The shopping centre industry is driven by people. It’s their vision, expertise, and commitment that shape and evolve our retail environments to meet the needs of vibrant communities. In this special feature from SCN magazine, we speak with seven leading executives working in CBD retail to explore their career paths, insights, and perspectives on the key trends shaping the future of the sector.
In this exclusive Q&A, we spotlight Kelvin Fung, Centre Manager at Greenwood Plaza, as he shares his journey and outlook on the evolution of CBD retail.
Tell us about your current role and main responsibilities?
As the Centre Manager for Mirvac at Greenwood Plaza, I am responsible for the overall performance and ongoing success of the centre, with a focus on financial leadership, operational excellence, community and retailer engagement, and strategic growth.
In this multifaceted role, I balance strategic planning with hands-on operational oversight to add value to the asset and ensure the centre remains a vibrant, successful destination for retailers and the community.
My key responsibilities span everything from proactively managing expenses and seeking additional income streams to maximise the asset’s returns and valuation, to cultivating strong and productive relationships with tenants to support their business growth, long-term viability and lease compliance.
What is your favourite aspect of the role?
My favourite aspect of the role is the opportunity to have a positive impact on those around me. This position allows me to make a real difference in people’s lives by creating a vibrant and engaging space for the local community, partnering with small business owners to help them grow, and generating value for our asset owners.
I also enjoy the dynamic nature of the centre. Given the operational demands and the high volume of foot traffic, every day brings something new. I often start my day not knowing exactly what challenges will arise. The fast-paced environment and the need for quick, effective decision-making are aspects I truly enjoy, and they are a big part of why I am passionate about working in retail property.
Can you tell us more about Greenwood Plaza and what you love most about the asset?
Greenwood Plaza is connected to North Sydney train station and is the largest retail centre in the North Sydney CBD, with 70 retailers across nearly 9,000m2 of GLA. It’s one of the few locations in the area that offers natural light and an open-air rooftop surrounded by greenery, as well as a variety of dining options.
The centre is poised for transformation, having been impacted by COVID, the rise of remote working and the introduction of the Metro, all of which have contributed to changing consumer needs and wants. It is this dynamic environment and the opportunity to help ready Greenwood Plaza for repositioning that truly excites me.
Being in the heart of North Sydney means our customer base is a mix of workers from nearby offices and locals whom live in the surrounding suburbs. Therefore, we aim to create a space that makes the workday more enjoyable for employees and offers vibrant community for locals.
Can you provide an overview of your career path, how you got started in retail property?
I entered the retail property industry somewhat by chance, and I’m grateful for the journey it has taken me on. After completing my degree in 2012, I was looking for flexibility to travel and began working at Westfield Parramatta as a casual car park and valet attendant. When the Admin Manager learnt of my finance degree, I was offered a role within the centre management team, which became a pivotal step in my career.
Over the next 11 years, I gained valuable experience across a range of centres and owners, progressing through the ranks to centre manager.
Last year, I was fortunate to join Mirvac as Centre Manager at Greenwood Plaza. Each role I’ve held has shaped my values and understanding of the retail property sector, and I’m truly grateful to those who took a chance on me and provided opportunities that have led me to where I am today.
Do you have any career highlights or proudest moments?
It’s hard to pinpoint a single career highlight, as each stage of my professional journey has contributed to my growth and development. These cumulative experiences have provided me with a solid foundation in leadership, stakeholder engagement, problem-solving and strategic planning. If I were to identify a highlight, it would be the steady and consistent progress I have achieved over the past decade.
When it comes to proudest moments, it is often the smaller, everyday achievements that resonate most with me. Rather than one or two standout events, I find the greatest satisfaction in the hundreds of smaller successes throughout my career – whether it’s assisting a customer in locating their car, negotiating a leasing deal that benefits both the tenant and landlord, or seeing the joy on a child’s face after a parent’s room refurbishment. These moments, while seemingly small, collectively represent the aspects of my work that I am most proud of.
What strategies do you use to manage retailer relationships?
For me, retailer relationships are to be grown and nurtured over the long-term (like aspects of our personal life). It’s only when you have this strong relationship with a retailer that you can have difficult conversations with them and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
To be a true partner with my retailers, I focus on building trust and mutual respect by consistently following through on my commitments, prioritising clear and regular communication – ensuring retailers are kept informed even when there are no immediate resolutions, and being approachable and accessible. These straightforward yet effective strategies significantly enhance the quality of my retailer relationships.
Every aspect of Mirvac’s retail portfolio aims to not only create engaging experiences for customers but also create value for our stakeholders and retailers.
What are some of the major challenges facing the industry?
For CBD retail the biggest challenge has been evolving in line with (and staying ahead where possible) of fast changing consumer demands and expectations. What someone wants from CBD retail has changed dramatically since 2020. Whether its ongoing prevalence of remote work trends, or the more micro-trend of a shift to more casual attire, delivering a retail outcome that talks to the CBD consumer is the biggest challenge.
For shopping centre managers, the challenge is to adapt to and embrace these market dynamics – we can’t just throw open the doors anymore. In the short term, well-curated centre activations and loyalty programs can help draw customers back. Long-term, mixed-use precincts that provide seamless shopping and destinational experiences, and attracting the right entertainment and dining operators, can bring the vibrancy back into CBD centres.
Mirvac’s point of difference and key strength is our asset management capability, managing offices, retail centres, industrial precincts and build to rent communities. This provides enormous opportunity for knowledge sharing across asset classes, and is especially relevant for a CBD centre like Greenwood Plaza – our office customer experience is intrinsically linked and beneficial to delivering high-quality CBD retail experiences.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start a career in the retail property industry?
I’m passionate about supporting others looking to start a career in retail property. I was given the opportunity to make mistakes, grow and develop into a leader, and I want to help nurture the next generation.
My advice is to be curious, to not hesitate to push yourself outside of your comfort zone (looking back this is when I grew the most), to absorb as much as you can, and to not be afraid to ask questions.
Learn from everyone’s different professional styles and take the aspects that aligns with you the most through your career – as your career grows, you will continually refine your ‘toolkit’ and eventually develop your own leadership values and styles.
Finally, never burn any bridges – take every form of feedback as an opportunity to grow and learn. Retail property is a small industry and you’ll regularly cross paths.
This exclusive Q&A forms part of SCN’s Movers & Shakers feature, published in CBD Guns 2025. Subscribe here to access the full digital magazine.
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