About us

Members of the Women in Strata Steering Committee

Amanda Farmer - Lawyers Chambers on Riley

Amanda is the founder and director of Lawyers Chambers. A graduate of the University of Sydney’s law school with first class honours and an undergraduate major in English, Amanda has natural talent with language and a flair for creative problem solving.

With over 16 years’ experience in the strata legal sector, Amanda is both a Fellow and Council Member of the Australian College of Strata Lawyers.

Amanda is the host of the Your Strata Property podcast, the world’s first podcast dedicated to exploring and explaining the legal complexities of strata titled properties. The podcast is downloaded thousands of times each month and has expanded to include an online membership community for property managers and strata owners seeking reliable information and resources for peaceful and profitable community living.

Amanda is also the founder of Women in Strata, a networking group for women working in strata management.

An increasingly in demand speaker and educator, Amanda has been educating strata managers, strata owners and residents for many years, through round table workshops, seminars, large scale presentations and guest speaking opportunities.

Amanda has presented webinars, including for the Real Estate Institute (NSW), presented at REI’s annual Women in Real Estate conference (2017), presented for Strata Community Australia (NSW) and The Owners Corporation Network, as well as the Australian College of Strata Lawyers. Amanda has been interviewed as a guest expert on the television program Sky News Real Estate, demystifying the complexities of apartment living.

Amanda’s opinions on community living, as well as the legal cases she has led to success, are regularly quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald, the Real Estate Conversation and on Domain.com.

Sarah Smith - Strata Central

Sarah has a strong administrative background in strata, having been involved in many facets including working in the compliance and records team; property assistant team; new business team; and the management team. She was previously the Deputy Branch Manager at the highly awarded Dynamic Property Services which included her being responsible for the training and supervision of the property assistant team and assisting the then Licensee In Charge, Reena Van Aalst.

Now working at Strata Central, Sarah is a Senior Licensed Strata Manager with experience managing all aspects of the management of diverse entities such as residential and commercial strata schemes; community & neighbourhood associations; and building management committees. She takes pride in providing her clients with the highest level of service at all times.

Natalie Fitzgerald - Genesis Strata Management

Natalie is an award-winning strata manager with over 20 years’ experience in the sector. She is an advocate for mental wellbeing and radical compassion, bringing a leadership style that centres on honesty, communication and empathy. This commitment to kindness and respect extends to her team, her customers and her strata sector colleagues.

Natalie is a sought-after guest speaker and facilitator and has presented for City of Sydney, University of New South Wales, Griffith University, Deakin University as well as the Owners Corporation Network and Strata Communities Australasia. She has been a podcast guest on Your Strata Property and Courageous Conversations.

As a champion for equality Natalie is a proud member of the Women in Strata steering committee, where she spearheaded the mentoring program, contributes regular blogs and organises events to both empower and educate.

In her non-strata time Natalie volunteers for Share the Dignity, is writing a horror podcast (title pending) all while being Mum to an unsurprisingly feisty daughter.

Reena Van Aalst - Strata Central

Reena Van Aalst has 27 years of management experience, 19 of that in strata.

Reena holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy (Sydney University) and recently graduated with a Masters in Professional Accounting (UTS). She also
holds a Diploma in Business Management (Real Estate Management)

In 2015 Reena Van Aalst was appointed Vice-President of the Strata Manager (Licensed) Chapter of the Strata Community Association (NSW) until 2017. She gave a presentation on Annual General meetings and the new legislation at the SCA (NSW) annual conference in October 2016.

In 2011 and 2012 Reena was named SCA (NSW) Strata Manager of the Year. Reena served on the Board from 2004 to 2006 and was Senior Vice President of the then Institute of Strata Title Management.

Until September 2016 Reena was the General Manager and Licensee-in-Charge of the multi-award-winning strata company Dynamic Property Services (DPS) where she worked for over 13 years. In November 2013, DPS was acquired by Prudential Investment Company of Australia (PICA) and Reena was appointed Associate Director until she resigned to commence her new practice Strata Central.

Reena was appointed as a member of the Real Estate Institute Strata Management Chapter Committee in November 201.

In January 2015 she was invited to sit on the steering committee of Women in Strata a position she continues to hold. Reena was the first guest speaker on the podcasts produced by Your Strata Property and is a regular presenter at strata related forums such as the Owners Corporation Network (OCN).

Reena is passionate about strata becoming a profession and is a strong advocate of women being an integral part that change.

Sarah Walmsley - Ascend Corp Strata

Sarah Walmsley is herself one of the most experienced Strata Managers in the industry. Having achieved the highest accreditation possible through SCA (Strata Community Australia), Sarah is officially accredited as a Practicing Strata Community Manager (PSCM).

Having spent time at several of the major Strata Management firms, she expanded her skillset within the unique culture of the Meriton Group, harnessing the rare experience of running a Strata Management firm whilst having firsthand exposure to the needs and requirements of Australia’s largest residential Developer. Sarah’s experience does not end there, she is also highly qualified having her License in Strata Management, Real Estate as well as having Degrees in both Events Management and Business, Sarah is the backbone of the AscendCorp Delivery Promise.

Christine Ashfield - Netstrata

Christine has been with the Netstrata team for 20 years, which displays her high level of commitment to the role, the strata sector and most importantly, her clients. She now sits on the SCA Events Committee also.

Christine manages a diverse portfolio of large complex Residential & Mixed Use Strata Schemes, Building Management Committees and Community Associations delivering a complete professional service to each of her clients using her proficient industry knowledge and strong long-term relationships that are built on trust. Aside from her busy full-time role as a Manager, she also sits on two industry committees; Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) and Women in Strata (WIS), where she also acts as an external mentor to other women in the industry. Christine was nominated at the Strata Community Association NSW 2019 Awards of Excellence and was a proud finalist in the Seniour Strata Community Manager category.

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