Introduction

It was a pleasure to reconnect with Kate Heaney, Head of Client Care for CBRE. Kate and I first met last year during the Sponsor Day for PropConnex, and I was looking forward to learning more about her career. Kate began her career working with Concrete Construction Group after graduating from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). She spent her early career in construction and project management before moving into management consulting after completing her master’s degree. Her passion for property drew her back into the industry, first at Macquire as a Division Director, and then with CBRE, where she has been making an impact with clients for the past twelve years. With such a diverse career, Kate and I had plenty to discuss.

Early Career in Construction

Kate found a building degree while looking for Universities but was discouraged from applying by her high-school career counsellor who believed it wasn’t suitable for a woman. This set Kate on a path to prove him wrong! Despite the course being male dominated Kate loved the degree; especially the practicality of property and the leadership skills developed through the management courses.

Kate’s work ethic and grit helped her navigate some of the challenges that come with working in a male-dominated industry like construction. While reflecting on this period she explained “If you believe in what you do, you become a bit blind then to your difference”, and the ability to ignore the noise helped Kate find like-minded people and form some incredible relationships during her early career.

Kate credits much of her early success to her curiosity, “I was given lots of opportunities because I worked hard, and I was curious” Kate worked on some incredible projects at a young age. She mentioned an extension project for a factory where the roof was too large to deliver the ductwork, so the team had to use helicopters to reach the top of the building.

Masters, Management Consulting, and Macquarie

After a few years in construction Kate pursued a master’s degree in project management, “I have this permanent quest for knowledge” she explained. It was this curiosity that led her to take a pivot into management consulting. However, her respect and love for the property industry led her take a role at Macquarie shortly after.

She was excited by the new challenge presented by joining Macquarie. While at Macquarie she worked as a Division Director across Sydney and London, where Kate ran their London business services team, working on some incredible projects. After 3 years working on global projects Kate decided to return back home to Australia.

CBRE

Upon her return to Sydney Macquarie began looking to outsource their management team for their real estate division to CBRE which would eventually result in 220 people joining CBRE from Macquarie. Despite the complexity of this transition and blending the two cultures Kate was the one Macquarie wanted to navigate this move. Once settled at CBRE Kate began to grow curious about the wider CBRE business. During a discussion with the CEO at the time he asked if she would be interested in becoming the Head of Client Care. He saw how perfect she would be for the role with her extensive experience in property and strong relationship management skills. As Head of Client Care Kate is responsible for ensuring that clients receive the best CBRE has to offer, pulling together team members from across the business to create the best outcomes for their clients.  Kate spoke so highly of the team at CBRE and even shared about how difficult her role on the executive committee is when it comes to their Circle of Excellence awards as there are too many deserving candidates to choose from and a testament to a great performance culture.  

Mentors

Kate continued explaining that a favourite part of her career has been learning from different people and their stories. Mentioning how fortunate she is to be surrounded by so many inspiring people – many of whom have become mentors. Naturally, I was curious about the people who have made an impact on her career.

Kate spoke of the influence her dad had on her career. Despite working in a different field, he understood her drive and personality and was always able to offer helpful guidance. Another mentor Kate spoke highly of was her first manager, who gave her the opportunity to join as a foreman – the mentorship continued well beyond her time in the role.

Kate emphasised the importance of developing a good network of people from all backgrounds, “I make sure they are out of industry, in industry, age, dynamic, all sorts of things. So, I highly encourage everyone has a holistic approach.” Today, she enjoys paying this forward by mentoring others, innovatively using storytelling and walking meetings to share her experience and connect with her mentees.

I got to experience this first hand when Kate shared valuable advice on the importance of preparedness. Explaining that being able to walk into a room knowing you have done the work beforehand helps grow your confidence to contribute and is a sign of good work ethic and respect. Both of which will take you far and help you succeed.

Final Advice

Before we concluded our discussion, I asked Kate for another piece of advice she wished she had when she started her career. Responding with a timeless piece of advice “The more curious you are, the more opportunities will open up to you.”

A wonderful reminder to stay curious and step outside one’s comfort zone. If you would like to hear more from our discussion, be sure to check out our Spotlight episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.