In honour of International Women’s Day this year, we’re excited to shine a light on one of our most inspiring female leaders, Penny Coia. As the Senior Development Manager at YourLand, Penny has dedicated 20+ years to the property and construction industry, consistently delivering exceptional results and earning respect through her expertise and professional accomplishments in a traditionally male-dominated field.
We sat down with Penny to explore how her career journey exemplifies how investing in female talent within inclusive workplaces can truly accelerate progress for the industry.
Can you share a bit about your career journey to date?
Right from my early days as a Landscape Architect I’ve been embedded in creating places for people. Greenfields development quickly became my speciality and passion. I love every complex stage of development, from walking a paddock through to the completed community. A desire for deeper involvement and influence led me to my current role as Senior Development Manager. I’m proud to be among an ever-growing cohort of amazing women thriving in this fascinating and complex industry.
How have inclusive professional environments enabled your career growth, and what does true workplace equity look like in practice?
On International Women’s Day there can be a tendency to emphasise that being a woman will hold you back. This isn’t my experience.
Working in this industry is challenging for many reasons, but I’ve been fortunate that I don’t attribute any of these to being a woman.
Returning to work after two career breaks for babies have been supported by a workplace with an established acceptance of part-time staff in senior roles. And returning to full time work was supported by my husband who shares the juggle. This is only possible because his workplaces have been supportive of working from home and flexible hours.
I have also had the privilege to work in companies that have women in leadership roles and that are actively aware that a diverse workplace is good for staff retention. And interactions with authorities, other developers, consultants and contractors have overwhelmingly been free of misogyny.
I sincerely hope that my experience is the norm.
Imposter syndrome is a common challenge many women face in male-dominated industries. Can you offer advice on how women can overcome it?
I often marvel at some of the insightful things I can say and write and reflect on how far my skills have developed. I really know things! It’s important to have a little internal celebration and take pleasure in a confidence boost regularly. And to recognise that everyone is winging it at least some of the time.
What advice would you give to young women aspiring to enter property and construction?
Development is a massively diverse industry, you’re sure to find something that suits you. And there are so many fabulous places to work, don’t tolerate a workplace that you don’t feel comfortable in.
You have control over how you react in any situation. Don’t be cowed by a forceful personality.
