Highly experienced marketing and leasing professional Kate Smith has joined Colliers as a Retail Leasing Executive in Christchurch.
Having previously specialised in brand and marketing roles throughout her career, Smith moved into the property sector last year and worked with another agency before coming to Colliers.
Her depth of retail understanding and connections in the property industry across the Canterbury region means she is well placed to succeed.
Smith’s role fits into the Retail Leasing team that has a focus on leasing space within the assets that are managed and being developed or redeveloped by the Colliers Real Estate Management Services team.
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“Having the opportunity to join Colliers and help with the leasing strategies for these retail properties is exciting. You are looking at a centre as a whole and thinking about how you can enhance the retail experience of that asset for customers and visitors, while delivering the best possible outcomes for our clients,” Smith says.
“I have been highly impressed with the level of collaboration across the Colliers business and being able to draw on the expertise of my colleagues who are leaders in the market will be hugely beneficial.”
Originally from Christchurch, Smith spent 20 years away through a combination of studying in Dunedin before working and living in Australia, London, and Auckland. Her professional career has spanned a broad range of organisations from media houses in London to DB Breweries and Asahi in Auckland.
She returned home with her family in 2022 and was drawn back to Christchurch as it has the feel of a world-class city given the new developments following the earthquakes.
Looking at the Christchurch retail landscape, Smith says the city is rapidly changing as the rebuild of the CBD takes shape and the addition of major infrastructure projects such as the new sports stadium will add to a growing buzz.
“There has been a lot of care taken with the development of central Christchurch and some of the buildings that have been restored have retained those heritage elements that made them unique.”
Richard James, National Director of Real Estate Management Services at Colliers, says Smith’s strong local ties will be greatly beneficial to her in this role.
“Kate’s ability to connect with people in the Canterbury region has allowed her to foster impactful business relationships in the market,” James says.
“Kate brings a broad, future-focused perspective to the retail leasing sector by thoughtfully aligning shopping centres with retailers in innovative and effective ways. We look forward to watching her career develop with us at Colliers.”
- Supplied by Colliers
