Leading a world-class property management team

More than 100 attendees tuned in to the second monthly Leading Ladies webinar today, to hear an open and candid discussion about all things property management from Bianca Azzopardi, head of property management at Ray White Woollahra | Paddington.

Speaking of her experiences in leading the all-integral property management team at one of the highest performing offices internationally, Ms Azzopardi was interviewed by Ray White New South Wales property management business development executive Bernadette Coutis.

“I left high school and worked in the hospitality industry which took its toll, so I decided to sign up for a TAFE course as I was really interested in real estate. I didn’t initially realise that property management was even a career,” Ms Azzopardi said.

She was offered a role as a receptionist, and then worked her way up through the ranks over 15 years in real estate to land in a management position.

Ms Azzopardi heads up a team of 10 across all functions of property management including leasing and trust accounting, running the day to day operations of the team, along with training, mentoring and business development.

Ray White Woollahra | Paddington was recently awarded the number three office internationally for property management growth with the Ray White group.

“I put this recognition down to the wonderful team behind me, who have worked tirelessly to stop management losses, work hard for clients and undergo a large acquisition,” Ms Azzopardi said.

Host Bernadette Coutis quizzed Ms Azzopardi on how to manage a high-scale rent roll acquisition, and tips and tricks of change management.

“Our team has learned to have an extremely clear understanding of compliance and legislation, and ask the tough questions to software suppliers to ensure it’s working at its best,” Ms Azzopardi said.

Ms Azzopardi also emphasised the importance of practising mindfulness and maintaining a work-life balance in an often demanding environment.

“I often take time just to walk around the office and focus on simply walking, without the distraction of the office or the phone,” she said.

“It can be hard to switch off, but trying to create separation between the office and home is important. Enjoying time on the weekends with family, going to the beach, and outsourcing a cleaner is a luxury that makes me very happy.

“It is important to be mindful in our work as well, we are all human beings and not robots; we don’t know what the person on the other side of our communications are experiencing.”

On the topic of women in real estate, particularly in the property management field, Ms Azzopardi said it is important to have a team of women supporting each other.

“It is important to come together in a male dominated industry, celebrate the wins and the losses because there will be both,” she said.

A key theme from the conversation was fostering a healthy spirit of competition within their office, with Ms Coutis noting that Ray White recently trademarked the term 'competition creators'.

“We set KPIs for each staff member that are achievable but promote discipline and competition within themselves,” Ms Azzopardi said.

“Brene Brown's TED talk on vulnerability and bravery is a fantastic resource to tune into if you are wanting to take that next step in your career or your life in general. Weighing up the risk versus reward is important, but often you just have to take the leap into that next challenge.”

When asked what people should know about working in property management, Ms Azzopardi said she wishes people knew how satisfying the job can be, and that there is more than one job function involved.

“Being a woman in property management is an extremely rewarding, challenging and fulfilling career, and having a brilliant team makes all the difference.”

HIGH-RES IMAGES HERE

Media contacts:
Nina Clarke
Ray White Group
0448 841 606
nclarke@raywhite.com

Bianca Azzopardi
Ray White Woollahra | Paddington
0424 395 381
bianca.azzopardi@raywhite.com