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With gender equality currently topical across most of corporate Australia, boutique group Coronis has made public its commitment to implement change across its network and set a 50/50 gender target.
COO Karuna Dimelow said that it is a personal goal of hers to increase its sales team women-to-men ratio to 50/50.
She said that the current sales team split is 30/70 across the 25-office network, although its shareholder split is already a 50/50 split of male and female shareholders.
Ms Dimelow said that she wanted to use her position as COO to inspire and empower more women to pursue a career in real estate, having worked in the industry for 15 years in a variety of sales and leadership roles.
“Everyone knows real estate has traditionally been a male-dominated industry, but in recent years we’ve seen a real turning of the tide within our sales team, with our female agents now making up at least half of our top 10 agents every month.
“I personally believe there are multiple benefits, as women tend to have a less aggressive, more empathetic approach to the sales process and tend to be more sensitive to the client’s needs, and given that a lot of the decision makers in Australian households are female, it can be an advantage in some cases.”
Ms Dimelow said that there are a variety of ways to start a career in real estate.
“From an administration position, property management and sales assistant roles which can act as a great stepping stone to build your confidence up before stepping into a sales agent role.
“For example, our 2018 salesperson of the year, Alexandra Porter, started her career 13 years ago as my sales associate. She’s worked her way up and last year sold more than 100 properties earning her the title of Queensland’s no. 1 suburban agent all while having her first baby.
“I think as an industry, we need to do a better job at promoting real estate as a great career option for women, and in particular mothers, as it offers a lot of flexibility around their hours or the option to work from their own home.”
Ms Dimelow acknowledged that it can be a challenging career.
“At first, but it can also be highly rewarding, both financially and professionally,” she said.
“I mean, the satisfaction and joy you get from helping your clients achieve their goals and holding their hand through one of the most stressful periods of their life is what it’s all about.”
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