Employee retention has long been associated with higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty. A new generation of loyal Mirvac employees is following in the footsteps of those who helped shape the company in its foundation years.  

For many years a gold watch was the symbol of employee loyalty. Bestowed upon those who had given long service, it’s a tradition that has faded, not least because there are few employees today who would qualify for the gift of a timepiece in recognition of time given.  

When Mirvac farewelled architect and urban planner Paromvong Sinbandhit, known to all as the master of masterplanning during his 40 years with Mirvac Design, he took with him something more precious than a gold watch; a legacy of beautiful buildings and communities across Australia.  

The former Design Director at Mirvac Design worked shoulder to shoulder with Mirvac’s founding fathers Bob Hamilton and Henry Pollack during his early years with Mirvac and his signature can be seen on some of the company’s seminal, nation-defining projects. He counts the Sydney 2000 Olympic Athletes Village which Mirvac later adapted to become the suburb of Newington, as his most important legacy.  

“That project was life-changing and was pivotal to my professional career,” he recalls, having embarked upon a well-earned (semi) retirement. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the project I’m most proud of, simply because of the scale, the complexity and the innovative application of Environmentally Sustainable Design principles. It was the first major solar village in Australia.  

“What I’m still in awe of is the impact the project had, not only on Australian urbanism, but internationally as well. Mirvac will always be special to me because of its focus on people and alignment with my own values.”  

There lies a clue to why Mirvac can command decades of loyal service, not only from Vong, as he was best known, but many others who have joined the company more recently; the opportunity to do great, values-driven work and leave a proud legacy.  

Mirvac CEO Development Stuart Penklis is a few years shy of the quarter century milestone and considers himself fortunate to have grown within a business founded upon loyalty. 

“It started with Bob Hamilton and is there to this day,” says Mr Penklis. “The customer loyalty we enjoy starts from the passion within Mirvac for the places and product we create. It comes from this desire to create the very best outcome in whatever market we are operating in. 

“That has been the Mirvac DNA for 50 years. It’s the pride that I see day in and day out across the business; the attention to detail, the quality, the enduring value. The result is homes that continue to look great many years after they are completed and a virtuous cycle of loyalty that encompasses our people and our customers.”  

Recently Mr Penklis led Mirvac’s celebration of several milestone staff anniversaries, among them Glenn House, also marking 40 years.  

Glenn first set foot on a Mirvac site in the ‘70s, accompanying his father Malcolm to a project on Sydney’s North Shore where he was site manager. He learned the Mirvac way of doing things from the get-go, joining the company as an apprentice carpenter and becoming a stickler for detail, a standard he demands from the construction teams he now leads as Construction Manager.  

There are many, like Glenn, who can claim “lifer” status. Senior Associate Victor Wong has spent 35 years creating beautiful interiors for Mirvac projects, and continues to lead interior design for legacy projects across the country, such as Trielle, now under construction at Yarra’s Edge in Melbourne.  

Another in the Mirvac Design architectural studio, Associate Director Snezana Mitrovski has surpassed 27 years with Mirvac with her highlight being Mirvac’s Sydney Olympic Park project, Pavilions.  

It is increasingly rare in any modern workplace to find the level of staff loyalty that Mirvac enjoys. Viewed through a generational lens, Victor and Snezana display the loyalty characteristic of Baby Boomers.  

Attracting and retaining talent is an issue facing every workplace and has become more challenging with each new generation, who bring a different set of values and expectations. 

Consternation over the staying power of employees began in earnest with the Millennial generation, born from 1981 to 1996. Categorised as career changers who place less value on corporate loyalty, Millennials spend on average three to five years with the same company, and will look elsewhere if their career progression stalls and personal values fail to align.  

Those who do commit, such as Director, Sustainability - Development, Design & Construction, Catherine Curry, are reaping the benefits of playing the long game. Catherine joined Mirvac 16 years ago as a Trainee Development Manager and has forged a career path that allows her to make a meaningful difference. 

“To work within a company that is genuinely committed to sustainability gives me a sense of real purpose,” says Catherine. “The rewards are tangible, not just for myself, but the wider community.” 

If Millennial mobility proved challenging in the workforce, Gen Z appears determined to write its own rules around loyalty, sticking around for barely one to three years before quitting for greener pastures.  

For companies such as Mirvac, shaping career pathways and nurturing young talent is critical to building a workforce versed in the Mirvac culture. 

