Debra Robinson leads the way

She’s breaking new ground as she climbs the corporate ladder but the Coast’s leading business woman is just following her heart, as Janine Hill reports

Debra Robinson

She is a friendly, chatty mother-of-two and part-time student who, if she gets a rare spare minute, delights in painting her toenails. Oh, and she also happens to be the current Outstanding Business Woman of the Year on the Sunshine Coast.

Debra Robinson is not what you would imagine for one of the key figures in property development in south-east Queensland.

I expected the development manager for the Juniper Group’s Sunshine Coast division to be some sort of female equivalent of the chambray shirt soldiers that have been getting in and out of restaurants and shiny four-wheel-drives as the buildings have gone up and up on the Coast.

But the woman in navy slacks and a white top who trots down the stairs, with blonde hair loose and face au naturel, and suggests we grab a coffee because she hasn’t had lunch between meetings, takes me by surprise.

For a start, she’s friendly and fun, taking on the dry wit of Mooloolaba lawyer Barrie Munro as we pass in the foyer, and making time for a word or two with at least half a dozen other people on the way to – and while at – Ric’s Deli for this interview.

Secondly, she is exceedingly modest, describing her award from the Sunshine

Coast Business Women’s Network as “a shock”.

She was nominated for the award not by someone at Juniper, but by the director of State Development on the Sunshine Coast.

“... and that was my first lovely surprise, that someone of that calibre would consider nominating me. I couldn’t really see myself in that role.”

And she was genuinely surprised to win,considering she is an employee and not a business owner herself.

“The calibre of women that operate businesses on the Sunshine Coast is incredible. We have a very strong coalition of women in business here on the Coast, and I think that to win, when we’ve got so many amazing women, is just such a privilege.”

Debra had no idea she had been nominated until she received a letter in the mail.

“I didn’t really know what it meant and I didn’t really understand it, but it’s provided me with a great opportunity to reflect on my personal achievements and career achievements and, as business women, we don’t get a lot of opportunities to reflect on our achievements.”

“When you start to write things down, you realise you’ve achieved a lot. I always look at what I haven’t achieved. I’m always focused on outcomes and what I’ve got to do yet.”

Her results-oriented approach to business was no doubt one of the reasons why she was offered her current role at Juniper six months ago, and why she was hired by the company as its town planning manager four-and-a-half years ago.

It is unusual for someone from a town planning background to move into a development manager’s role. And it is also unusual for a woman to be in the job.

Debra is very much aware that the company, and particularly Graham and Shaun Juniper, have taken a chance on her.

“Clearly, I’m on a very steep learning curve with them and I’ve been very lucky that they’ve given me an opportunity… they’ve gone out on a limb for me. I’m really, really flattered that they’ve seen it in me and I’m extremely grateful.”

As development manager, Debra oversees Juniper projects on the Sunshine Coast from built product.

Debra is reluctant to name all of the projects that Juniper has in the pipeline on the Sunshine Coast but at least two of the development sites, one on Mooloolaba Esplanade and the Brisbane Road carpark, are well known.

Some of Juniper’s developments have attracted controversy over their density and use of public space, but that does not bother her.

“I don’t know if I had any preconceptions about what it would be like working here. I can only say how I’ve found it. They’ve been really supportive of me personally and professionally.

“They’re very forward in their attitude, sometimes in the face of adversity. Not everyone likes what we do, but I think their vision for Mooloolaba is a good one and they’ve achieved that successfully.”

Neither development nor even town planning were part of Debra’s original career plan. She wanted to be a lawyer, but just missed the cut and opted to study planning with the intention of switching to law later on, but she fell in love with planning thanks to one of her textbooks, The City In History, which she still has today.

“I loved the evolution of cities… It was a really profound book for me,” she said.

She credits her parents, both of whom were in business, for her results-driven outlook and willingness to work hard. “Both my parents have been inspirational to me and have brought me up to do anything if you put your mind to it.”

On top of a demanding role with the Juniper Group, Debra has a long list of additional positions.

She is chair of the Property Council of Australia’s Sunshine Coast division, and serves on the Masters Builders Sunshine Coast management committee, the Urban Development Institute of Australia’s Women in Development committee, the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Arts and Social Science Advisory Committee – Planning, and the Sunshine Coast Business Council, where she is involved in a project to cut red tape for small businesses, one of her pet hates since her local government days.

She’s also a guest lecturer at the university and she is completing a Masters degree by correspondence.

Oh, and she still manages to pick up daughters Tyrah, 15, and Kiahr, 10, from school most days.

Although it sounds like she has an impossibly large plate in front of her, she points out that she does not have all of those commitments every day, and besides, she has always “had a bit going on”.

She packs a week into a day and switches from one project to another thanks to meticulously kept diary notes, and barely a glance at a television set.

She has also found Juniper to be an understanding employer, which allows her to work her hours to be there for the kids and to attend various engagements.

“I don’t think I could have got to where I’ve got without that support network. I’ve got (my husband) Charlie (Zarafa), my parents, my sister who lives on the Coast, friends and family, it’s great. Without that support network, I’d find it very, very difficult.”

Despite her strong business focus, Debra maintains that family is priority one. From 7.30am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday is for work, but weekends are solely for the kids, and there is always one good family holiday a year where the mobile phone is left behind.

And here is another surprise about Debra: for all her business focus, she always remembers that there has to be a life after Juniper, and therefore, it matters to her how she does her job.

She would like, one day, to put her planning and development knowledge to use in third world countries (she was involved in establishing a HIV support facility in one local authority in which she worked).

When I ask when that might be, she says: “Retirement.”

Unfortunately, for those third world countries, Debra will be a bit too busy for that for a while.

Originally published as Debra Robinson leads the way