At Herron Todd White (HTW), we talk a lot about the strength of our people, and every so often, a story comes along that captures exactly what we mean.
During the recent Australian Property Institute (API) and WAVO Global Property Congress in Sydney, one of our newest Registered Property Valuers (RPV), Min Jin Jung (MJ) from the Darwin office, played a leading role in connecting two valuation worlds. What started as a personal conversation became a unique opportunity to represent HTW and the Australian valuation industry on the global stage.
It all began with a phone call. MJ was catching up with a friend who works as an auditor for the Korea Real Estate Board. The conversation drifted to the differences between valuation practices in Korea and Australia, and how governance, standards, and even complaint handling vary between jurisdictions. As luck would have it, MJ’s friend mentioned she’d be attending the API Congress in Sydney, and an idea began to form.
Recognising the opportunity to create a meaningful exchange between valuation professionals from two different countries, MJ took action. She suggested a meeting between the Korea Real Estate Board and a few of HTW’s senior professionals to explore how our two systems operate. With encouragement from her manager, Will Johnson, MJ contacted Angeline Mann and Rachel Anderson from HTW’s Sydney office, who agreed to participate and lend their expertise.
MJ coordinated the entire meeting, including liaising with the Korean delegation, arranging the time and venue, and even preparing to translate on the day. She flew to Sydney to attend in person, and despite being relatively new to the industry, took on the role of facilitator and translator with confidence.
The Korea Real Estate Board is the sole governing authority for property valuations in Korea. Their role is broad, overseeing professional standards, methodology, licensing, and even handling objections and disputes to valuations. They were keen to understand how things are done in Australia, particularly around our governance frameworks, complaint mechanisms, and the role of industry bodies like the Australian Property Institute (API).
The discussion was open, insightful, and wide-ranging. MJ, Angeline, and Rachel shared their perspectives on valuation methodologies, regulatory standards, and maintaining quality and consistency across such a large and diverse country. They also explained how independent oversight works in Australia and how valuers are held accountable through both the API and other legislative bodies.
For MJ, it was a particularly rewarding experience.
“As a newly accredited valuer, I could answer some of their questions, but I knew I’d need more in-depth expertise. Angeline and Rachel were incredible, so generous with their time and insights. The meeting went really well, and it reminded me why I love working in this profession. I’m always looking for ways to contribute and grow, and this was such a valuable opportunity to do both.”
Min Jin Jung (MJ)
MJ’s initiative and the support of her colleagues demonstrate what’s possible when curiosity and leadership meet opportunity. While it may not have made headlines at the Congress itself, the meeting was a powerful example of cross-border collaboration and a chance for HTW to showcase the professionalism and depth of knowledge our people bring to the table.
As our industry continues to evolve, so too does the importance of building international relationships and sharing knowledge across markets. We’re proud to have played a role in that, and even prouder that it all started with a conversation between friends.