MICHELLE KENT Former AIC President

MICHELLE Kent has always blazed a trail.

The immediate past national president of the Australian Institute of Conveyancers came top of the class in contract law at university and landed a job at the biggest conveyancing firm in NSW at that time.

Then, when she was unable to gain full time daycare for her daughter, she opened her own business, Kent Conveyancing, from the front bedroom of her home.

“My employer needed me full time and there was no such thing as work from home or remote work back then,” she recalls.

“I thought, ‘It’s a no-brainer’. Let’s try it’.”

Since being licensed in 2002, Michelle has sought to be an industry voice.

Her passion and self-belief helped draw the attention of industry leaders like Alan West, then CEO of AIC NSW, who tapped her on the shoulder at a conference and suggested she join the board.

“I said, ‘Really’?” she recalls.

In retrospect, her confidence and people skills impressed him.

“He saw that I have the ability to stand up in front of a large room of people and voice my opinion and not be persuaded by others. I also love people and bringing people together – it’s just a natural skill. ”

Her meeting with NSW minister Victor Dominello was also one she won’t forget: “His words were, ‘I can see how passionate you are about your profession’.”

Michelle has been an AIC NSW Councillor since 2013 and served on the National Council throughout that time as well as National President from 2020 until November. 

She credits the mentorship from the board’s state and national executives for her success.

Michelle has also just joined the AIC as policy and advocacy officer, which she hopes will help lift the profile of conveyancers, while dispelling the belief a conveyancer is inferior to a lawyer. 

“Most stakeholders in our industry don’t know the extent of what we do and in this new role I’m taking on I’d like to see that become a little more transparent,” she says.

She is also studying a diploma of law at Sydney University to broaden her business scope and enhance her ability to better advocate for the industry.

“It was the piece of the puzzle that was missing,” she says.

“When you spend so much time in property law, you get to a point where you know the fundamentals and you become thirsty for more.”

While winning recognition, most recently as Lake Macquarie City Business Excellence Awards 2022 outstanding business leader of the year, it hasn’t always been easy.

One of the biggest challenges has been confronting misogynistic attitudes.

“Your voice needs to be fairly loud to be heard as a female, particularly as a female leader. You’re on the backfoot at times,” she says.

“The landscape is changing. Equality is what we want, but we’re not there yet.”

Staying focused on the big picture and pushing on has also been difficult, despite sometimes wanting to give up.

“It’s just consistently being in check with that,” she says.

“A lot of the governance work is voluntary and there are hours and hours of personal time. But I’m grateful for the opportunity and what I’ve learnt.”

Michelle believes her ‘why’, drive, self-belief, work ethic and her supportive caring team of staff, family and friends are reasons for her success, as well as her ability to push through fear.

“It’s not an easy mindset, but it’s got me to where I am,” she says.

Brenna Scifleet, who has worked with Michelle for a decade, says she is not only a great industry advocate, but a supportive employer who gave her a chance despite no experience or qualifications.

“She’s always encouraged me to pursue further education and never stop learning – not only for myself, for all staff she’s employed.”

With so much on her plate, Michelle counts daily meditation as a “non-negotiable”.

Moving forward, she would like to see more positive women leaders in conveyancing.

“Our industry is predominantly female – who better to represent us than someone that’s on the tools working in the industry and also been involved in various boards?” she says.

“For now that’ll be me, and in time I look forward to handing the baton over.”