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 SCN spoke to Kendal Cross from CBRE who was recently named Commercial Property Manager of the Year at the REIWA (Real Estate Institute WA) Awards for Excellence. With seven centres in her current portfolio and all the gusto of what property professionals should have, Kendal is definitely a future leader of this industry. SCN spoke to Kendal about her recent award and her career.

Kendal Cross

What is your current role and main responsibilities?
I am responsible for the day-to-day management of a portfolio of properties in Perth’s retail & commercial sector. These include neighbourhood shopping centres, car parks, small offices and retail spaces within government buildings and residential apartments.

Last week you were announced as Commercial Property Manager of the Year at the REIWA Awards for Excellence, how did you feel winning this acclaimed award?
Given I’m still fairly new to property management (I’ve been working in the field for almost three years), I was very surprised – to both be nominated by CBRE and also be recognised by the industry. Since embarking on my property management career, I have committed myself to delivering the best results for my clients. It was fantastic to have my efforts recognised and I feel very honoured to have received this award.

What are some of the things you focus on every day?
I focus on our stakeholders and try to understand what their goals are. With shopping centres, there are a number of stakeholders you need to consider, whether they be owners, retailers or contractors – they are all so important. I take a lot of time to ensure the relationship between my clients (the owner of the shopping centres) is as good as it can be. For example, I wanted to know the business of one of my key clients more, so to do this, I work from their office once a month. This has provided me a good understanding of their culture, how they operate, what their focus is and most importantly, I get to know their team members on a different level. I am always striving to find that point of difference of where I can add value.

With a portfolio of seven centres including one under redevelopment, how do you manage your time?
With centres across the Perth city and one in Margaret River (three hours’ south of Perth), I have to be highly organised. I approach my work as if it were my own business – always putting in 100% to manage all deadlines and priorities. CBRE provides amazing support that I can leverage to support me in my role. I endeavour to maximise my time wherever possible, for example making phone calls on my journeys. I’m also strong believer of picking up the phone to resolve an issue – it builds relationships far more efficiently than emails.

Your commitment to diversity was highlighted in your award, what work have you been doing in diversity?
I am part of the ‘Leading with Impact’ initiative of CBRE which is led by men & women wanting to make a difference in the industry in respect to diversity. As a group, we organise various initiatives and events that aim to provide support and mentoring to women in the industry.

How did you get in to this industry?
It sounds a bit cliché’, but I really did fall into the industry accidentally. I started my career in commercial property back in 2012, joining CBRE as a professional assistant with the Industrial & Logistics team. After 12 months of working with CBRE, I received the company’s State Achievement Award for ‘Super Support Staff’. As a result number of other teams within the company were eager to have my assistance, which resulted in me taking on additional duties as the professional assistance for our Agribusiness and Structure Transactions and Advisory Services divisions. Eager to further my skills in the commercial property sector, I took on new role as agency marketing manager for a 12-month period. Over the following three years, I was frequently approached by different CBRE business lines that wanted me as a member of the team. This helped give me the confidence to challenge myself further by embarking on my career in property management in 2016.

Tell us a little bit about your career
My first role in property management was as the Assistant Centre Manager at City West. As a relative novice in property management, this position was a huge learning curve. I got a taste of everything – from communication with tenants and contractors, to chasing arrears and issuing lease paperwork.  After six months, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to manage my own portfolio of properties for one of our biggest clients, Sirona Capital. My biggest property management achievement however, was when I was approached to cover a maternity leave contract for the Director of our Retail Asset Services team. Taking on this level of responsibility, in addition to retaining the management of my original portfolio, was a huge compliment and testament to the huge strides I have made in my relatively short property management career.

What has been your hardest career decision?
Probably making the move into Property Management. During my time as professional assistant with CBRE, I was exposed to so many of CBRE’s departments and the different career opportunities available in the commercial property sector. It was a hard decision to choose a path for myself as I was drawn to so many different areas, however, it was being inspired by good friends Louise Draper (General Manager of 140 William) and Adam Knight (Associate Director in Asset Management Services at Knight Frank) that encouraged and inspired me to choose property management. I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to be in a position to gain such valuable insights into the different opportunities available.

What do you love most about your job?
The people without a doubt. My colleagues within CBRE, our clients and the many tenants, contractors and suppliers that I communicate with on a daily basis. Good communication and people skills are crucial for successful property management.

What do you least like about your job?
One of the hardest things I encounter as property manager, specifically across our retail properties, is having to make decisions around locking out a tenant who is in breach of their lease. This can be an incredibly difficult time for all parties involved as it ultimately affects someone’s livelihood and family. This is one of the hardest things I have had to do and not something I take lightly.

What motivates you?
I am always keen to learn and grow. I find most days in my role, I learn something new, which ultimately challenges and motivates me. My colleagues are also a huge motivation as they inspire me to do better and reach goals I never considered would be possible without their support and belief.

What makes a great Property Manager?
Commitment to client service, attention to detail, patience, organisation and good listening skills.