Julian Coppini, CEO – Oliver Hume
For this month’s Humans of Property, we took the opportunity to profile industry leader Julian Coppini, CEO of Oliver Hume Real Estate Group, to learn more about what keeps him motivated and inspired, especially his passion for mentoring the next generation of leaders.
A little about Julian
Julian is Chief Executive Officer of the Oliver Hume Real Estate Group.
Julian has broad experience within Oliver Hume across a number of key roles (Group Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and now Chief Executive Officer), meaning he has extensive expertise at financial, operational and strategic levels.
Julian brings a unique blend of financial and commercial skills garnered while working in both large ASX listed corporations, private companies and chartered accounting environments.
Kickstarting his career with KPMG, Julian spent seven years in the assurance division primarily focusing on the property industry, before moving to Sigma Pharmaceuticals Limited as Group Financial Controller.
Formerly listed in the ASX 100, and with an annual turnover of $3bn, Julian led the corporate reporting function at Sigma before being appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Australia’s largest privately-owned construction development company, Grocon Pty Ltd. Today, as Chief Executive Officer, Julian is ultimately responsible for the strategic and financial performance of the national real estate business.
What excites him about the future of the industry?
The industry is continuing to find solutions to critical problems. In my view, one of the biggest challenges in the current market is that of housing affordability (or lack thereof).
We are seeing much innovation in this space, including modular construction, new small lot housing ideas, printable homes and co-living products etc. Tough times always seems to bring new ideas in our industry, and I love it!
What has been his greatest career inspiration/support?
I was lucky enough to have had many great mentors from early in my career – not through official mentorship programs, but from people who saw something in me. For this, I am eternally grateful. I can say, hand on heart, that if it wasn’t for these mentors, I wouldn’t be where I am today (both personally and professionally). This is why I take mentoring in my current role so seriously.
This has created a company culture that is incredibly fun to be a part of, but that also breaks the mould for our industry.
What’s a tip he would give his younger self?
Find a mentor as quickly as possible and learn as quickly as you can. Mentors show you the path and guide you along the journey.
What motivates him?
Mentoring the next generation of leaders in our business highly motivates me. At Oliver Hume, we have invested heavily in mentoring programs and the results create genuine depth in our team.
Nothing makes me happier than to see a young mentee take a certain course of action because of the advice I gave them (and to see them learn from the experience). Deeply satisfying.
What are the benefits he has received from being a UDIA member?
Advocacy and collaboration are everything in our industry, and the UDIA takes a leading role in both.
We see tremendous value in our membership, and this is why we are major sponsors and platinum partners across various states.
