SCA (NSW) Director profile: David Wellman

David Wellman is one of two new Directors to step onto the SCA (NSW) Board after being elected to represent the Strata Manager (Licensed) Chapter at the recent Annual General Meeting. With almost 20 years’ working in the strata industry, he is well placed to take on the role of Director and represent his fellow strata managers.

In getting to know David we found that property is his career passion and that he loves the technical aspects of the strata industry.

David says that part of this job allows him to help his strata clients make better decisions in respect of their homes or places of work and it gives him great satisfaction when those decisions yield a positive outcome.

David also enjoy the interaction that his role affords him with people from other backgrounds and professions. Being able to contribute to the success of others is extremely rewarding. David says that he considers himself lucky to be able to work with people that have a similar enthusiasm for the sector and who are aligned in our respective goals.

When asked what the highlight of his career has been so far, David was quick to say that there had been a number over the years but without doubt the biggest highlight was taking that leap of faith and establishing Wellman Strata.

He says that while the challenges in becoming a business owner were vast, the achievement of overcoming them, being able to succeed in a competitive market place and now, being fortunate enough to lead a team of committed and enthusiastic professionals is something he will be eternally proud of.

David says the challenges facing the strata industry today come from the emergence of new technologies. He says that part of the government’s mandate when undertaking the legal reform was to “modernise” the legal framework that affected NSW strata schemes. This included allowing for, among other things, alternative means for meeting attendance, communication and access to records/information.

In response, David believes there will be a rapid advancement of new technologies to assist with this aspect and, the management of the sector generally. The introduction of new technologies will aid in improving connectivity and enhance owner engagement within their respective strata community.

He points out that we are already seeing it now with several new software applications entering the market with a view to try and capture that audience and in time, the management of schemes will adapt to a fully integrated application with more and more “smart buildings” being conceived.

The effect of these changes especially on the length of strata management contracts, David predicts, will be to create a more robust level of competition within the market however with a greater emphasis on overall service delivery as opposed to just pricing, which has historically been the trend. Overall he consider this to be a good initiative and is aimed at improving customer satisfaction by ensuring agents remain attentive and aware of the client’s needs.

If you’re new to strata, starting out on your career, David has some great advice. He says the strata industry is an exciting and challenging space that is evolving at a fast pace. With heavy construction pipelines, population growth, government rezoning and the complexity of new developments, a professional strata management service is such an essential part of property ownership and requires a new and sophisticated approach to management. Accordingly, any person that holds an interest in property, is dedicated and has an aptitude for working with people from varying demographics will have every chance of securing a fulfilling and rewarding career.

And where would David like to be in 10 years’ time? Well he hopes to still be at the helm of Wellman Strata, working with likeminded professionals and contributing positively to the sector generally.