About Us

• About Us
• Our Approach
• Our Team
• Our Service

About Us

We’ve been helping property people for three decades

Founded in 1981, the business now known as Buckmaster Hawkey (Victoria) began as an offshoot of the Newton Business Consultancy, which specialised in advising real estate agencies and property firms. We were the first recruitment consultancy in Australia to specialise in the employment needs of the real estate and property industries.

30 years later, we’re widely recognised as the leader in recruitment and consulting advice for the property and real estate sector. Right from the start, our success has been based on the same core set of beliefs we started our journey with.

We believe that our methodical, consultative approach delivers the outcomes employers need in a tight job market. We believe that candidates appreciate our honest consultative approach to finding them the best job we can.

It’s our genuine approach which has made us No.1 - and will help us remain the industry’s leader.  

Our Approach

The Buckmaster Hawkey approach can be summed up in one word - genuine. We believe that our business will prosper if we keep our commitment to our clients and to our candidates - and always act on their behalf.

It’s this commitment to genuinely help everyone who comes through our door which has underpinned our success for all these years. We value our relationships, work hard to help our clients drive their business and do everything we can to help our candidates further their careers.

It may seem like a simple approach but to get it right each and every time takes dedication and a lot of hard work. But we’ll continue to approach our business this way because it works for our clients, for our candidates and for us.

We believe in the power of teamwork and that each team member plays a part in delivering a successful outcome to our clients and candidates.

Our consultants and the majority of our support staff not only have recruitment experience but a background in property as well.  We understand the property and real estate industry and speak your language. 

Our Team

At Buckmaster Hawkey, we only appoint staff members who are experienced, dedicated to their role and who share the same approach to business that we hold. They must be genuine, skilled in their position, committed to outstanding client service and prepared to practise what we preach.

Jeanette Hockney APRCSA
Director

Jeanette Hockney is a Director of Buckmaster Hawkey and has over a decade’s experience helping the property and real estate industry with their human resource needs.

Joining the Buckmaster Hawkey team in 2002 as a consultant, Jeanette had previous recruiting experience of six years, as well as a broad background in real estate.  She was rapidly promoted to Senior Consultant, taking responsibility for many of the firm’s longstanding clients. Establishing herself as one of Buckmaster Hawkey’s most successful consultants, Jeanette developed strong relationships throughout the property industry as well as a detailed understanding of what it takes to find and retain the best staff.

In 2007, Jeanette became a Director of Buckmaster Hawkey.

Jeanette embodies the Buckmaster Hawkey tradition of working hands-on with clients, candidates and Buckmaster Hawkey’s team of consultants. Her speciality is helping clients create successful teams with precision placements and talent management and retention plans, crucial to business success in a tight candidate market. She also has extensive experience advising clients how to market their roles to attract the right talent.

As a leader of the business, Jeanette draws on her wealth of knowledge and experience in real estate, recruitment and consulting to the property sector.

Mark Appleby APRCSA
Director

Mark had worked as a property manager for five years in New Zealand when his move to Australia first led him to meet with Buckmaster Hawkey. He was so impressed with the organisation, he applied to join the team and was appointed as a recruitment consultant in 2001.

Over the following decade, Mark was given increased responsibility and rose to become one of Buckmaster Hawkey’s most successful consultants. Right from the start, he embraced Buckmaster Hawkey’s hands-on tradition and was a true believer in value-added service.

Mark became a Director of Buckmaster Hawkey in 2007.

Mark’s expertise is centred on designing quality recruitment processes and securing the best-fit candidate for each client’s business. His thorough approach, understanding of cultural fit and thorough research of each candidate and their career aspirations has made him one of the industry’s leaders.

While Mark enjoys handling all types of appointments, his speciality is selecting senior level executives in property management, leasing, real estate sales and administration. With his background in property and recruitment, Mark’s has extensive experience advising clients on workplace needs assessment, remuneration and business structures in both the residential and commercial property sectors.

Dee Lavin
Manager - Temporary Staff Services

Dee Lavin is Buckmaster Hawkey's Manager - Temporary Staff Services and has over a decade of experience in the recruitment industry.

Before working in recruitment, Dee worked in small business, managing her family's hotel businesses. She started her career in recruitment in 1999 and assisted in the set up of the Melbourne office of a national recruitment company before joining Buckmaster Hawkey in 2004.

Today, Dee is one of the most skilled and experienced members of the Buckmaster Hawkey team. 

Dee has progressed from Personal Assistant of the Managing Director, to Permanent Recruitment Consultant, Project Consultant and Office Manager before being appointed to her current role in February 2013.

Rowena Arnold Dip Bus, Dip Mgt 
Senior Consultant

Rowena Arnold is one of Melbourne's most experienced property operators with over 20 years involvement in the real estate industry. Her career includes roles in residential sales, advertising, administration and as the Executive Assistant to the chairman of one of Australasia's largest real estate groups. 

Rowena's experience in human resources includes 4 years as the Office Manager of a specialist real estate IT / software company. She joined Buckmaster Hawkey in 2010 as a permanent recruitment consultant. 

A true relationship builder, Rowena's wealth of experience has proven to be a true resource to her clients, along with her ability to find the best candidate for the job - everytime.

Paula James Dip HRM
Senior Consultant

 

Paula James brings 15 years of experience in human resources and the property and construction sectors to the Buckmaster Hawkey team.

