Todd Madgwick was following his gut instinct when he abandoned a carpentry apprenticeship at age 20 to take up a job with a real estate agency.

Yet that instinct served him well, laying the foundations for a successful and respected career in the industry, focused on the property management sector.

“Putting on a suit and tie was the opposite of what I was used to, but once I started in the property management department I loved it,” says Todd, who has been appointed Head of Property Management at Kollosche.

“It was very hands on and the principal was great, so I learnt a lot in a short time.”

Things changed up a gear when Todd accepted an opportunity to work in Sydney’s elite suburb of Double Bay.

“The level of expectations and customer service was a step up from what I was used to,” he says. “People were more demanding, the pace was much faster, you had to be more time efficient, more organised and thorough.

“It was a big adjustment, but I was lucky enough to be aligned with a great business and a great mentor, who gave me the structure, aspiration and belief that I could succeed. He opened my eyes to what it took to be successful and grow wealth. His advice led me to buy my first property at age 25.”

A natural-born leader, Todd has worked for several well-respected real estate businesses throughout his career, acting in high-standing roles such as Head of Property Management Performance and Growth, National Head of Franchise Property Management, and Property Management and Performance Manager.

Todd says his biggest achievement came while working as General Manager for McGrath’s Queensland company-owned portfolio. During this time, Todd grew the business from 400 properties under management to an impressive 1,850 properties.

At Kollosche, Todd, who lives locally with his wife and two children aged 13 and 11, is keen to grow the property management department, while providing mentorship to those who work alongside him.

“My fundamentals are all about growth,” Todd says. “To see others grow to the point where they are at your level is really rewarding.

“Every time I move up, I want someone to take my place; I always aim to make myself redundant.”

Todd says the secret to achieving this success within property management is having effective communication skills and a dedication to acting swiftly.

“The problem with property management, in general, is procrastination. Speed is everything – communication and speed. If you do that well, everything else will take care of itself,” he says.

“Often, people get stuck in terms of the way they think they should do something. ‘I can do that later’ or ‘I’ll go do something else now’. The urgency is not there. If something hits your desk, you should address it and move on. It is about structure and routine.

“I’m 100 per cent confident we have the right foundations here, and with the backing of the Kollosche brand, we will definitely do great things.”