64 BUSINESS

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2015 HERALDSUN.COM.AU

Agent for change

Hodges Real Estates
driven new chief
didnt notice the
glass ceiling on her
way up, writes
Benn Dorrington

ARMEL Baker has

big plans for Hodges
Real Estate after
becoming the second
woman to take the
helm of a major real estate
agency in Victoria.
Ms Baker is the first chief
executive to be appointed at
the bayside-based business
ahead of its 160th birthday
next year, marking a
significant milestone for one
of the citys oldest agencies.
Her appointment is another
step forward for the industry;
she joins Sadhana Smiles
chief executive for Victoria of
trans-Tasman heavyweight
Harcourts as arguably the
most powerful women in
Victorian real estate.
Women hold fewer than
10 per cent of the chief
executive roles in the industry
across Australia, according to
a survey last year by
consultants Ernst & Young.
The report also revealed
women occupied only 25 per
cent of management positions,
while roles below manager
level were more evenly split
between genders.
Ms Baker, 44, says
industries such as real estate
have struggled to attract
women into management
roles due to the extended
hours, weekend workloads
and personal sacrifices needed
to climb the ladder.
I look at the (CEO) role as
though anyone could do the
job, whether male or female,
but I would like to see more of
a balance, she says.
Ms Baker has mentored
women during her 16-year
career in property, and hopes
to inspire younger women in
the business by highlighting

success stories at Hodges.

Katie Pickering, who
started out as a sales
consultant, climbed through
the ranks to director of the
Sandringham office. And
Simone Chin, at the Brighton
office, has qualified as one of
the few female auctioneers.
You dont have to wait for
someone to tap you on the
shoulder, you just need to get
out there and make those
opportunities yourself, Ms
Baker says. Ive been in
industries where a glass ceiling
should have existed but I
havent felt it, perhaps because
I keep powering through.
I didnt have time to feel
the crashing glass around me.
The mother of two
understands the demands of
family life, but stresses hard

work and determination are

critical to women in business.
She has two pieces of
advice: dont be afraid to move
on, and articulate your value
to the company.
If you want to grow in
your career and you do want
to achieve more than the
business allows you to do,
dont be scared of moving
from that business, she says.
And dont be scared of
taking the next step and the
next career progression.
Her second point is
highlighted in a characteristic
she has seen among
employees asking for a pay
rise or promotion.
Men typically articulated
the value they added to the
company and the things they
have been able to achieve in a

financial sense, she says.

Women typically talked
about loyalty to the business.
She says articulating your
worth in a financial sense is
important, since that is how
financial decisions are made.

S BAKER says her

father, who owned
and ran an Ampol
service station, influenced her
perceptions of work and
equality.
One of the things that
resonated with me was
nobody owes you a living, you
have to make your own way in
life, and thats stuck with me
throughout my career.
He had just one sick day in
his life, she says.
I was no different I was
at work on a Friday and gave

birth to my first child on

Saturday morning.
Ms Bakers career is
grounded in franchising, but
she has spent much of her
working life in the property
industry.
Growing the franchised
Hodges business from its 13
offices is her main priority
over the next year, with a bold
plan to increase their franchise
presence by half. Ms Baker
wants to see offices from Point
Nepean to Queenscliffe,
wrapping around Port Phillip
Bay and taking its market
reach from 500,000 homes to
more than two million.
Her role in the growth of
the Wizard Homes Loans
franchise now part of
Commonwealth Bank-owned
broker Aussie saw that

business named a 2008 finalist

for Franchise of the Year by
the Franchise Council of
Australia.
Ms Bakers passion for
franchising started at Wizard
as she watched individual
businesses take off. What
appealed to me was the ability
to help people grow their own
financial wealth, she says.
Its one thing to own your
own business but its another
thing to assist businesses to
become independently
wealthy from within their own
financial position.
In an industry where the
relationships with customers
can last a lifetime, Ms Baker
says focusing on employees is
important.
Finding new businesses to
join and expand the franchise
is as important as developing
the existing 180 staff, she says.
A key target will be to find
the directors of tomorrow
from within the business that
we have today and to nurture
them through.
One of the initiatives the
new chief executive is looking
forward to rolling out is an
own-your-own-office fund.
For every sale made, the
business will contribute
money into a pool that can be
used by employees to open
their own offices eventually.
In todays world, people
are in roles for two or three
years and then move on, she
says. Id love to see some
longevity come back into the
market so when you start your
career you know the business
is loyal and focusing on you to
take you on that journey.
benn.dorrington@news.com.au
Whats the best way to attract more
women into senior management
positions? Join the conversation at
heraldsun.com.au/business

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY
The Herald Sun is now the home of Commercial Property; your weekly update on the commercial
property landscape. Each week we will provide insight into the key infuences and trends in the
property market and expert advice to help you identify the best commercial opportunities.
Commercial Property now publishes every Wednesday in the Herald Sun.
For further information or to advertise please contact Stephen Thompson, Real Estate Sales Manager
on 0413 309 347 or email stephen.thompson@news.com.au

MHSE01Z02MA - V1