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 Jen Tiet, Finance Manager at Scentre Group, who supports the Leasing and Retail Solutions team to deliver exceptional retail experiences to customers across 41 Westfield living centres in Australia and New Zealand.
What is your current role and main responsibilities?
As Finance Manager, my role is to partner with and support our Leasing and Retail Solutions team to optimise financial returns and drive opportunities for growth. What this means on a day-to-day basis is that I oversee a team of finance analysts to provide business insights, financial modelling and commercial recommendations that enable our Leasing and Retail Solutions team to deliver the best mix of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, dining, entertainment and services for our customers across our portfolio of 41 living centres in Australia and New Zealand.
How did you get in to this industry?
The property industry is a great opportunity to have a diverse career. I chose Scentre Group because I’d always wanted to work for an organisation that is a market leader. I like working for a brand that I can identify with and where I can see a link between the effort I contribute, the work I do and the meaningful impact we have in our communities.
Tell us a little bit about your career
My first role was a graduate position at Deloitte before joining Scentre Group nine years ago. During those nine years, I’ve held seven different finance roles in Centre Experience, BrandSpace, Group Planning and now Leasing and Retail Solutions. Currently, I am part of Scentre Group’s Diversity & Inclusion working group and a mentor for the University of Sydney’s Business School and Charter Accountants ANZ.
What do you love most about your job?
My team and the diverse interactions with various business partners. I am very lucky to be surrounded by high-calibre peers and an awesome team. Being constantly inspired by their ideas and passion makes coming to work every day a pleasure.
What motivates you?
Constantly being inspired and challenged. And similarly, being able to grow and bring out the potential in others.
What is the most memorable moment of your career?
Being part of the project team for an ideation challenge. Scentre Group had a ‘CEO Challenge’ and I was selected to be a part of the program. I worked with a cross-functional team to explore an idea, pull together a business case and pitch to our CEO. It was a great opportunity to think outside the box, incubate ideas and build unique and compelling business cases.
Did you think you would end up in the role you are in now?
No. To be honest, I was completely unaware of the diverse and varied roles available when I was looking for jobs during university. Looking back, I’d definitely tell my younger self that the world is your oyster.
What do you do to keep learning and growing in your career?
Always be curious and don’t be afraid to put your hand up to be involved in projects outside of your core duties. With that may come with extra work, but also comes privilege and new opportunities.
What advice would you give to someone starting in the industry?
Have integrity. Know yourself and your values. It’s important to always do what you say you’ll do, it’ll create long-standing relationships.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to get in to finance?
Strong financial and commercial acumen is key and being a good communicator to be able to engage with the breadth and depth of stakeholders. Having a strong financial background can open many opportunities beyond working in finance roles.
What do you do in your leisure time to de-stress?
I go shopping, of course! Yoga, quality time with family and friends. And I always ensure I have a bit of “me time” at the end of day to allow myself to switch off and unwind.
What is the single most important quality you need to possess to be in this industry?
Resilience – change is occurring at a fast pace and no two days will ever be the same. Some days are going to be more challenging that others and you need to be prepared to go along with ride.
To be profiled, contact Belinda Daly belinda@shoppingcentrenews.com.au
