In profile: Knight Frank's manager, industrial South Sydney, Brooke Railton

Agent: Brooke Railton

Position: Manager, industrial

Company: Knight Frank

Office Location: South Sydney

1. How long have you been in the industry?

I’ve been in the industry for about eight years, as I started working in agency throughout university. I spent two years working in London and I’ve been working in the agency in South Sydney for about six years.

2. What’s happening in the area you specialise in?

South Sydney continues to go through incredible change which is really exciting to be a part of. Traditional industrial areas are being rezoned to allow for residential and commercial developments. This makes my role more geographical than sector specific having worked on business/office space, warehousing, residential site sales and adaptive reuse.

There are some great character buildings in the Alexandria/Rosebery area ripe for adaptive re-use and the demand from the end user is very strong as tenants move from city fringe locations. Concepts such as Kitchen by Mike, The Grounds of Alexandria and the new Fratelli Fresh in Alexandria bring a fresh dynamic and amenity to the area.

3. Describe the most interesting property you have sold

We have recently been marketing an industrial property in the south Sydney suburb of St Peters which has 13 older style buildings and is about 95% leased to a range of creative users. It was really interesting looking at the number of ways the property could be adapted or redeveloped and discussing the different viewpoints with purchasers.

4. What are the ingredients to being successful in your job?

Having a thick skin! Perseverance and attention to detail are key as well as building trusting relationships with clients.

5. What aspects of your role do you enjoy the most?

No two properties are the same and I like that each one presents a new challenge and requires a considered strategy. Seeing the potential in a property and working with clients to achieve this is also very rewarding as is finding the right property for a tenant.

I also don’t mind inspecting the fashion headquarters that are in Alexandria!

6. Where would you invest a spare $750,000?

I’d buy a residential property.

7. Which football team do you support?

I grew up in Brisbane so I’m torn between the Lions and Swannies.

8. What’s your favourite app or techno gadget?

The Knight Frank app is great for ogling the amazing properties for sale around the world - you can search by your interests such as skiing, golfing or vineyards! And the Run Keeper app keeps me motivated.

9. How do you use social media?

Keeping up to date with colleagues, friends and family - I also like to follow a range of blogs from architecture design, health and business leaders.