 

Paula's recruitment career started in Hong Kong where she worked as a consultant at two high-profile firms for four years. Upon her return to Australia, Paula held a number of project and management roles with Australia's largest construction group, including managing site offices, assisting with road construction tenders, recruiting staff, undertaking corporate planning, preparing tenders and administering contracts.

 

Qualifying as an Agents Representative in 2008, Paula worked as a property manager with a leading Geelong real estate agency before returning to recruitment in 2010.

 

Paula is passionate about recruitment and real estate, and her impressive skill and experience set is backed by a Diploma in HR Management.

 

Lachlan Cain
Consultant

 

Lachlan joined Buckmaster Hawkey as a permanent recruitment consultant after 12 years in the Real Estate industry. In the past as a candidate, he experienced our assessment process first-hand when we placed him in a role and was so impressed that when he decided to make the move to recruitment, we were his first choice.

 

Lachlan says, "Finding right-fit candidates and delivering what we promise is part of the Buckmaster Hawkey ethos. We work hard to solve our clients' staffing challenges. We keep in touch with applicants and provide a candidate-focused career development service. Strong relationships with top candidates are pivotal in many successful placements and in turn, generate most of our referrals."

 

Lachlan has rapidly become a valued member of our team. His honest, likeable personality and relationship building skills have gained him a large network of contacts throughout Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula, and the majority of Melbourne's suburbs. He takes pride in his ability to assess candidates and find the best possible match for each candidate and client.

Stefania Pryor Dip Bus
PA to Mark Appleby / Candidate Resourcer

Stefania began her career in the tourism industry, but when she moved to Melbourne, she decided to seek a career in recruitment. 

 

Stefania landed a role on Buckmaster Hawkey’s front desk, where she began working with Buckmaster Hawkey’s specialist recruitment systems and procedures. She was then promoted to her current position as Personal Assistant to one of the Directors, as well as assisting with candidate resourcing. Stefania also helps manage enquiries from candidates, taking them through Buckmaster Hawkey’s rigorous interviewing and testing process and working with consultants to match candidates to ‘person specifications’.

 

Stefania’s progress has been due to her client service focus, her natural ability to solve problems and skill at supporting consultants and their clients in achieving successful long term placements.  

Sibell Kursat
Accounts / Office Manager

 

Sibell Kursat is Buckmaster Hawkey's Accounts Manager. She has a decade of experience in finance administration and office management.

 

Before joining the Buckmaster Hawkey team, Sibell worked as both an accounts manager and as a manager in the debt recovery industry. A multi-faceted all-rounder, Sibell's extensive skill set includes liquidation, litigation, trust accounting, staff training, IT and the implementation of corporate procedures.

 

Sibell balances her extensive business skills with a strong artistic flair, practising also as a professional photographer at weddings and shooting family and corporate portaits (including Buckmaster Hawkey's imagery). 

 

Sibell plays a vital role in our business. Her confident, friendly manner and financial administration expertise help us to deliver a comprehensive, professional service to our clients and business partners.

Samantha Carley
Receptionist / Administrator
 

The face of the Buckmaster Hawkey business, Sam performs a multi-faceted role as front desk receptionist, marketing coordinator and administrator. 

 

Sam's involvement in Real Estate began in her native Canada, working as a Sales Agent's Assistant and project managing several extensive residential renovations. Previous to this, Sam managed the horse training and sales business that she began whilst in high school.

 

Moving to Melbourne in 2010, Sam came to Buckmaster Hawkey to register as a candidate and when she discovered there was a reception role available with us, took the initiative to apply for the position. Since then her role has grown as we discovered the many other skills she possessed. 

 

Sam's polished administration skills, communications expertise and role as our in-house voice of Gen Y makes her a truly vital part of the Buckmaster Hawkey team. 

Our Service

Our service goal is to add real value to our clients' business by providing the best advice on all staff related issues and to continuously grow our expertise in recruiting for the property industry.

When you appoint Buckmaster Hawkey to represent you either as an employer or as a candidate, you can expect the following from our service.

The Buckmaster Hawkey personal touch
Whether you’re an employer, a candidate looking for a position or just someone who wants to speak to us about the property industry, we recognise that first and foremost you’re a person - not an enquiry, not a file number, not a contact.

We always endeavour to respond to your enquiries in a timely, professional manner. But we also ensure that we research your enquiry thoroughly before responding, so that our time with you will be both relevant and effective.

Most of all, we endeavour to understand your needs as a business, as a candidate, as a person. It’s the Buckmaster Hawkey personal touch that sets us apart.

Finding the right candidate
Finding the right candidate for a property firms or a real estate agency is an important undertaking. It deserves the full attention of a dedicated and experienced consultant.

Each assignment we take on is managed by a skilled consultant who meets with you and then briefs our team. To find the right candidates, we draw on a variety of sources, including our candidate database, our extensive network of industry contacts and the respondents to job advertisements.

Our consultants spend a great deal of time meeting with clients to ensure we understand their business and the person required. We also ensure that when we meet with candidates we get to understand each and every one of them. We don’t simply run a search of our database and forward candidates who have worked in that job before.  Instead, our shortlists represent the best possible candidates available for the role. Our experience shows us that our consultative, personalised approach works in the best interests of clients and the candidates.

Honesty
The foundation of our ethical approach is to be honest in everything we do. We treat every person we meet in the same manner we expect to be treated - in a professional yet friendly manner. We don’t promise what we can’t deliver. Honesty is the foundation for all good relationships and at Buckmaster Hawkey, it’s the bottom line in all our dealings.