A legacy of leading ladies

An initiative sparked within Ray White, Leading Ladies of Real Estate has grown into an industry-wide movement that invites women from all backgrounds, not just Ray White, to connect, learn and grow through events, training and mentorship.

Since its inception in 2021, Leading Ladies has welcomed more than 4,500 women to events across Australia and New Zealand. Attendees have heard from inspirational women and experts in their field like mind coach Chelsea Pottenger, financial guru Molly Benjamin and swimming legend Leisel Jones.

Ray White head of organisational development and Leading Ladies of Real Estate AU/NZ chairperson Natalie Hortz (pictured above) said the initiative was initially created to offer visibility and open doors for women in the industry.

“When women see someone who looks like them succeeding in leadership or sales, it starts to feel achievable,” she said. “That’s what Leading Ladies is all about, showing the full journey, not just the highlights.

“For someone trying to juggle family, career, or feeling unsure about their next step, hearing how others have navigated that path can be a real turning point.

“We’ve seen a strong female presence in roles like admin and property management, but now we’re focused on encouraging women who want to step into sales or leadership to take that leap.

“Our vision is to create a ripple effect. If one woman leaves an event feeling supported, energised and ready to back herself, that’s success to us.”

Looking at a recent Ray White analysis, the figures show a sharp rise in female agents entering the industry. Women now make up a growing share of the real estate workforce across Australasia, with female representation among new entrants more than doubling in 2024 alone.

The data signals a meaningful shift in the gender makeup of the industry, and Ray White has long been laying the groundwork.

Read more from the report here

Ray White leads the industry in auctions, training, proptech and market data. But the story goes that second generation Ray White chairman Alan White was one of the first to recognise the value women bring to property transactions. Ray White, which was founded in Queensland 123 years ago, is believed to be the first agency in the state to hire a female agent, this was long before the group expanded outside the Sunshine State borders.

That legacy has only grown from there.

Today, the torch is carried by Bianca Denham (pictured below), the group’s head of performance and recognition, who oversees every industry leading Ray White training and recognition program.

Beginning in real estate as an Adelaide-based sales agent, Bianca is at the forefront of industry training and has embraced the group’s exclusive proptech offerings including the revolutionary sales management platform, NurtureCloud.

She has been instrumental in creating the group’s annual Leadership Academy where top Ray White leaders are offered the opportunity to learn from the world’s best business organisation experts such as renowned Harvard Business School professor Boris Groysberg and Northwestern University’s Dr Victoria Husted Medvec, a world leader in high stakes negotiation.

Bianca and her team also host Ray White’s international appraisal drive event, Real Estate of Origin. Since launching Real Estate of Origin, it has inspired Ray White offices to book over 135,000 appraisals in 17 events across six years.

Last year, Bianca and her team continued to drive and improve Ray White’s impressive training offering with 47 different training programs on offer and 573 unique training and event sessions.

The sessions catered to everyone in the group from administration, property management, marketing, business leadership and sales. Leadership, business management and auction training remained a core focus for the group, offering over 100 sessions covering one of the subjects.

​“Ray White has always prided itself on being the best agency to start or continue your career in real estate and our training framework is a big part of that,” Bianca said.

“Over the last few years we have really given our training program an overhaul and have split out more programs to focus on particular stages of the real estate career or focus on a particular area of development, which is particularly relevant for our business leaders.

“We have a very dynamic annual calendar with multiple learning opportunities every month, including locally in state corporate offices, at larger events bringing hundreds of Ray White members together and as part of our conference program for our recognition tiers or at our triennial Connect Conference.

“We also hold weekly online live sales training events that are accessible to every Ray White member no matter where we are and each session is unique and relevant for the current market cycle.”

It’s no surprise Ray White has taken on the challenge of growing a thriving cohort of top-performing women across sales, property management, administration and business ownership. Legends like Angela Capitano and Therese Plath have helped shape the group, while agents such as Vivien Yap, Jody Fewster, Sonya Treloar and Judi O’Dea sit proudly in the top one per cent of Ray White sales agents. This is no small feat in a 13,000-strong network.

These women aren’t just excelling, they’re inspiring the next generation, making real estate a career of choice for future female leaders and business owners alike.

And in the traditionally male-dominated world of auctions, Ray White has created Australia’s first auction academy dedicated solely to helping women break into the field.

Some of the country’s best auctioneers now come from Ray White, including the Melbourne based Angela Limanis, Trish Orrico and Joanne Royston. These women are now mentoring the latest cohort of rising female auctioneer stars like Chloe Topouzis, the youngest female auctioneer in Melbourne’s northern suburbs and the only female auctioneer in Mernda.

Read more about Chloe here

Spearheading the academy is Ray White Victoria sales performance executive and auctioneer Valentina Parra who created the academy to give women in the field access to structured education, mentorship and professional development tailored specifically to them.

“The academy is more than just an educational program, it’s a movement dedicated to empowering women in auctioneering, business development and leadership,” she said.

“Through expert-led training, hands-on experiences, and community support, it provides the tools and knowledge necessary for success in this exciting field.

“By fostering a supportive environment and equipping women with the skills they need, the Auction Academy for Women is shaping the future of the auction industry, one bid at a time.”

Read more about Ray White’s Auction Academy for Women here

Ray White has also launched the SODA program, designed to upskill members of the group’s Systems, Operations, Digital and Administration teams, sectors made up largely of women.