ANZPJ: What sorts of threats and opportunities does AI pose for the valuation profession?

Sheena Wilson: I don’t think we should view AI through a ‘threat’ lens. I’m sure most companies in most sectors (including valuation) are currently contemplating whether AI in any of its guises could add value in an entirely safe way. This is why the role of the API, broader regulations and government need to work hand in hand.

It’s early days, there’s a lot to consider and there’s not necessarily any first-mover advantage for those jumping in too quickly, without enormous consideration of the associated risks in an environment where there’s no single specific overarching regulation (as yet in Australia).

But I think the piece that’s really important is that there are many laws and regulations that currently apply to AI in Australia. There are directors’ duties, privacy and consumer legislation, cyber regulations, anti-discrimination laws, and multiple other pieces of legislation that need to be well thought through in the context of AI.

The most important point for me and our organisation as we think this through, especially given the sheer value of property in all asset classes – and the implications of poor decision-making – is the concept of trust.

Valuation firms must clearly maintain the trust of lenders, borrowers, owners, insurers and investors. With that as a backdrop, it’s not just about the opportunity associated with AI but robust parallel considerations of the lessons learned, the legal and regulatory imperatives incredibly carefully.

Remember, that a machine beat a chess player for the first time in 1954, so AI isn’t entirely new. But the sudden emergence of ChatGPT (as an example) last year has galvanised thought at huge speed about the benefits or otherwise of AI.

In the valuation space, complete confidence in the accuracy of source data of going is to remain key. The potential harm of getting it wrong by a flawed algorithm may be a worst-case scenario.

If one valuation firm gets it wrong then everybody is impacted, because that trust can be eroded.

While I don’t think AI replaces human skill and intervention, it may free up time for higher-quality analysis, which would be a good thing.

What’s of particular importance with AI is going to be very specific local knowledge of valuers in ensuring the efficacy of a valuation, which may not be something a machine can learn.

ANZPJ: Why do you think the valuation sector has struggled to attract women?

SW: We’d all love to see more women coming through to leadership and board roles and there’s nothing about the education and skills required in the valuation field that is in any sense gender specific.

The value of property is clearly of material interest to women.

Residential property alone in Australia is valued at around $10 trillion and CoreLogic’s Women in Property report 2023 estimates that women either fully own or are part owners of in excess of 70%.

So that’s a lot of vested interest in net worth. Given that women have been graduating at parity with men in Australia for 40 years, it is curious as to why property valuation has struggled historically to attract women.

But three things strike me about recent conversations with some of Herron Todd White’s leading female valuers (covering various asset classes).

Firstly, they believe things have changed for the better in the last 15 years when they might have been the only female valuer at a 300-strong conference. Anecdotally, more than 40% of the firm’s valuers hired last year were women.

Curiously, our female valuers all said they only knew about property valuation as a career option at the beginning of their careers due to family involvement. This suggests it still remains a career option that is still only stumbled across by accident.

Thirdly, what strikes me about recent discussions with our female valuers is the passion and energy that prevails when they talk about their careers, and they value the growth they’ve had in a highly specialised field.

ANZPJ: Can you walk us through your journey to becoming the first female chair of Australia’s largest independent valuation and advisory firm and what differentiates you from your [male] predecessor in that role?

 SW: A big chunk of my career was (12 years) with The Bank of York Mellon (BNY Mellon), including several years as CEO of BNY Mellon (India), and five years as Global Head of Talent Strategy.

I’ve also been heavily involved with Women on Boards over the last nine years as a leadership consultant, mentor and was appointed chair earlier this year.

I came to the Herron Todd White board as an independent non-executive director in 2014  – after returning to Australia – with big company, international experience in senior executive roles, and have chaired the People, Performance, Nominations and Governance Committee since then.

Late 2015 I was appointed deputy chair of Herron Todd White and was very fortunate to have served on the (eight-member) board (including six owners) alongside my predecessor, Jeff Forbes for a number of years. Great boards know the mix of skills and expertise they need and I don’t believe I bring anything to the chairman’s role that’s uniquely female.

I simply aim to add value to all of our board’s responsibilities, and to Herron Todd White’s future in conjunction with all of our other directors and the wider group.

ANZPJ: Historically, the representation of women on boards in Australia has languished at less than 20%, how would you like to see this change?

SW: Women on Boards, which evolved after the Sydney Olympics was all about improving gender balance on boards and has long proposed that Australia’s boards should look more like 40% men, 40% women and 20% either men, women or non-binary.

Twenty-plus years on, there’s been definite improvement with some boards having reached 40%-plus women representation, but there’s still a long way to go.

But that said, it’s not just about women, many Australian organisations can be rightfully proud of the work and progress they have made with respect to inclusion and diversity.

ANZPJ: What lessons would you share with other women who aspire to the roles of director or chairperson?

SW: I’m a true believer in meritocracy and would say this to any woman interested in becoming a director or chair: Bring the skills and experience required by a board, understand what it is the organisation is trying to achieve and take your board role incredibly seriously.

Don’t take anything for granted, put the work in and over time build the trust of those who nominate and elect their chair role. Ultimately, the time will come when somebody does ask you if you’re interested in stepping up and will nominate you.

While many women have felt, ‘gee what more do I have to do before somebody recognises my work’ – I think this has evolved and will continue to do so.

As an executive, don’t underestimate what you can learn from reporting to and spending time with boards and understanding what it is they’re looking for. Similarly, take note of the sorts of questions boards ask in response to a presentation or discussion around a particular topic.

I find that women board members in particular are really willing to generously share their time with board aspirants when asked.

ANZPJ: To what extent do you think the push to include women on boards marginalises their ability to gravitate to these roles on merit?

 SW: I don’t think that a focus on ensuring equal opportunity for women to be nominated, interviewed, short-listed and elected to a board marginalises anything at all. It is the role of nominations committees on boards to determine the skills and experience they need on their boards and to make selection decisions fairly in that context.

There’s nothing logically in that which precludes women from being in the mix.

What’s important is that nominations committees actively search for a broad pool of talent. Most women I know today have a strong sense that they have been elected to the board they’re on based on merit.

I should add, there’s no shortage of research to demonstrate that a well-thought-through balance of skills, knowledge, experience and different facets of diversity (around a board table) results in better decision-making, and more alignment with clients and other stakeholders.

Search firms also do a much better job today in ensuring candidates for board and c-suite roles include women and people with other aspects of diversity to better reflect the stakeholders they serve.