With international women’s day around the corner, national rural property agency Ray White Rural has analysed the role women play in their company in 2018.
“You might expect the rural property game to be dominated by men. After all, traditionally stock and station agents have been men,” head of innovation Lyndsey Douglas said.
“But today, our national rural network is made up of slightly more women than men.
:And not just in backoffice and critical support roles, but in business ownership and as top-ranked salespeople.”
Across the nation, 31 per cent of the offices in Ray White Rural are owned by women, women dominate top client reviews and three of the top five sales performers are female.
Principal owners in Queensland include Helen Aspinall, Blackall; Glenda Fill, Charleville; Athene Muldrew, Emerald; Michelle Cloherty, Roma; Margaret Black, Atherton; Vicki Pain Dayboro; Georgia Seeney, Longreach; Norma Moloney, Mareeba; Kath Anderson, Mt Isa; Janelle Duffin, Mundubbera; Alison Vohland, Richmond, and Susan Schwerin, St George.
“We have leading female principals all over the country, from Harriet Keatley’s huge livestock and property business in Mt Gambier, to Athene Muldrew’s internationally recognised business in Emerald,: Ms Douglas said.
“Our longest serving female member Margaret Black in Atherton, newer businesses like Ray White South Coast WA with Terri Pens and Camperdown principal Davina Pickles, as well as multi-office owners like Tracie Robertson with branches covering rural, residential, property management and livestock in Forbes, Parkes and Condobolin.”
Chief executive officer of Ray White Rural and Livestock, Stephen Nell, said that female rural agents were being rated by clients as the best for customer service.
“Eight of the top ten of our highest rated rural agents by clients are women. Sarah Barney and Tahlia Gabrielli in Mt Gambier, Liz Brown in Atherton, Kathy Hohns in Pittsworth, Libby Sharpe in Tenterfield, Joanne Rowe inl Toowoomba, Tammy in Crows Nest and Kate O’Leary in Dorrigo receive more ten out of ten ratings more consistently from the vendors than other agents,” Mr Nell explained.
And that success also translates into more listings and more sales.
“Three of our top five salespeople based on sales across Australia were women at our recent annual awards. Our best rural agent in all of Australia in the last financial year was Dee Braithwaite from Dungog, our second best rural agent is Mary David in Oberon and our fourth best rural agent is Liz Brown in Atherton,” Mr Nell said.
“No longer do you look for the best local ‘bloke’ to sell your farm, you look for the best local agent.”
“I wouldn’t dare to think of where would we be without the women who make up Ray White Rural. They’re reshaping the rural agency space, and all for the better,” he said.