Senior Project Marketing Manager Nicole Staff has been with Mirvac for eight years and although she is yet to hit her 30s could be termed a “lifer”, having joined the company as an intern while completing her degree in marketing and economics. At 20, she just wanted to get her foot in the door of the corporate world with no clear picture of her future career.  

“After doing the internship I knew that I wanted a job here,” says Nicole. “I liked the residential side of marketing and wanted to experience that and work my way through.”  

At critical stages, when Gen Z employees are vulnerable to jumping ship, she was offered new and challenging opportunities, all the while being given the support needed to grow into the roles.  

“I started at Mirvac when I was 20, and now going into the last years of my 20s, I’m at the same place,” reflects Nicole. “At some point I have grown up here, become a fully fledged adult. I’ve been promoted into roles but in a comfortable environment, having people that have my back and support me along the way. There was a whole lot of growing and learning.”  

As a Senior Project Marketing Manager Nicole is in her happy place – analysing data to develop marketing strategies while also being creative and hands on in the creation of videos, display homes and brand campaigns.  

“The best part of this job is the day you open a new sales centre,” says Nicole. “It’s when your brand comes together and the public gets to see it. That is something real and tangible.”  

For all the fulfilment she derives from her work, that’s not the primary reason she has stayed with Mirvac way beyond the Gen Z average. “It’s the people. I stay because I love working with these people.”  

Mirvac’s integrated model, encompassing everything from construction to development, design, marketing, sales, finance, sustainability, IT and management, makes it possible for Gen Z workers to prioritise personal growth and career development without having to look elsewhere. 

Doron Isman, 28, has been with Mirvac for more than five years, beginning as a trainee Development Manager after a three-month internship, having completed a degree in construction project management. His appointment this year as NSW Sales Manager – Apartments, illustrates the unexpected career paths that can open up for those with talent and a willingness to commit.  

“I joined Mirvac’s development team working on Green Square where I felt very supported in an incredible environment,” says Doron. “I was learning a lot, more than I had anticipated, and was thrown in the deep end in a positive way so I could learn quickly.  

“I think I knew when I did the internship that the sort of projects I would go on to would be new and challenging. Given I had such a positive experience at Green Square I was interested in sticking around to see what was in store next.”  

Doron wasn’t disappointed. Having progressed from a trainee to Assistant Development Manager then Development Manager during his time delivering The Portman Collection and The Frederick at Green Square, Doron’s next assignment was Mirvac’s legacy project, Harbourside Residences, “a once in a lifetime opportunity that I would not get anywhere else”.  

But rather than continue down the development path, he put his hand up for the role of NSW Sales Manager – Apartments, allowing him to have a more people focused role with marketing teams and customers.  

“One of the reasons I have been at Mirvac for more than five years, is that I have been given the opportunity to try different things and keep things interesting,” says Doron.  

“It’s something I bear in mind with the people around me; making sure they are feeling stimulated and exploring other areas of the business if that is what they want to do.”  

With 22 years at Mirvac, during which his own career has been guided across different parts of the business, Mr Penklis has seen how loyalty and longevity benefit the company.  

“Every one of these people has made a meaningful contribution to Mirvac’s reputation and legacy,” says Mr Penklis. “Working alongside them throughout my working life, I’ve learned from their wisdom and experience, as have others at Mirvac, including those just starting out who we want to see enjoying long and interesting careers with us.  

“Having a long-standing and loyal workforce gives Mirvac a distinct advantage, allowing us to combine the wisdom of age and the fresh thinking and energy of youth.”  

As a Gen Xer, Mr Penklis falls within a generational group whose loyalty is conditional upon achieving work-life balance and career growth and development. That he now heads Mirvac’s development business across residential, commercial and mixed use, points to the rewards that can follow loyalty to a single company.  

With the next crop of potential “lifers” taking up the mantle, Mr Penklis can take some satisfaction in seeing the Mirvac legacy passing on to the next generation. 

Loyal beyond their years

The customer loyalty that Mirvac enjoys begins with its own people, whose years of wisdom contribute to the Mirvac legacy. Key to keeping the flame alive is creating a work environment that welcomes and nurtures young talent even as they bring with them a generational shift in attitudes to loyalty and longevity. Here we highlight some of the Mirvac team members whose tenure far exceeds that of their generation.