NSW Waratahs Women’s captain and newly-appointed Wallaroos captain Piper Duck has joined Knight Frank’s Asset Management Services (AMS) team in a part-time flexible role.
In order to juggle her sporting commitments and work, Piper will work two days a week in the firm’s Sydney office in Lease Administration.
It was recently announced that Piper would be the youngest captain in Wallaroos history, at the age of 22 years and 88 days.
She is expected to captain the Wallaroos side from 29 June 2023. Piper, who has been playing for the Waratahs since 2020, is also the youngest ever captain of the team, having taken over leadership in 2023.
Piper’s appointment at Knight Frank follows Knight Frank’s extension in February of its Principal Partnership with the NSW Waratahs Women’s team for another two seasons, after an initial partnership of one year.
The partnership will continue to see Knight Frank as a Principal Partner of the four-time Super W Championship-winning Waratahs.
As an added layer to its partnership, Knight Frank is looking to provide employment pathways for Waratahs Women’s players which work around their training commitments, with Piper the first appointment in line with this goal.
“I am incredibly grateful to Knight Frank for this opportunity,” Duck said.
“Without an opportunity such as this, finding a job that allows me to have the working/sporting balance is incredibly difficult. Knight Frank is an industry leader in this space and I hope to see more companies follow their lead in the future.”
Knight Frank Chief Executive Officer James Patterson said Knight Frank was passionate about supporting sportspeople, as well as creating career opportunities for women in property.
“Our firm is working towards 40:40:20 gender representation across all levels of our organisation and continue to foster a healthy and balanced workplace,” he said.
“Our hope is that our partnership with the NSW Waratahs Women’s team will make it financially easier for team members to continue doing what they love and are good at, while also gaining some skills and a pathway to a career that they could potentially move into post their rugby career.”
Last year Knight Frank recruited two professional sportspeople, including AFLW player Grace Egan and rugby league player Mark Nicholls, giving them an opportunity for a career outside sport with the flexibility and support needed to juggle the two.
Grace Egan, an Australian Rules footballer who plays for Richmond in the AFL Women’s (AFLW) league, is a Sales and Leasing Executive in Knight Frank’s Industrial Logistics team in Melbourne.
Mark Nicholls, an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Dolphins in the NRL, is working with Knight Frank’s Project Management team as Project Coordinator in the firm’s Brisbane office.