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Throughout March, in celebration of International Women's Day 2025, we showcased an exclusive interview series highlighting remarkable women within our Ray White corporate team who exemplify excellence, resilience and visionary leadership.
The series spotlighted extraordinary leaders who have shaped our organisation and the broader real estate industry through their determination, innovation and passion. From our Chief Economist to our leaders in technology, performance and marketing, these women shared candid insights about their career paths, the challenges they've overcome, and the wisdom they've gained along the way.
Each feature included not only personal reflections from these accomplished members of the Ray White Group but also honest perspectives from colleagues who have witnessed their impact firsthand, providing a compelling glimpse behind the curtain at the authentic leadership that continues to drive Ray White forward.
As we reflect on these conversations, we're inspired by how these women continue to elevate our industry, our organisation, and each other through their example and leadership.
Let’s hear their stories.
An indisputable powerhouse of performance, Bianca Denham’s impact on our Group stretches far and wide. Most notably recognised just a few months ago at our corporate Crows Nest Conference 2024, where she took home our organisation’s highest honour, the Chairman's Cup.
Her path exemplifies versatility and determination—evolving from a top-performing sales agent who claimed the #1 spot in South Australia multiple times, to building her own successful sales team, to becoming an influential trainer and advisor who now shapes our performance strategy nationally. The co-author of our Pathways program, Bianca’s impact was recognised by the Myf Porter Award in 2021, which acknowledges the greatest impact made by an individual on the skill development of our network.
What makes her accomplishments even more impressive is how she's pioneered remote leadership, proving that world-class talent can drive national initiatives from Adelaide in our post-pandemic landscape. Managing the intricate balance of a high-impact career and a rich family life, Bianca navigates the complexities of 'having it all' with grace, honesty, and strategic support.
Approaching her remarkable 28-year milestone with Ray White, Sally Patch is a leader who has quietly defined Ray White's culture for nearly three decades. Her immense influence earned her first the Cutting Edge Award in 2019, followed by the prestigious Chairman's Cup in 2022, recognising her as the person who made the biggest impact across the entire Ray White group.
She embodies her own definition of demonstrating leadership: 'it's how we turn up, show up and speak up.' That same commitment to excellence and putting her hand up to lead the way extends beyond our walls and across the wider industry in her role as Queensland Chair (and one of the founders) of Leading Ladies of Real Estate.
While navigating the delicate balance of career and motherhood, Sally created a legacy that transcends professional achievements - fostering a culture where curiosity thrives and team members feel empowered to innovate. As she puts it, growth comes from embracing discomfort - a philosophy that's earned her both respect and admiration as a person we turn to when it matters most.
Sonya Grosso
The beating heart of our Rural team, Sonya Grosso is a true Ray White stalwart with an astonishing 27-year journey with the Group. The quintessential fixer who thrives in the background, she's built her legacy as the calm, confident presence everyone gravitates toward when clarity is needed.
Her remarkable tenure has spanned multiple business units—from Loan Market to the NSW Corporate team before finding her home in Rural—where she's consistently leveraged her diverse experience to tackle complex challenges. As her colleagues note, "She's the kind of person who makes everything run smoothly behind the scenes, even when no one notices," solving problems before most people even realise they exist.
With her gift for effortlessly juggling life's demands and her knack for elevating standards across the board, she combines quiet wisdom with unmistakable warmth that's transformed countless careers along the way.
A leader who lives and breathes Ray White's values, our head of organisational development Natalie Hortz is the engine behind many of our most impactful initiatives over the past 8.5 years. Whether championing women across our industry or carving opportunities for high performance with the Growth Program, Nat continues to prove her message that you're never 'too young, too junior or too new' to create lasting change.
Since claiming the Ray White 2020 Curiosity Award for revolutionising our network and corporate communications through The Insider newsletter, Nat has consistently transformed ideas into action. From co-founding the Together Wellbeing Initiative with Samantha White during the chaos of the Covid-19 pandemic to her recent recognition at our 2024 Chairman's Cup Dinner, winning the Further Together Award, she approaches each challenge with infectious enthusiasm and pragmatic determination.
Yet ask her about her proudest achievement, and she'll likely mention Leading Ladies of Real Estate - the initiative that has blossomed into the real estate industry's largest female-focused community.
We turn next to our chief economist, the brilliant Nerida Conisbee. In just four years with Ray White, Nerida's elevated our economic voice to national prominence. Her data-driven insights are a cornerstone of property market commentary across Australasia, becoming a trusted fixture on breakfast television screens nationwide and positioning her as ‘the most quoted property commentator’ in the industry
Known for her encyclopedic recall of market statistics and refreshingly accessible delivery, Nerida's true legacy extends beyond her public persona. Behind every media appearance stands a mentor who meticulously creates opportunities for her team to develop their authentic voices in a complex industry.
Kelly Tatlow is a leader whose infectious passion has shaped careers across nearly two decades. Since joining Ray White 19 years ago, she has transformed Concierge into more than just a thriving business in our ecosystem - it's become a launchpad where thousands of young professionals have discovered their potential.
