Home Property Australia Village Manager and Salesperson of the Year awards highlight excellence

Village Manager and Salesperson of the Year awards highlight excellence

  • March 22, 2023
  • by Property Australia
SA/NT Programmed Award for Village Manager of the Year recipient Lee Ann Alejo with Chirs Quinn from Programmed

National finalists for the 2023 National Retirement Living ‘Programmed Village Manager of the Year’ and ‘Salesperson of the Year’ were announced at the Property Council of Australia’s Retirement Connect Sundowner event in Perth on Monday.

Congratulating all nominees and finalists, Retirement Living Council Executive Director Daniel Gannon said while Australia was a global leader in the design of age-friendly communities, it was extraordinary people who could build strong and productive relationships with residents that made retirement living even more enjoyable.

“It is through the increasingly competitive professional standards in our annual industry awards programme that the ‘best of the best’ are continually pushing and pulling the rest of us closer to world’s best practice,” Mr Gannon said.

Mr Gannon said a 10-year longitudinal study of Australian retirement village residents by DCM Group found 83 per cent of residents felt safer in the age-friendly community than in their previous home, with 94 per cent of residents confirming they were ‘glad to be living in a retirement community during these uncertain COVID-19 times’.

“It’s always important to remember why we’re here, so our industry’s best village managers and salespeople will always have a strong focus on supporting residents in age-friendly communities right across Australia,” Mr Gannon said.

“Despite working for different operators in different metropolitan and regional locations, one common denominator emerged – like our ambitions for industry, they all want to enhance their village’s reputation as the best place for residents and staff,” he said.  

Sherman Brown from Lendlease was awarded the Programmed Award for VIC/TAS Village Manager of the Year and said he felt “absolutely amazing” winning the award.

“This is not expected, because I was given to understand the field of finalists was the largest, so today just got a whole lot better,” he said when accepting the award.

“I would like to acknowledge all the people I work with. They are a tremendous example to me, and they remind me to sparkle and shine every.

“This award means a lot to me.”

Emily Bey, from Levande who won the SA/NT Award for Salesperson of the Year, said winning the award felt “unreal”.

“I love what I do and to have the opportunity for doing this… is amazing,” she said.

National Winners will be announced on 22 June 2023 on the Gold Coast as part of the 2023 National Retirement Living Summit, which is the industry’s most exciting opportunity for professional development and networking.

 

2023 Winners

NSW/ACT

Programmed Award for Village Manager of the Year – Jo-Anne QUINN – Manors of Mosman (Aveo Group) – Jo-Anne is the Community Manager. Her natural leadership is demonstrated through the trusted relationships she’s built with residents, her knowledge of the industry, the high performance of her team, and her innate ability to drive operational performance at every level. Over the past 7.5 years, Jo-Ann has demonstrated outstanding leadership and professionalism, achieving high standards of compliance, engagement, innovation and self-management, earning the respect of her colleagues and residents. 

Award for Salesperson of the Year – Joanna WATKINS – Willandra Retirement Community (Australian Unity) – Joanna’s passion for the retirement industry and her residents is evident in her testimonials. Her vivacious personality and zest for her residents are infectious. Her love and understanding of the industry are proven by her outstanding sales records, year after year. She has over 12 years of creating effective sales and marketing campaigns. She is a highly successful negotiator and community relations specialist and engages clients, community leaders and government bodies. 

QLD

Programmed Award for Village Manager of the Year – Justine REGAN – Aveo Robertson Park (Aveo Group) – In just 12 months, Justine Regan rebuilt trust and transformed Aveo Robertson Park in Brisbane’s south into a thriving and fully occupied community. With a humble and empathetic nature, Justine is an experienced and inspired Community Manager who brings people together and creates opportunities for residents to live their best retirement life. 

Award for Salesperson of the Year – Amanda ADAMS – Aveo Clayfield (Aveo Group) – Amanda is the newly appointed Sales Manager at The Clayfield, after four successful years as the Sales Manager at Aveo Durack. Her genuine care for her clients and communities has seen her achieve more than 90 sales over the last 12 months, totaling $21,862,000, and winning Aveo’s 2022 Shark Tank award for her innovative engagement program at Durack. 

SA/NT

Programmed Award for Village Manager of the Year – Lee Ann ALEJO – Wisteria Grove Retirement Village (RetireAustralia) – As Village Manager for Wisteria Grove and Spring Grove, Lee Ann is a values-driven leader who embodies care, compassion and a dedication to residents’ wellbeing. She is committed to supporting residents as their care needs increase, by helping them access home care services or transitioning them into a serviced apartment. She admirably steered a nearby village through a COVID-19 outbreak, transformed the culture and united the community. At both villages, she ensures residents and team members feel valued and supported. 

Award for Salesperson of the Year – Emily BEY – Hillsview, The Grange and Walnut Grove Retirement Villages (Levande) – Emily is an outstanding Sales Professional and has worked for Levande (previously Stockland) since 2017. At the commencement of her employment, Emily’s villages were experiencing high vacancy (10-19%). Between 2017–2020, Emily sold out her three current villages, which now operate on a waitlist basis. Emily takes pride and joy in providing an exceptional experience for both her customers and colleagues. She has been recognised by Stockland on numerous occasions for her excellent results, values and behaviour. 

VIC/TAS

Programmed Award for Village Manager of the Year – Sherman BROWN – Burwood Terrace (Lendlease Retirement Living) – Sherman is an excellent people manager and thrives in a busy work environment that caters for a variety of staff working across several disciplines, including: administration, housekeeping, maintenance and sales. Sherman consistently aims to enhance the village’s reputation as the best place for residents and staff. 

Award for Salesperson of the Year – Peta SMITH – Abervale Village and Windsor Park (Lendlease Retirement Living) – Peta is an outstanding sales professional who consistently exceeds her sales targets even in the most challenging of environments. Since joining Lendlease in 2018, Peta has excelled in every aspect of her role. Peta’s industry experience and superior selling skills provides her with a great depth of knowledge which she willingly shares as a sales leader and mentor. 

Western Australia

Programmed Award for Village Manager of the Year – Karri ASHFORD – Karri is nominated as VM of the Year” in recognition of her exceptional achievements as Village Manager of Woodstock West, Bunbury. Karri has demonstrated outstanding commitment to her role and effectively managed all aspects of village life with professionalism and compassion to an extremely high standard. Residents have noticed the positive new initiatives that Karri has introduced and value the improvements in the presentation of the village, the pleasant atmosphere generated by Karri and her staff, and developments in village facilities and services. 

Award for Salesperson of the Year – Glenys WATTERS – Glenys is an extremely competent Sales Manager who is successfully managing sales across two villages. Those villages are over 100km apart and are of different tenure. Since taking on Woodstock West, just over a year ago, Glenys has been successful in reducing the number of units for sale from 33 to 2. Glenys actively seeks community groups to come into her villages. She has exceeded her targets and her reporting is always concise and accurate.