Our People: Amy Petty – Systems Manager

How did it feel to be the recipient of the 2020 Director’s Choice award?

As much as I usually avoid the spotlight, it’s lovely to be appreciated and acknowledged, especially by those I respect as much as our Directors and Mosaic leaders.

I’m so proud to be a part of Mosaic and contribute to its success. It’s truly humbling to work with such a fantastic group of people.

What did you do before coming to Mosaic?

Before joining Mosaic I was employed as the EA to the owner of an aviation and tourism group in a remote town in Western Australia, Kununurra. I supported the Managing Director across his multiple aviation businesses, tourism companies and executive community roles, as well as providing IT support to over 100 staff.

Living and working in a small tourism town like Kununurra was an amazing experience. I spent all my free time camping, hiking, four-wheel-driving and exploring waterfalls.

Before Kununurra, I was employed in a series of administrative roles providing advice and support for SA University researchers; and administering government grant and subsidy payments for the NT Department of Education. Through it all, I developed a strong affinity for technology and information solutions.

What attracted you to join Mosaic?

The move from remote Western Australia to Brisbane, and the industry transition from aviation to property, meant that I came to Mosaic with no prior knowledge of the SEQ property market or Mosaic. Instead, I was captivated by the passion of the staff I spoke to during the recruitment process, particularly Mosaic’s Managing Director, Brook Monahan.

Brook’s incredible energy and commitment to his product were inspiring – in the end, I couldn’t imagine working anywhere more rewarding.

Describe what your role is, which department do you work for, what does your department do?

As System Manager, I administer and develop IT systems to support data management and business efficiencies, as well as facilitating business intelligence by identifying opportunities and designing solutions to improve reporting.

As part of a small IT team, I also provide overflow support for general IT problems.

How long have you worked here, and did you start out in the same role you are in now?

I started with Mosaic in January 2018 as Client Relationship Manager for our Brisbane sales team, and then transitioned to our Marketing team when my web development and digital content creation skills were identified.

My transition to the IT team happened in mid-2020 after I implemented our new CRM and Marketing platform, allowing me to better support evolving systems requirements across the business.

In your role at Mosaic, what are you most passionate about?

I love innovation, the challenge of building an automated solution for what would otherwise be a boring and repetitive manual task.

Due to Mosaic’s unique business model (combining all stages of residential development from site acquisition to Property Management/Caretaking), our teams use a wide array of systems that are specific to their requirements. The natural result being highly incongruent data across the business and time lost matching data in Excel. I’m passionate about breaking down these information silos within the business (not just for the obvious benefits – but for the technical challenge).

What do you love most about coming to work every day?

There are so many reasons to love coming to work at Mosaic. The people, the pride in the product delivered, the amazing office… but for me, it’s the diversity of the opportunities.

No problem ever has the same solution and no day is ever the same.

Why do you think people love living in Mosaic properties?

It comes back to the quality of product and service. Mosaic builds in well-researched locations where people want to live, goes to great lengths to perfect the design, delivers excellent quality of finish, and provides exceptional service to its customers.

Describe Mosaic in one word.

Inspiring.

What would you attribute as a driving factor to your career success at Mosaic, and what advice could you offer to anyone starting out in your field?

Technical professionals sometimes lack practical business knowledge to effectively identify and design business solutions. With a more diverse background in business operations, you can better apply technical skills to a solution.

It’s important to be objective and not to make assumptions. By listening and making a real effort to understand your users, you can see past system limitations and find other ways to achieve business outcomes.

How do you balance the demands of business and personal commitments?

Not particularly well in my case. I’m always finding myself drawn into the ‘rabbit hole’ of my latest project, and consequently working longer hours than I normally would.

…But they say “if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life”.

How do you like to relax/spend your downtime?

I love the adventure of exploring and getting outdoors (though my enjoyment is usually proportionate to the number of people I encounter). I’m an enthusiastic and very dedicated introvert.

When I’m at home I love reading and (somewhat stereotypically for an IT nerd) playing video games. I enjoy musicals and am a regular at QPAC. I love to sing and even starred in a musical myself with a small theatre company back in 2019.

Do you have any mentors or people you look up to or have helped you along the way?

I’ve worked with some really amazing people over the years, but the person who comes to mind first is actually my Dad.

It sounds cliché, but I’ve always really looked up to my Dad as a personal and professional role model. An agricultural scientist who spent most of his life in the outback; he’s both innovative and practical, never afraid to get his hands dirty, and I’ve yet to meet anyone with a stronger work ethic.

Notwithstanding, I’d be lying if I said that Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Spock hadn’t played their part as well!