A celebrated Chairman's Cup (2014) and Cutting Edge (2009) Award winner, Kelly embodies her own philosophy: 'It's your choice to be amazing at what you do.' She masterfully balances her executive role with personal and family responsibilities - while acknowledging how tricky this can often be - and in doing so, has created a culture where excellence is expected and support is unwavering.
What truly sets Kelly apart is her commitment to lifting others. From those working closest to her, this is described as 'a remarkable ability to make those around her feel valued and motivated to keep pushing for excellence'. From championing work-life integration to teaching team members to 'control the controllables,' Kelly continues to demonstrate why authentic leadership creates lasting impact.
A formidable asset to our group, Vanessa Rader is Ray White’s head of research whose 11-year journey with us caps an impressive 25-year career in property research.
As an author of numerous published report collections and a sought-after industry voice, Vanessa recently took her expertise global, representing us at prestigious speaking events in Las Vegas.
Known for combining razor-sharp analysis with infectious enthusiasm, she's made a career of turning complex challenges into opportunities and transforming industry conversations with her unique perspective.
Described as "jack of all trades, master of all" and our NZ head of marketing, Larissa Tuhaka is a leader that moves with integrity and kindness, and never sacrifices "doing the right thing".
Her impressive career with Ray White has been marked by consistent excellence, culminating in the Ray White 2020 True Believer Award that recognised her unwavering commitment to our brand values and vision. Under her guidance, the New Zealand marketing team has elevated our presence through innovative campaigns, including collaborations with national icons like former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen that have set new standards for real estate marketing across the region.
With not only professional prowess but as a former international athlete and 100m champion, Larissa’s unique combination of creative vision and unstoppable determination creates an energy that inspires her team to consistently push boundaries and exceed expectations.
Behind twenty years of financial excellence at Ray White stands the brilliant Wanhuey Ooi. With a clear-eyed precision and unwavering calm that redefine what great leadership looks like, her journey with Ray White has been a nothing-short-of brilliant one.
As a mother of two who champions stepping outside comfort zones, Wan has built her career on balancing the detailed demands of Group financial reporting with nurturing the careers of countless finance professionals who've flourished under her guidance.
What her team values most? The way she checks in on them despite her own pressing deadlines, creating what can be described as 'a pocket of calm excellence' where both detailed analysis and big-picture thinking flourish.
Jacquie Laing
The remarkable Jacquie Laing has led a 34-year journey with Ray White, which has woven her into the very fabric of our organisation. From manually processing Queensland sales reports in the 1990s to orchestrating our entire group's digital transformation during a global pandemic, her evolution mirrors our technological journey.
The trusted navigator who has guided more than 1,000 offices through our CRM and One System platforms, Jacquie has transformed from banking professional to digital cornerstone while working alongside Ray White Chairman, Brian White during pivotal expansion years.
With her philosophy that 'life is not a dress rehearsal' and her gift for making complex systems accessible, she continues to demonstrate that opportunities emerge when you remain open to learning something new every day.
Treena Drinnan has been a transformative force in our New Zealand leadership team for the past six years, with an extensive career spanning major Australasian real estate franchises. Treena not only holds the role of chief agency officer at Ray White New Zealand, but also regional director to the REINZ Board.
The embodiment of calm confidence, she's masterfully shaped crucial industry conversations while guiding our NZ network through regulatory shifts and the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19.
Approaching her impressive 10-year milestone with Ray White corporate, Courtney Martin is a veritable driving force within our business as general manager of NurtureCloud. Her unwavering passion extends beyond just professional success to elevating everyone in our network.
In 2018, Courtney was named winner of the Myf Porter Award - with Dan White describing her remarkable “work ethic, discipline and respect for the members of our network”. Flash forward to 2023, Courtney took home the Ray White Cutting Edge Award, for her immense hard work on the NurtureCloud roll-out for our members.
It is clear that the level of innovation, creativity and commitment to growth Courtney has shown - at every diverse step of her career with Ray White - is nothing short of extraordinary.
Let's hear it, Courtney!
With a twenty-year career as a journalist for leading media outlets as her foundation, Alex Tilbury is Ray White's very own media maven. Now, as head of media and external relations, Alex's expertise and reputation for excellence are steadfast. Her eight remarkable years with us have proven her to be a master of turning uncertainty into opportunity and the strategic mind behind Ray White's media presence.
Balancing a demanding role with raising two sons while her husband works FIFO in a PNG gold mine, Alex embodies her own advice to 'be known as someone who gets stuff done.' This commitment to execution and integrity earned her both the 2019 Curiosity Award for implementing our groundbreaking express auction reporting system and the 2021 Special Achievement Award at the Chairman's Cup Awards.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, colleagues describe her as the ultimate 'work-mum' who leads by example and champions the growth of others. While her team works tirelessly to promote our successes, Alex quietly and gracefully safeguards our reputation through challenges with the same calm determination that's become her trademark.
