Newcastle-based property management company Leah Jay is acknowledging its 50 female staff today, International Women’s Day.
Twenty-two years after the business was founded, the company has grown from strength to strength to four offices with 50 staff – all of whom are women.
While the predominance of female workers not unusual within the property management sector, the fact that all of the company’s senior managers are women does buck the trend as revealed by the latest report from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA).
According to data collected by the Federal Government organisation in 2015-2016, men occupy 96 percent of CEO positions and 80 percent of top management positions in the property management and real estate services sector.
The WGEA report also shows that a lack of women in senior management contributes to a high industry gender pay gap – currently standing at 38 percent – which is 14 percent higher than the other average.
The company founder Leah Jay said she was elated to be doing her part in addressing the imbalance in an ndustry that encourages the achievements of women.
“We’re passionate about promoting from within and always try to support our staff to reach their potential,” Jay said.
“Many have joined our team in an entry level position and have gone on to hold senior roles, such as our operations manager Cassandra Lantry, who joined Leah Jay 12 years ago as a commercial property assistant.
“Over the years she has worked as a commercial property manager, director’s assistant and marketing associate, before managing our East Maitland office and overseeing the development and construction of Leah Jay’s first purpose-built office. We supported her as she completed her Master of Business at the University of Newcastle and rewarded her professional and personal development by welcoming her into our senior management team.
“We support, reward and train our team and are proud of the fact that our staff turnover remains low compared to industry standards, with many of our current staff celebrating between five and 15 years of service.”
Leah Jay was founded in Hamilton in 1994 with a focus on property management, and in the last two decades, the business has developed along the way of becoming the most awarded property managers in New South Wales.
