Sadhana Smiles became the first female CEO of a major real estate franchise back in 2011 and has spent her career advocating for the changes needed to ensure more women can rise to leadership positions. Now the CEO of Real Estate Industry Partners and the Director of Harcourts Move, she shares her advice for women looking to build influence in real estate, step into leadership and back themselves.
Sadhana Smiles is no stranger to breaking barriers. She was the first woman appointed to a CEO position in a major real estate franchise brand in Australia and remains to this day the only woman of colour to have held a CEO role in the industry.
That CEO appointment was back in 2011 and more than 15 years later, Smiles has continued to be a leading voice pushing for more diversity across the real estate sector, particularly when it comes to the senior leadership level. So how did she get here?
Smiles’ career began when she took on a role as a receptionist at a real estate agency, a role she freely admits she wasn’t particularly good at. But it was a start that meant she was able to build some influential connections across the industry and go on to make a number of career moves.
“I am the typical example of the girl who started at the front end, and progressed through sheer determination to learn, to develop myself, while hanging out with people who I knew would teach me,” Smiles tells Women’s Agenda.
“I had great mentors and sponsors who not only opened doors, but backed me. I also stepped into those spaces as well.”
Smiles went on to earn her real estate licence, realising early on that if she wanted to get into executive or leadership roles, she’d need to spend time working across all areas of the business. Often, this meant taking leaps before she felt ready.
“I never waited until I felt I had all the knowledge,” Smiles explains. “I put myself forward knowing that I didn’t have all the knowledge, but I could see blokes doing it, and I was kind of in that headspace of ‘if blokes can do it, then, why can’t I?’”
Smiles rose through the ranks of real estate at a time when there were hardly any women in executive positions. It meant that throughout her career, all of Smiles’ sponsors have been men.
“Not only have they opened up doors for me, but they’ve backed me for roles and supported the successes I’ve had,” Smiles shares.
“I think that’s a real key to success, especially for women who work in male dominated industries, if the door opens for you, you must have the courage to step in.”
An industry at the intersection of people, economics and everyday life
When asked what’s kept her sustained in such a fast-paced industry for so long, Smiles says she loves working in a sector where government policy, economic shifts and personal financial decisions converge with everyday life.
“When the RBA puts the rate up, what do we talk about? We talk about real estate,” she says.
“Housing is one of those critical decisions that all of us make in life. Whether it’s the ability to pay rent, the ability to buy a home, the ability to be an investor… it all shows up in someone’s kitchen at some point.”
Smiles is currently the CEO of Real Estate Industry Partners (REIP), a real estate organisation that advocates for the sector’s data independence, and the host of the Future Fit Leadership podcast on which she has now interviewed more than 150 corporate leaders.
She also runs her own property management business, Harcourts Move, with four employees and operations spanning sales and property management.
Deliberate decisions needed to elevate women
While more women are entering the real estate profession, they still remain underrepresented in management and senior leadership. Smiles says boosting women into these roles requires deliberate decision-making that she’d love to see more of.
Smiles recalls applying for her first CEO role, and a recruiter telling her the board loved her but ultimately wasn’t sure how its male franchisees and executives would respond to a woman in the top role.
She went on to apply for a second role against 70 other applicants and got it. She says this business and its leaders showed courage in taking the step to support her.
“To appoint the first female CEO in a large franchise brand to run a significant stake for you, took a lot of courage for that board to do,” she said. “Not only was I the first female CEO but the first woman of colour as well. I still am to this day.”
“We have a lot of women in the industry, but we don’t have a lot of women in sales, ownership and leadership roles which is where the income, the influence and the ability to create wealth sits.
“We need to have better career pathways for women into leadership roles. We need to have better partnership opportunities for women.”
Smiles also says more diversity in leadership, including culturally and linguistically diverse women and First Nations women is needed, not just in real estate but more broadly across the corporate sector. This inclusion will help to build psychological safety for female employees, she says, pointing to research that shows the majority of women of colour in Australia don’t feel safe in their workplace.
Advice for women starting out
Smiles’ advice for young women starting out in real estate is multi-faceted. She says start by looking for an employer that will invest in you and has visible pathways for women. Don’t pigeonhole yourself, she says, noting that starting in property management doesn’t mean staying there forever. Working across different areas of the business is key to finding what suits you.
Finally, Smiles says to back yourself before you feel ready. Put your hand up for opportunities as they come and seek out mentors where you can. Real estate is built on relationships, so invest time in building strong networks.
“Real estate’s been good to me, but I’ve also been good to it,” she says.
“It can give you independence, flexibility, financial opportunity, probably more so than other industries. But it will reward people who build capability and are very intentional and deliberate about their career path.”
Thanks to our partner CommBank. CommBank supports women in business and the community across all industries and sectors through its Women in Focus team. For more information head to WomeninFocus.com.au.
This article represents opinions and views of the interviewees’ personal experiences only. It does not have regard to the situation or needs of any reader and must not be relied upon as advice. It is not intended to imply any recommendation or opinion about a financial product or service. Before acting on this information, consider its appropriateness to your circumstances.