Profile Series
Alysia Reilly
Director - Head of Industrial & Logistics at Hines
Describe your career journey and an overview of your current role.
When I reflect on it, it has been quite the journey! I started my career at Goodman (Macquarie Goodman at the time) in 2005 on a scholarship / Grad rotation. I was only in my 2nd year of uni at RMIT, but they offered me a full time role as a Property Manager after my rotation and it was such a good grounding for me. There is literally no better way to learn about property than to manage physical assets and I had some great mentors in the business back then who very selflessly devoted their time to upskilling young team members like me. I spent 2 years doing that before I moved to Sydney with Goodman to become a Property Analyst for the Australian business. I got to experience the GFC rollercoaster inside the Goodman tent which was eye opening and really career defining for me as a young analyst. I learnt so much during that time from the Senior Management Team steering the ship and it led me ultimately into Funds Management roles in Sydney, Melbourne and then the US when Goodman acquired a development business in Orange County, California. That overseas experience was challenging but very rewarding at the same time. It is not lost on me how fortunate I was to have that time in the US when it was very early days for the fund. When I left Goodman in 2017, I took a short career break (6 months) to plan my next move as I knew it was going to be a fairly bold one. I joined Colliers in 2018 as a Director in the Industrial Capital Markets team and for 3 years I led the Melbourne team. The agency game is tough – it is definitely a grind and I am so much better for having spent that time on the sell side. I have a great amount of respect and appreciation for the role that agents play and my network was strengthened ten-fold during my time at Colliers. I am now Director and Head of Industrial & Logistics for Hines and am tasked with building the I&L platform here in Australia.
What are your future aspirations in the property industry?
I want to make a meaningful contribution to breaking the gender bias in the logistics sector and property industry more broadly. The logistics sector is becoming a lot more popular and sophisticated which is definitely helping to attract more diverse talent but I do think that the women in our industry, at all levels of seniority, are the best advocates and spokespeople for the younger generations coming through.
What do you most love about working in the property industry?
It is a very dynamic and people-centric industry. It isn’t just a cliché that a career in property is built upon the foundations of strong relationships. That is genuinely the case and is true for both internal and external professional relationships. The network you build throughout a career in property is just amazing when you think about it. I also love seeing all different personalities and skillsets come together to deliver a project – the people side of business intrigues and inspires me at the same time.
What cause or issue are you most passionate about changing or bringing awareness to in our industry?
Diversity and inclusion, and sustainability. There’s a big focus on these issues now across most industries, which is great. I just think that property and the logistics sector in particular, is trailing others in many ways. We can all do our bit to raise awareness and contribute to change – the sum total of all of our small efforts is what will end up making the biggest difference.
What is your career highlight? Describe a moment, project, campaign or cause you’re most proud of.
Honestly, there have been many moments and projects that are career highlights for me. There have also been several lowlights, though! It hasn’t all been smooth sailing and high fives. Some of my highlights have come with, before or after significant lows. I think it is important to keep it real in this sense, as on reflection, I’ve probably grown more from the negatives than the positives. I’m proud of where I sit today and how far I’ve come / how much I’ve grown personally and professionally. I hope that through mentoring I can share my career journey with younger women and help them on theirs.