaborate with their international counterparts, and draw on their diverse backgrounds when dealing with clients, suppliers and colleagues here in Australia.
Both speakers reinforced the importance of leadership in facilitating diversity, particularly when looking at flexible working arrangements to cater for our changing workplaces.
There were a number of questions from the floor, with a particular focus on how to succeed while ‘being yourself’ in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
Many thanks to the sponsors of the breakfast, architectus, and to our hosts, Allens, for their generous support of the Property Council.
Thank you also to Carolyn and Adrienne for flying to Brisbane to participate in the event, and for their eloquent, witty and intelligent contributions to the panel discussion.
Sponsored by:
Event host:
Carolyn Viney – Grocon & Adrienne Revai – JLL
Elizabeth Watson Brown – architectus
Alister Fitzgerald – Allens
Raynuha Sinnathamby – President of the Property Council of Australia Queensland Division & Managing Director – Springfield Land Corporation, Adrienne Revai – JLL, Carolyn Viney – Grocon, Elizabeth Watson Brown – architectus, Alister Fitzgerald – Allens & Jen Williams – Property Council of Australia
Leigh Balderson – Virgin Australia, Jude Mannix – Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning & Bronwyn Lawler – Pepper Property
Kim Hayes & Vanessa Doran – Turner & Townsend
Morgan Ellis, Margaret Macdonald & Jenae Crowley – Metro Property Development
Michelle Fitzgerald – Cbus Property, Kim Richards & Elizabeth Watson Brown – architectus