_Exceptional Woman: Meet Jessica Martiniano

Whilst she completed a Juris Doctor of Law, Jessica Martiniano quickly discovered, over the course of her studies, that property was her passion and main interest. She started her career in property working for a developer and soon after landed a job at Knight Frank Australia where there was an opening for a leasing executive role in residential services. At that time, she knew exactly where she wanted to be and knew she had to put in the hard work to get there, so she eventually moved to the Metro commercial office leasing team, and finally to the CBD office leasing team where she is now a Senior Leasing Executive.

Jessica feels very privileged and fortunate to be part of a very established, supportive, and high-performing team that mentors and guides her daily.

The editorial team has spent some time with Jessica to get to know her and understand why she has been nominated Exceptional Woman of the Year!

How do you ensure you bring your best every day?

Jessica Martiniano: Every day I wake up early and begin my day with an espresso and a run to invigorate both my mind and body. At work, I do my best to keep an open and positive mindset, no matter what the day throws at me, and use all circumstances as an opportunity to learn and grow. I like to ask questions and absorb my colleagues’ wisdom and knowledge; however, I also like to seek answers from other avenues and learn in every possible way. I like to remain open to all prospects, big or small, especially if it helps me grow. I am a team player and I always assist my colleagues; I strongly believe the key to success is a great team!

How do you contribute to a more inclusive environment in the workplace?

JM: I play my part in contributing to a very family-orientated team culture. I have developed great relationships with not only my teammates but also with other departments, it is nice to see that we have all become a very tight-knit group over the many years working together especially given the strong staff retention at Knight Frank. I am available to all colleagues whenever they require assistance or advice, or some other time I simply show up. I have been participating in the Knight Frank Mentor program for two consecutive years, and I am now getting involved in the student program, mentoring students coming on board this year. Lastly, I have been nominated for the Property Council of Australia’s initiative and program, 500 Women in Property, which I believe is another great way to contribute to breaking the bias, what an honour to have been put forward in the first place!

Relating to this year’s Women International day theme #BreakTheBias, how do you think you could contribute to breaking the bias?

JM: Unfortunately, in many workplaces, there is evidence of gender bias or there are examples of unconscious bias that affect the development and careers of many women. I am very fortunate to be working in a company and more specifically within a team where this does not happen. On the contrary, everyone strongly supports the development and presence of women in the workplace and all roles and opportunities are available to all staff members. Being one of the few females leasing executives, I am playing my part in displaying that women can be great team members, be good at their job, and collaborate very well with fellow male colleagues without such bias or any connotations attached.