The boys' club of Sydney's property industry is set to have two new female leaders join its ranks with a fresh round of the industry's best students ready to hit the workforce. Brooke Banfield of Kensington and Elyssa Kingston-Brown of Matraville both excelled in their Property Economics courses this year at the University of Technology, Sydney’s Prize Giving Ceremony. For Brooke, the Australian Property Institute Year Prize represented her placing first in her year of Property Economics for the third year in a row. “ It’s quite prestigious to be given this award for the three years I’ve been studying at UTS,” says Brooke. “It was also pretty handy getting the cash prize that goes with the award - this year I’ve paid off a few credit cards and bought myself some new work clothes,” she adds. Elyssa who won The Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NSW Chapter) Environmental Contribution Award was also a member of the winning team for the National Moot Court Challenge.

Elyssa Kingston-Brown (Left), with AIQS NSW Chapter President, Michael Manikas

“It was fantastic earning recognition not only as part of a team for the Moot Court Challenge but also through my own study at UTS,” says Elyssa who plans to go on and work as a Development Manager on completion of her study. For their next challenge, succeeding in the industry itself, both girls feel fairly confident. “It’s not surprising seeing girls achieving the best results at uni where the courses are fairly evenly spread between the sexes,” says Brooke. “But in the workforce, I have noticed things are still fairly different – but this should change I expect as we all graduate and begin to work full-time,” she says.