The women who champion their own careers

The women who champion their own careersAs the 100 Women in Property program gears up for another year, we asked two participants – Cushman & Wakefield’s Liz Illingworth and JLL’s Sarah Blackmore – on how they built their brilliant careers.Illingworth’s (pictured, left) route into property was a circuitous one – from a fine arts degree to managing pubs and bars in England, to a working holiday in Australia which landed her a job with JLL.Today, Westpac’s national corporate property manager is a self-confessed “building geek” who oversees the bank’s entire commercial office portfolio – including the dynamic new Westpac tenancy at Barangaroo.”Property is such a rewarding career,” she says.”I love working with the range of stakeholders, from landlords and property owners through to the people who turn up each day to work in the building. “And I love the range of issues I handle. One day I will be learning how a specific air conditioning system works, and the next day I’ll be analysing strategies in leasing.”Illingworth says her biggest lesson has been to never accept the status quo. “I’ve never liked the expression: ‘it is what it is’. Never stop looking for ways to be better, and to create a better experience for people,” she says.Sarah Blackmore (pictured, right) is JLL’s national retail projects manager, and a former colleague of Illingworth’s.”You read a lot about people falling into property by accident, and that was my experience,” she says. After a short stint in residential sales, Blackmore scored a role with the Gandel Group, assisting the development team. “I wore a number of hats as business requirements changed, and I continued to grow and develop my project management skills,” she explains.A course at Swinburne University gave her an extra kick-start, and she was soon managing both small and large projects – from food court upgrades to working on the redevelopment of Australia’s largest mall, Chadstone Shopping Centre.After starting her family, work-life balance beckoned, and Blackmore jumped ship for JLL. “Seven years later, and I haven’t looked back.”Her role has evolved considerably over that time. Today, Blackmore works with JLL’s head of retail, property and asset management Tony Doherty, and a 4-strong team which manages more than 300 shopping centres around Australia. In fact, JLL’s portfolio is third only to Scentre Group and Vicinity Centres in terms of gross lettable area.Both Illingworth and Blackmore have the same career-boosting tip: find a good mentor.”Look for someone who can be honest with you,” Illingworth advises.Blackmore recommends branching out beyond business-as-usual.”JLL has a great mentoring program, and Tony Doherty has been an amazing mentor. But I’ve also met other excellent mentors through courses and Property Council events, and from other connections outside property. Don’t be afraid to look for a mentor outside our industry,” she says.One of the Property Council’s 100 Women in Property participants in 2016, Illingworth says the program helped her find a new mentor, as well as more networking confidence.”I’ve always been bad at walking into a room full of people I don’t know, so I saw the 100 Women in Property program as a chance to work on this. I’m still pretty bad at it, but now I know I’m not alone – most people feel that way.”And I love that the networking events aren’t high pressure – it was really easy to talk to people with similar experiences, and to see how wide and varied the industry is.”On the program, Illingworth says she was pleased to have support from both Cushman & Wakefield and Westpac. “It is really encouraging how the property industry is addressing gender diversity,” she says.Education and events also provide a range of unexpected career benefits – from new career contacts to insights into career development opportunities.”I love that your education background doesn’t have to be in property to make this your career,” Illingworth says, adding that when she’s hiring, she often looks for people with a hospitality background as they understand customer service.”There are so many good courses out there – particularly the Property Academy ones – which can provide good grounding in specific areas. Whenever I’ve identified a gap in my knowledge, I’ve found specific courses to help me get up to speed,” Illingworth says.The “real world case studies and real industry experts” appeal to Blackmore, who says she loves “getting to work with my peers to come up with real solutions. I’ve developed great relationships through courses too.”One of this year’s 100 Women in Property participants, Blackmore says it’s up to each of us to seize every career opportunity.”You are in charge of your destiny. No one else will be thinking 24/7 about how to make your career better. You have to work for it.”Participants in the 100 Women in Property program – both past and present – can access a 10 per cent discount on Property Council Academy training. Book a course today.