Recognised as a trailblazing thought leader and one of the most influential figures in Australian real estate, Leanne Pilkington has dedicated her life to making the industry one that is empowering and impactful.
As the CEO of Laing+Simmons, Pilkington describes herself as a “chief problem solver”.
“When the conversations get difficult that’s when I get involved,” she tells Women’s Agenda.
A big part of what Pilkington does day-to-day is working with people and negotiating better outcomes for them.
“I’m a problem solver slash therapist,” she quips. “People can get emotional when things are important to them. Sometimes, you’ve just got to have someone in the middle to mediate a better outcome.”
It’s this philosophy that threads through her many initiatives from leading a successful real estate firm, to chairing Australia’s peak real estate body the Real Estate Institute of Australia, founding the national Real Women in Real Estate network and contributing to the non-profit space.
How Pilkington’s career plans evolved
Long before Pilkington became one of Australia’s most renowned leaders in real estate, she was a 12-year-old school student answering phone calls at one of her father’s real estate offices.
At the time, Pilkington wanted to be a teacher, a vision for her life that remained unchanged until she finished high school. Then, during schoolies celebrations, she ran out of money and called her parents for help – this prompted her dad to make an offer. He asked her to work for him in real estate until she went to university.
But instead of her initial plan to pursue a teaching degree, Pilkington ended up working for her dad for the next seven years.
“I did everything… from reception through to sales,” she says.
From family ties to finding her own way
She remained in the business for longer than she had anticipated, then went on to gain experience in recruitment and commercial property leasing. This eventually led her to property firm Laing+Simmons, where she would stay for decades to come. In 2025, it marks 30 years that Pilkington has been with the company.
“I started in a marketing and admin role, and basically worked my way up,” she says.
“In 2000, I was promoted to General Manager, then Managing Director about five or six years later, and then became CEO when I organised a buyout of the brand four years ago.”
The vision for Real Women in Real Estate
As Pilkington climbed up the ranks of real estate, she was used to being one of the only female faces in the office, but she soon discovered there was something evidently missing for women in the sector.
“I’d been asked by other women that had worked for me about my network. They’d say, ‘you know what Lee, you’ve got great contacts in the industry, and we would love you to share them’,” she says.
“And to be honest, at the time I didn’t really get it. I didn’t have the vision then that I do now, in terms of working together to build networks with other women in the industry. Thankfully, the women around me did. They kept urging me to organise something and eventually I said, ‘okay, let me see what I can do’.
“I sent an email out to a dozen of my female friends in the industry who I knew had teams of women working for them. I suggested we get together, arrange a keynote speaker and some catering, and do some networking.
“They all loved the idea. We planned the event and two weeks later it sold out.”
At the first event, one thing was very clear: women in the sector needed opportunities to connect.
“People needed to be able to see people like them and hear their stories,” she says.
“Many of the stories we hear in real estate are around money, often with men at the centre. In my experience, women tend to be more focused on relationships, building connections with the people they’re helping to navigate the property journey.
“It’s not to say women aren’t out to get the best result and compete in a challenging industry. They certainly are, but they’re less transactional and more holistic. A lot of women are juggling children and a lot more family obligations, typically, than men.”
Setting up a networking group for women, so they could feel seen and have their experiences of working in the industry be validated, proved to be powerful. For Pilkington, it changed how she could show up in the industry.
“I started in 1981 and there were hardly any women around,” she says. “So I had to fit in, I really became one of the boys. I would go out with the boys, have jokes with the boys. I just tried to fit in, not to stand out.”
But a year into running the Real Women in Real Estate group, she was surrounded by women who have since become lifelong friends.
“I looked around and realised some of my closest female friends had come from that group,” she says. “They’re the ones who, when I’ve had big decisions to make like buying into Laing and Simmons for example, were the counsel that I sought. And I know it’s the same thing for many others.
“It’s no longer about fitting in with the boys.”
A message to young women
To women starting out in real estate, Pilkington says you need to play the long game.
“Be prepared to work hard and you’ve got to be prepared to work long hours,” she says. “Real estate is not an easy job. People think it is, they think it looks very glamorous, but it is really hard work.
“You are dealing with people, both buyers and sellers, typically at some of the most stressful times in their life. It’s not always happy you know – you don’t always buy and sell real estate for happy reasons.
“There are job losses, divorce and debt and all of those things are very stressful, and can impact people’s decisions to buy and sell.”
Pilkington says it’s also important to choose an employer that aligns with your values.
“Not every business is the same and you need to go somewhere that’s going to be the kind of environment where you can learn,” she says.
“You’ve got to be prepared to take feedback and you’ve got to be resilient to rejection because you get told ‘no’ a lot.”
Pilkington is now serving a second term as board president of the Real Estate Institute of Australia.
“The industry’s been so good to me – it’s my way of giving back,” she says.
Pilkington wants to see more good people joining and remaining in the industry, so it can move forward in the right direction, which would be beneficial for everyone.
“That’s why I do it. I love the industry and so many of the people in it, and I want to see our industry be the best it can be.”
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.