Since joining real estate company JLL as chief information officer, Australasia in January 2020, Kathleen Stubbs has led several key innovative projects targeting sustainability and addressing internal technology “happiness and productivity.”

The JLL tech team, led by Stubbs, has been delivering insights to clients that enable them to make strategic decisions relating directly to their carbon footprint.

One of these key projects during 2020 was a 12,395 square metre transport hub that uses advanced geographical information system (GIS) technology that layers and assesses data from various transport routes and produces sustainable transport options for tenants.

“This is valuable as it provides practical guidance on what routes should be used to directly reduce their carbon footprint. This analysis has enabled the site to achieve 5 Star ‘Australian Excellence’ under the Green Star – Design & As Built,” Stubbs says.

Another technology-driven GIS innovation was the launch of the Virtual Leasing App, which provides a 3D city view of office space for lease across Australian markets. The app provides a holistic virtual inspection experience, taking them from a city-wide panoramic view, right into the specific office floor and surrounding transport networks into the office.

“This experience is unique as it provides the whole picture for the client, delivering real change as it gave the ability to shortlist sites for future physical inspections, providing reliability amid the unpredictable COVID lockdowns,” Stubbs explains.

During 2021, she led the delivery of JLL Jet, a smart employee experience app that reduces ‘return-to-office’ complexities and accelerates the transition to hybrid working.

The app uses ‘personalised intelligence’ to create more intuitive workplace experiences by making it easier for staff to complete everyday tasks such as reserving desks, accessing corporate information and submitting requests for services such as IT and facilities.

“It’s a unique combination of social content with tactical tasks such as desk booking that has been valued by the business,” Stubbs says.

She has also had a strong focus on internal transformation to address productivity and ‘technology happiness’, which has resulted in a significant uptake of cloud-based collaboration tools. MS Teams was deployed to more than 5000 JLL staff across Australia and New Zealand, and document storage was consolidated using SharePoint.

Adopting these products, in conjunction with rolling out a cloud-based phone calling solution, has enabled JLL staff to be at their best during COVID-related lockdowns.

This has been particularly important for onsite property managers in critical services such as shopping centres, medical and logistics facilities.

Women in IT

Earlier this year, Stubbs mentored several female staff within JLL to develop career frameworks that will help them achieve their long-term career objectives.

She is a founding committee member of JLL’s Women Transforming Technology. Established in 2020, it focuses on getting JLL’s women into tech leadership positions. 

“The most significant challenge I have faced throughout my career has been learning how to build allies and sponsors. I presented on this topic at one of the JLL Women Transforming technology events,” Stubbs says.

“Early in my career, I struggled with understanding the value of sponsors and did not build up a solid network of allies, which resulted in me being passed over for a promotion. I share this lesson openly and work with mentees to assist them when building a supportive, influential network.”

Byron Connolly