Across the country, women are increasingly occupying key roles within the facility management sector operating critical assets, navigating risk and shaping the overall future of the built environment. This week, we profile Elle Ryan, account director – Whole Of Australian Government at JLL.
What are the three pivotal moments in your career that led to you reaching your current role?
The first was deciding to go client-side. When I worked as a government employee, I understood that while property is at the core of what we do as a business and industry, it is not the core business of our clients. With this knowledge, I help my own team improve and appreciate that we need to bring our expertise and integrate it into our clients’ world.
The second was accepting my first role in account management – it came at a time when there were a lot of life moments happening. Logically, you could say it wasn’t the best time to dive headfirst into a demanding role, but I knew this was the avenue I wanted to pursue in my career, so I found a way to make it work.
The third was the moment I realised my voice and opinion were just as valuable as the next person’s. It was during a seemingly innocuous weekly meeting, listening to a colleague, that I realised I no longer had to hold myself back – that I could respectfully put my opinion forward without fear of failure.
Government facility management contracts are highly complex. What is the process you follow to successfully pitch them?
Our approach reflects a genuine desire to support our clients in achieving their objectives. To do this, it is important that we understand the environment our clients are operating in. We actively listen and observe the broader landscape to assess
emerging priorities, policies and agendas that may directly or indirectly impact the government property portfolios we support.
Working on government contracts requires you to consider a number of different factors such as sustainability, compliance and Indigenous procurement, among others. How do you address these requirements?
Teamwork is key. We have a very strong and dedicated team of professionals who are experts in their fields. We pair this with a clear understanding of our clients’ objectives and goals, and bring it together through a rigorous operational framework and detailed planning to ensure we have a shared understanding of priorities.
This shared understanding allows each team member to see how their expertise complements others. Rather than working in silos, we can deliver integrated solutions that help our clients achieve meaningful outcomes across all their requirements.
The hustle, the grind and the struggle that no one will see. What have been the toughest moments for you when it comes to just staying the course?
It is the nature of our work that we are always dealing with some form of emergency, crisis or urgent situation. Navigating oppressive bushfires, devastating floods and then being hit by COVID was an enormously challenging operational period.
It put a lot of pressure on our clients and our teams to ensure we kept sites safe and doors open. In times like this, you dig deep, put things in perspective and ensure you stay steady and consistent for your clients and team – finding the possible when everything seems impossible.
For women at the start of their careers within the facility management sector, what should they hear or is something you wish you had been told early on in your career?
Some key learnings I have had along the way are:
• Don’t be afraid not to know the answer – there is nothing wrong with saying, “That is a great question, let me come back to you.” For a long time, we were conditioned to think that not knowing the answer was a failure.
• That things are not always black-and-white, and sometimes there is no answer, or at least no easy answer.
• You don’t have to change your personality to fit into a mould of what you think a successful leader is. Be authentic to others and to yourself.
• Appreciate that there is no right time. Life will always happen – don’t turn down an opportunity because you’re concerned that it’s not the right time.
This article first appeared in the March 2026 edition of FM magazine. To download the entire edition for free, click here.
Read more: Women in FM: Victoria Tavendale, chief asset management officer at Mirvac
