Interview with Coronis COO Karuna Dimelow

Today, REB brings you a question and answer with Coronis chief operating officer Karuna Dimelow.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

IWD is an opportunity to stop for a day, celebrate the achievements of the women in your life, both personally and professionally, and recognise how far we have come in terms of gender equality. In saying that, I also think it’s an opportunity to reflect and revise what you’re doing and look for growth opportunities or things you could be doing better to help other women.

Coronis won the Diversity Major Independent of the Year Award at the inaugural 2019 Women in Real Estate Awards. What’s your approach to gender diversity?

We run our business based on a few key principles in order to create a safe, fun, inclusive and diverse workplace that everyone enjoys. I think it’s important to have a flexible approach to business hours especially for working parents, equal pay based on performance and not gender, and we also offer consistent training to everyone on our team so that anyone has the opportunity to grow and step up where possible. 

At the end of the day, I believe businesses thrive when they have a solid brain’s trust to come up with new ideas, solve challenges and lead the way. Time and time again, we have seen how the men and women in our team have had different perspectives and approaches due to their different life experiences which has resulted in practical yet innovative outcomes. 

What does gender equality mean to you?

Gender equality to me is being able to do whatever you want in life, regardless of who you are. I don’t think anyone should conform to a certain stereotype or follow a preconceived idea of how a woman should think, feel or act. In today’s day and age, everyone should be free to be their authentic self in every workplace, community, city or country. 

Did you face any barriers in your career, and how did you overcome them?

That’s a tricky question, as I wouldn’t say I have faced any major barriers. I have been fortunate enough to work for a company that has always recognised talent over gender, and during the past 17 years, I have been promoted to a variety of leadership roles before becoming Coronis’ first-ever chief operating officer. 

I would, however, say that like anyone, I have internal barriers that I have to overcome every now and then such as self-doubt. I do question myself sometimes like whether I’m doing a good enough job, but in those moments, I just have to believe in myself and that I am capable and move on. 

What’s one of the biggest barriers obstructing women from getting into management positions?

I think confidence is a big barrier. Most men are naturally more confident and will always put their hand up for a management role, even if they’re not fully qualified. Whereas I think women sit back and assess management roles and doubt their capability or if they could execute 100 per cent of the role. I think more women need to have more self-belief that they are capable. 

In the past year, we’ve promoted several women in our business to leadership roles that now 57 per cent of our senior leadership team are women, which I think is a great thing. Women think differently to men, so in meetings, it’s great to get a variety of opinions when brainstorming a challenge or solution. 

When I stepped into the COO role, I didn’t know everything about marketing or property management or administration, but you learn, and when it comes to crunch time, you learn fast. 

Just be confident, back yourself and know that you can do anything you put your mind to. 

What advice would you give to other women who are thinking about a career in real estate?

I’d 100 per cent say give it a go. When I started in real estate, I was in my early 20s and I wanted the ability to earn a salary based on my actions and the effort I put in. Working in sales provided me with that — the harder I worked, the more money I made which helped me purchase a property and travel overseas. Real estate is great like that; you get out of it what you put in plus it offers a lot of flexibility which, speaking from experience, is exactly what working mothers need. 

But I think it’s also worth noting that there are many career pathways available in the industry; you don’t just have to become a sales agent. You can start as an administrator, property manager, business development manager, sales associate, mortgage broker, trust accountant, conveyancer, personal assistant, marketer etc. There’s a lot of different opportunities that you can explore, learn about the industry and then even eventually change roles as you gain more experience and confidence. We’ve had numerous ladies in our business change roles and even departments over the years, and I think that previous experience has proven beneficial with many skills transferable.