Our Stories

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.”