500 Women in Property Program

When Kate O’Connor was accepted into Development Victoria’s intern program in 2018, the first project she worked on was the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation.

Kate then moved into a stint with the Galkangu (Bendigo GovHub) project team before joining the team that is transforming the Fitzroy Gasworks into a new neighbourhood in Melbourne’s inner city.

Along the journey Kate has not only gained valuable experience working on some city-shaping projects, but her career is flourishing.

She’s been elevated from her initial intern role, firstly as an Assistant Development Manager, and is now a Development Manager in the Housing team working on our innovative build-to-rent Fitzroy Gasworks pilot.

“I have been very grateful to work on three great projects since I joined Development Victoria and I’ve enjoyed being part of implementing important social policies to achieve positive outcomes for Victorians,” Kate says.

Highlighting her potential, Kate has been accepted into this year’s Property Council of Australia’s 500 Women in Property program, an initiative that aims to accelerate more women into leadership positions in the property industry by offering networking and professional development opportunities.

The 500 Women in Property program provides participants sch as Kate with networking opportunities and professional development.

Kate said it is a great opportunity to learn from other accomplished property professionals and enhance her networks within the industry.

“This program will help me develop the skills I require in my role as a Development Manager, especially regarding creating and maintaining extensive and collaborative stakeholder relationships in order to deliver projects effectively,” Kate says.

“I hope to improve my networking skills throughout the 500 Women in Property program as it offers numerous networking events, professional development opportunities, and a chance to grow both personally and professionally.”

Kate’s interest for a career in the property industry intensified while she was studying at university. She worked three days a week as an intern with Development Victoria while completing the final year of her Masters of Project Management at RMIT.

“My ambition is to continue to develop my skills in the successful delivery of projects and challenge myself to continuously extend my knowledge and level of responsibility within the project team.

“I’m excited to develop my leadership skills and eventually be able to manage a team while working on projects that I am proud of, and that deliver meaningful benefits to our community,” Kate says.