Promoting Women in Property: Tanya Trevisan
Tanya Trevisan, Chief Operating Officer, TRG Properties is a passionate advocate for high quality density outcomes throughout Perth.
What do you consider to be your greatest achievements in life?
Making a positive contribution to the current debate on identifying what constitutes best practice and high quality density outcomes,and to develop a sustainable model for improving housing diversity and reducing damaging urban sprawl.
What advice would you give to future leading women in property?
You can pursue parenthood and a full-time career, but you can’t have it all – so don’t set out to be superwoman, that’s an impossible pathway that will set you up for failure. Set yourself some goals in terms of your own personal priorities and leave the other goals for another time.
What are the greatest challenges you have had to overcome in your career to date?
Excessive workload and sometimes excessive stress are two of the greatest challenges I have faced in my career to date. Other challenges include personal sacrifices such as reduced family time, reliance on childcare and reduced leisure time. However, it’s important to note that I made these choices – they weren’t all wrong and they weren’t all right, but they were my choices to make.
What can/ should the industry be doing to promote women in industry?
This is not just one for the property industry, but access to guilt-free childcare would be a good start. Some companies such as Lendlease in Sydney provide a CBD childcare centre for their employees. Obviously this is not possible for smaller companies, but perhaps there is a need for more childcare centres to be located in the CBD and within other suburban commercial centres. There is also great room for improvement with school holiday care and programmes offered by all schools; primary and secondary. Leaving your 14-year-old at home alone for eight weeks over the summer school holidays is not a viable option, so good alternatives are needed.
What is the next goal or project you are working towards?
Professionally, I am currently working on the launch of City Gardens, our exciting master-planned apartment project adjoining Garden City Shopping Centre in Booragoon that will bring the SPP 4.2 ‘Activity Centres’ policy to life.
My personal goal – to spend less time in the office, but I haven’t managed to achieve that one yet.
Who have been your greatest influences, both personally and professionally?
There are many people who have influenced me professionally; Professor O. M. Ungers when I worked in Berlin and Reg Smith while working at Allen Jack & Cottier in Sydney, are two examples. Both were a similar generation of men, albeit geographically removed from each other. They each gave me a go- and I recognised the opportunity that it created. Another two great influences in my life are my husband and daughter, they teach me every day that sometimes you just need to take a moment to smell the roses, otherwise life will simply pass you by.
What do you think are the biggest issues affecting the property industry?
Obsolete planning strategies and construction regulations that are without vision and no longer in tune with this time and this place, or the aspirations of our community.
Why did you choose to be involved in the Property Council and what are your thoughts on our various diversity initiatives?
I love being involved with the Property Council, it is an intelligent advocacy group that is leading positive change in our community. The 100 Women in Property is a wonderful mentoring programme initiative, and through its wide reach will bring benefits to a great number of both men and women in this industry.