Q&A: Five minutes with Peter Rose, chief revenue officer at Forbury

How did you join the property industry?

My dad is an architect, so it feels as though I have been living and breathing property from a very young age. My first job in the sector came about as a result of a flattering, out-of-the-blue phone call asking me to join a property development and investment company. I took a chance and got the industry bug.

What does your job entail?

Forbury’s property valuation software is the market leader in Australasia, but my role is focused on international expansion and entering new markets. That means a little bit of everything – driving revenue growth, product development, capital and grant funding and wider team leadership.

What do you like most about the property industry?

I like the fact that property is a very tangible industry, and the need to draw on a huge range of skills and expertise if you are to be successful. There is also something about the high stakes that are involved that appeals to my inner risk-taker.

What do you dislike most about it?

I find bureaucracy enormously frustrating, especially when it seems to be there simply for its own sake. Unfortunately, bureaucracy is often inevitable when dealing with the various levels of government, something that cannot be avoided when working in property.

What would you change about the property industry?

The cyclical nature of property makes it a killer for all stakeholders. It would be good to be able to smooth out some of those bumps; but not all of them mind – you need the bad times to show you just how good the better times are!

What barriers or challenges have you overcome?

I came into the industry from a very different sector, and proving my capabilities when I was not a property ‘lifer’ took a fair amount of time. Demonstrating my worth, and maybe even showing that there are different ways of doing things, was a good hurdle to get over.

What are you most proud of in your career?

Property remains a people business and, as such, the teams I have helped build stand out as some of my favourite achievements. I like to think the teams I build have cultures that are unique, high-performance and impossible to replicate.

What do you value in people?

More than anything I seek out people that use their initiative and have the attitude to figure out solutions to problems rather than be defeated by them. A good vision is a bonus.

What advice would you give someone starting a career in the property industry?

You need to be resilient. Things go wrong in property when you least expect it. It is an occupational hazard, but success is measured by how you respond. Dust yourself down and have another go.