Celebrating International Women’s Day: a conversation with Bluebird and Urbaine
Urbaine sat down with Claire O’Rourke & Riye Arai-Coupe from Bluebird to discuss what IWD means to them, how COVID-19 shaped them, and what it means to be female leaders in Property Development.
Urbaine: Tell us, how have the past 12 months affected Bluebird?
Claire: Over the past 12 months, as business owners, Riye and I have been through some of the greatest learnings we could have imagined as the globe around us fell into crisis. While we have been incredibly fortunate to have come out stronger than ever, we know this has not been the case for millions of others.
Riye: It has led us to reflect, many times over, how lucky we are to call Brisbane our home, and how incredibly grateful we are to have so many we can lean on for support in times of need. When the reality of the pandemic hit, we as a business rallied to survive, calling in support from our network and sharing it in return wherever we could.
Urbaine: So how did you work through COVID? How did you harness the power of women’s leadership through this time?
Riye: In that week of the shutdown announcements back in March last year, at the peak of our concern, it was our support for each other that Claire and I ultimately drew on most for our survival. The greatest thing about working with Claire is that she is my perfect business partner – when I feel troubled, she will coax me through it. When she is stressed, I will lighten her concerns. We speak 10 times a day, and that’s only outside of standard working hours. I share all of my wins and worries with her, as does she with me.
Claire: Through the pandemic, we came together to not only survive, but thrive, both personally and professionally in our partnership. We have done this by harnessing compassion, empathy, openness, ongoing communication and determination. And I’m not so sure if many men can say the same thing about their male business partners!
Urbaine: We believe Bluebird is one of the only all-female Property Developers in Brisbane – how does this fly within the industry?
Claire: Since the creation of Bluebird, Riye and I have seen how our all-female partnership is influencing our local industry. People are constantly commenting on how our company stands out – in our tone, communications, and the approach to our work. Last week in a meeting with a highly regarded official, they noted that it was the first time they had met with a development company owned and managed by two women. They loved the work that we were doing and our approach to the project execution.
Riye: Our influence has led us to feel a greater obligation to use this to inspire more women to believe they can do more. On top of our day job, we are formal mentors, sponsors and employees of numerous women, as well as being mothers, partners, daughters, sisters and friends to many others. Our experience these past 12 months has given us a new perspective on our impact and we hope to give more as we continue to grow.
Urbaine: What does IWD mean to Bluebird?
Riye: This year’s IWD theme is ‘Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.’ There remains so much to do in the world of equality, but today is also an opportunity to celebrate all that is happening around the world, as we speak, in the shaping of a more equal future.
Claire: As an all-female team, IWD provides us with a platform to reinforce each year the promise that we will continue to inspire and lead change for equality in our industry, and we are committed to making a difference, no matter how small on the global stage.
Bluebird Property is a residential development management and advisory company, based in Brisbane. We provide a dedicated and personalised service to developers and landowners who may not have the time, expertise or resources to oversee their projects.
We have extensive experience, networks and the resources to manage all or any part of the development process.
We are your ‘one stop shop’. Click here to view more on our services.