Cushman & Wakefield

Jon McCormick

Jon McCormick began his career as a mechanical engineer in construction with Lend Lease. When the early ’90s recession hit, he transitioned into facilities management, taking over operations of a building he had helped construct. The move offered greater stability and balance as he prepared to start a family.

Adapting Leadership across Structures: Persistence, Resilience, Acceptance

People often say I am probably too persistent. But really, it’s about being resilient and consistent. Every organisation works differently, but if you stay focused on what you’re trying to achieve and keep communicating your case, eventually people listen and things change.

Of course, sometimes they don’t. I remember at Brookfield, after they acquired Multiplex, I was running both the external facilities management (FM) business and the internal Asset Services business. My director wanted to split them. I presented my case against it, but he simply said, “This is a decision, not a discussion.” So, you also need to know when to accept decisions and move forward.

Working Across APAC: Elevating WHS and Sustainability Standards

Workplace health and safety is a major challenge across regions. Many of our clients originate in Australia and expand into APAC or the Middle East, where WHS standards often aren’t at the same level. Educating our service providers and staff in those markets is critical to maintaining consistent service quality.

Now, that challenge is extending into sustainability. Australia is a leader in this space, so we’re driving sustainability initiatives across the region. With the introduction of modern slavery legislation here, we’re also ensuring compliance in countries where such regulations may not yet exist.

Future of FM Delivery: Balancing Cost and Capability

Unfortunately, we’re seeing a trend toward the “dumbing down” of services. Clients want to pay lower management fees, but what we provide is fundamentally people, systems and processes. If you can’t cut systems or processes, it’s the people who are impacted. When I started, building managers were often qualified engineers. That’s rare now because clients aren’t willing to pay for that level of expertise.

As a consequence, the scope of FM roles has also narrowed. Many FMs no longer handle sustainability, procurement or subcontractor management— these functions are handled by other “specialists”. So, the FM role has become more limited since my early days in the industry.

To stay ahead, we focus on people, processes and systems. We invest in technology to streamline operations, reduce data duplication and enhance data security, especially important as we serve many government clients. Australia is again leading in information security and we’re applying those standards globally.

Building a Leadership Career: Mastering Financial Fundamentals

Regardless of the role, it’s important to understand the numbers that drive real estate, from both a property and operational perspective. I started in construction, so I know what it costs to build and operate a building. Whether you’re a broker, property manager, FM or financial analyst, strong commercial and financial acumen is essential.

Operational Excellence: Driving Trust and Repeat Engagement

The difference is subtle but important: trust. Many of our competitors offer similar people, systems and processes. On paper, the services may look the same. But what consistently sets us apart is that clients trust us to deliver exactly what we say we will. That trust doesn’t come overnight. It is built through consistency, follow-through and a real commitment to outcomes. In the end, that reliability is what keeps them coming back.