Our Stories

At Mirvac, we are passionate about helping our people to develop their strengths and further their careers.

Our Discovery Program is designed to give our people an insight into different career options available at Mirvac. For three days over a period of three months, employees can gain visibility into another part of our organisation. It’s a great way for them to find out what it’s like to work in another team or division, and understand the skills and knowledge required to get there.

Frances Zeng is an Innovation Specialist who began her journey at Mirvac in 2018 as an intern. She recently completed the Discovery Program and shares her three-month experience and the invaluable lessons she picked up.

“I heard about the Discovery Program through an informal conversation with one of our Learning & Development Managers. She encouraged me to explore some learning opportunities within the business since I’ve interacted with so many different teams. When I checked it out, I found the program is personalised and flexible. You can pick any team that interests you and spend three days shadowing them, getting a chance to learn through osmosis.”

“It was timely because, on the same day I learnt about the program, I was at a Women in Property event and sat next to our then National Manager Strategy & Operations. She told me a bit about what her team does in our Asset Management division and it seemed aligned with what our Innovation team does in terms of problem solving and how we partner with the business. After my formal application through our Learning & Development Manager, the next step was then for me to shadow someone in the Strategy & Operations team.”

Like any learning opportunity, Frances faced challenges. Adversity, after all, creates the opportunity for growth.

“One of the early challenges I faced was understanding the language used by a different part of the business. I ended up developing a glossary of acronyms that were used just to be able to follow conversations. Just because you can follow a conversation at a high level, doesn’t mean you understand the finer detail. The first day I attended meetings with the team was insightful, but also challenging to follow.”

Frances knew her strengths and was aware of the areas she needed to develop.

“Innovation is all about asking the right questions to try and understand the problem. I’m always looks at defining what the challenges are and coming up with ideas and solutions aligned to a strategy. The Strategy & Operations team uses a similar approach, however, it's applied to a different set of problems.”

As Frances wrapped up with the Discovery Program, she returned to her role equipped with new skills and relationships within the business.

“The exposure I gained from participating in the program was invaluable. I hadn’t worked with the Asset Management team previously, so it was great to dive into what they do and develop relationships with a different area of the business. I now have a stronger understanding of their function and their strategic goals, which can lead to opportunities for our teams to work together in the future. There were many practical skills I learned during my time with the Asset Management team, but one of the most important was using specific project management tools that align with the work I do. I know this will not only benefit me but will also benefit my team in the long run.”

Frances’ advice for anyone wanting to upskill themselves through learning and development programs is straight forward.

“You need to have a clear idea of what you want to get out of the program, and be honest when you communicate that with the team you're shadowing. It will help them understand how to best tailor the time you get to spend with the team. More importantly, be curious and ask questions, because everything you’re learning is helping you become the person you want to be.”

Ben Dickinson began working in Mirvac in 2019 as part of the Group’s digital transformation program. In 2023, he took the role of the Director of Corporate Services, and through his time at Mirvac, has been able to utilise Mirvac’s Shared Care Parental Leave policy. The opportunity to take parental leave came when his second child was born in 2022 and it opened his eyes to how truly helpful this benefit is.

“When my second daughter was born, my wife took parental leave for the first half of the year when my daughter was still small and heavily dependent on her mum from a nursing perspective. I chose to take my parental leave in the second half of her first year - when my daughter was a bit older and had more independence.”

“There’s a historical bias in society that this is the role of the mum, but the opportunity was really valuable to me and I would love to see more fathers making use of this benefit if it’s made available to them. There is no downside to spending more time with your kids.”

With straightforward processes in place allowing Ben to take parental leave, one of the most important things was staying connected while being away from work.

“I was apprehensive in taking the time off. I had some insecurities in stepping away from my role and taking a big block of time from work – will I be judged? Will someone else do my role better than me? I had a realisation that women often don’t have the same luxury of choice of when they take parental leave. And partners’ taking parental leave is also much more accepted within Mirvac’s culture. I had no reason not to take the opportunity.”

“I agreed with my manager to take four months of parental leave. Mirvac was very flexible around how I took the leave. Some of my colleagues had taken two days per week over a longer period. Everyone is different after all. It worked for me to have a block of time completely away from work, but Mirvac has set parameters in place to make sure parents stay connected to their colleagues and stay in the loop on what’s happening within the business. I visited the office a couple of time with my daughters to say hello to my colleagues and I also met up with my manager for coffee to catch up.”

As many parents will know, parental leave was far from a holiday for Ben, but simultaneously a rewarding time with his family.

“One of my biggest learnings was that when someone tells you ‘enjoy your time off’ it's definitely not a holiday. It's full-on caring for a baby. The days of the week fly by. But what my wife and I are most grateful for is that we were able to share parental leave and therefore able to share the load of caring for our children. It also helped my wife transition back to work. As a people manager, it also gave me more empathy for anyone in my team who are on parental leave, or their partner or spouse is, and for their experience returning to work.”

For anyone doubting if they should take parental leave, Ben has some words of wisdom.

“Of course, everyone has different circumstances - it’s not a universal benefit and you will have to weigh up what is best for you and your family. But if an employer is giving you the opportunity to spend uninterrupted time with your baby, seize the opportunity and don’t underestimate how precious that time can be. Just one in 20 Australian fathers take primary parental leave, which is a low number by global standards (1). I truly hope that by the time my daughters enter the workforce, that number will be much, much higher.”

An internship is one of the best ways for someone to gain valuable work experience while still at university. It can also lead to exciting careers opportunities. At Mirvac, we pride ourselves in providing an environment for our interns to learn and thrive under the guidance of industry experts.

A number of interns at Mirvac have had the chance to progress into other roles. Melanie Andrijic, an Acquisition Manager from our Build to Rent team, began her internship at Mirvac in 2016 within Finance, and has gone on to work in different parts of our business.

To participate in the internship program at Mirvac, students apply and those who make it through to the next stage are invited to submit a video interview. From there, Mirvac selects the top 100 candidates to attend an assessment day, which consists of a group activity, a one-on-one interview with a hiring manager, and an aptitude assessment. This year we offered 38 roles for an 11-month internship.

During her internship, Melanie had a chance to spend time with different parts of the business and establish lasting friendships with her intern cohort.

“The internship was such a great experience. I was able to spend time in three different divisions over a three-month period. I was put in challenging situations and I learnt a lot in a short amount of time.”

After her internship, Melanie eventually got a role as an Assistant Development Manager in Mirvac’s Retail division.

“I spent three years as an Assistant Development Manager and then moved into the Retail Partnerships team as a Retail Space Executive. I was then fortunate enough to secure another Assistant Development Manager role within Build to Rent – which I had become very interested in - and have now progressed into an Acquisition Manager role within the same team, which is challenging me even more… in a good way! My current role centres heavily around strategically identifying and evaluating acquisition opportunities across our capital cities to support the growth and scalability of our newly established Build to Rent fund.”

After six years with Mirvac, Melanie has been able to increase her skillset and has been a key team member in many different teams. Her longevity and passion for her role is fuelled by how she sees Mirvac preserve its people-centred culture.

Melanie’s encouragement to those looking to get an internship with Mirvac is straight forward.

“Make sure you have a good understanding on what you’re looking for in your career and aim to do your internship with a company that aligns with your goals. As simple as that may sound, it’s about doing the research and putting your best foot forward. And when you get that interview, don't just be the one answering the questions - make sure you’re also asking the questions. And when an opportunity arises, even though you know it’s out of your comfort zone, just try it. The pain of growth is far better than the pain of staying where you are.”