The Shopping Centre industry is driven by people. It’s the skills and expertise of the people that manage, develop and evolve shopping centres for their communities that creates this great industry. Shopping Centre News profiles a range of interesting people from the industry each week. This week we speak to Cathy Sullivan, Hub Centre Manager for a number of Vicinity Centres in North Queensland.
What is your current role and main responsibilities?
Hub Centre Manager for Vicinity Centres in North Queensland, responsible for the management of Mount Pleasant Centre in Mackay and Whitsunday Plaza in Cannonvale.
How did you get in to this industry?
I had been working in Melbourne CBD and living in the outer suburbs. Wanting a job closer to home I applied for a property administration role for a well-known retailer, and from there I landed a lease administration role with Vicinity (then CFSGAM).
Tell us a little bit about your career
My first full time job was as a mailroom assistant for a major law firm in Melbourne. I stayed with the same firm for 17 years, progressing from the mailroom, to the property department first as a legal secretary, then as a Property Legal Executive. I then made my move into the retail property industry, where I was in lease administration for five years before moving to Mackay and becoming a Centre Manager in 2010.
Mount Pleasant Centre
What has been your hardest career decision?
Leaving Melbourne to move to Mackay without actually having a job. I was however very fortunate that the Centre Manager role became available at Mount Pleasant just six weeks after I moved, so I was able to re-establish my career with Vicinity Centres with very little disruption.
What do you love most about your job?
This probably sounds very cliché, but it’s definitely the people. The centre and corporate teams I work with, our retailers and our regular shoppers I see on a daily basis, all contribute to the satisfaction I get from going to work.
What do you least like about your job?
When people blame the landlord for everything without understanding what the real issue is.
What motivates you?
Making a difference in the community I live and work in by providing them with a great experience in our Centre.
What makes a great Centre Manager?
One that cares about the people and understands what motivates others to bring out the best in them.
What is your most memorable moment of your career?
I would have to say working as a legal executive on the Melbourne Central development. We had tight deadlines to get all the tenancies ready and the leases signed in time for the Grand Opening on the 11th September 1991. We had to meet that date as it was significant for the Daimaru team, so it was all hands on deck in the final days to get everything finished!
Cathy’s centres play an important part of the community
What do you think makes a successful shopping centre?
One which caters to the needs of the local community it operates in, that has the right tenancy mix, amenities and services for the demographic in the trade area and is also able to provide a safe place for people to come together to connect and enjoy the experience.
Which in your opinion is the best example of a good shopping centre, retail precinct or place?
Westfield Chermside is pretty high on my list, with its outdoor area dining and leisure precinct and the Laneway area for start up businesses to trial retailing before they commit to a long term lease.
What are some of the trends you are seeing in the industry?
I think the biggest trend is the rise in omni channel retailing, which is necessary these days to give shoppers a seamless retailing experience regardless of where they are. This has changed the focus for shopping centres, as now it has to be about providing an experience, to create a partnership with the customer over and above the transactional relationship.
Did you think you would end up in the role you are in now?
Never, when I was a high school I wanted to be a journalist!
What advice would you give to someone starting in the industry?
Listen, watch and learn everything you can from those around you already in the industry, and go with the flow. Change is constant, so you need to embrace it, because each day is different.
What do you do in your leisure time to de-stress?
I love cooking so you’ll find me in the kitchen baking up a storm on weekends, but there is nothing better than getting lost in a good book.
What’s your favourite retailer and why?
My credit card statements will tell you it’s House. I have so many kitchen gadgets and cooking appliances and equipment that I can no longer fit anything else in my kitchen cupboards.
Do you like shopping?
Of course, a bit of retail therapy always goes down well!
What is the single most important quality you need to possess to be in this industry?
Empathy. I think it’s important to be able to understand how another person may be thinking or feeling from their perspective, rather than your own. It provides a better chance of a good outcome, particularly when dealing with stressful or emotional situations.
