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Hard work and perseverance is what led Ruth Trewhella to run operations of LJ Hooker.
Ms Trewhella has been at LJ Hooker since January 2018, where she is currently the company’s chief operating officer.
“I essentially am responsible for the operations across the group,” she told REB. “Everything from marketing, compliance, training, events.
“What I’m trying to do in the background is to try and focus on our offices to make sure they’re delivering value.”
Although she may not be a name many are familiar with, Ms Trewhella drives the team who makes sure all LJ Hooker offices have the tools they need so agents can do their best work and focus on the customer.
“There are many reasons you would join LJ Hooker, but what we do is give them what we believe they need in today’s real estate industry to make sure they are the best that they can be,” she said.
Originally from Ireland, Ms Trewhella did not start in real estate; instead, she began as an accountant where she did accounts for property development companies.
Before she joined LJ Hooker, she worked for the Trading Post in Brisbane, and it was there where she realised she wanted to be in a role where she could have an impact.
“I liked accounting, but I was getting a little frustrated by business stakeholders with what I thought they could do, so I decided I wanted to have a go myself,” she said.
She worked her way through a couple of general manager roles at Telstra while it was going through a disruption phase, and she helped manage the transition from print to digital while she retained customers.
After 10 years at Telstra, she took some time to consult and then she was approached by LJ Hooker to bring her experience from an industry that had been through disruption and apply it to real estate.
Her approach is to help LJ Hooker business owners become as productive as possible with new technology.
“Rather than looking at technology as something to fear that might get rid of jobs, [we have to ask] how can we use technology to allow you to spend your day doing what you do best — listing and selling property, not typing things into computers,” she said.
Although the industry has been challenged in recent times with disruption and an economic slowdown, it showcased the industry’s resilience and how people do not give up as they use their connections and relationships to soldier on, she said.
Ms Trewhella’s journey to the top has been one based on hard work and merit.
“I’ve always said I want to see the right people at the top, and that’s really important for organisations to focus on, the right people in the right roles,” she said.
“I do believe women bring a different type of thinking... and having a great mix of skills and a great mix of men and women tends to bring diversity to a team you might not get if you had all women or all men.”
However, she is honoured to work alongside other women in leadership roles, including LJ Hooker Avnu chief performance officer Christine Mikhael.
Compared to other industries she has worked in, Ms Trewhella thinks the culture in real estate is more fun, and that’s because of the family aspect.
“There are fourth and fifth-generation LJ Hooker owners within our brand, which creates this culture of family.”
Going forward, Ms Trewhella wants to incorporate more balance in her lifestyle, as she raises a young family while she and her husband work five days a week.
“That is probably one of the challenges in real estate, the work/life balance,” she said. “[We need to make] sure that we’re enabling our offices... to have work/life balance.”
LJ Hooker wants to enhance work/life balance so they can have flexibility as it drives retention and loyalty towards the offices and the organisation, she said.
“You will generally always stay with someone who understands your family situation and manages your outcomes.”
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