News Detail

MEET RENEE

A senior Executive specialising in Brand Management, Marketing  and Client Relations and the personality to match her impressive resume, Renee Opperman has joined CSM as the new Director of Client Engagement.

With direct experience in the Apparel, Finance and the Property & Construction Industries, Renee Opperman specialises in Client Relationship Management and New Business Development. Renee is creative, innovative and values relationship building and community, all ideal traits for her new position.  We asked her a few questions about her past experience and ambitions with CSM.

Renee Opperman CSM’s new Director of Client Engagement

What brought you to work for CSM? 

As soon as I met the Directors, Peter Letton and Mark Durrington and learnt about the history of the business and the plans for the future, I knew straight away I wanted to be part of something special. CSM has been around for over 65 years and have a great reputation in the marketplace for producing quality product here in Australia. The company is local to where I grew up so it immediately felt very familiar and was an easy transition when joining the CSM Team. I also thoroughly enjoy working within the Property and Construction Industry and I love working with great product, so it was a perfect fit.

How would you describe your position at CSM and what do you hope to achieve in the role?

My role at CSM is Director of Client Engagement.  As part of the Management Team my focus is to help develop and drive the strategy for business growth. This includes how we support our existing clients, how we connect to potential clients and how we communicate and market our brand to the industry. CSM is a very well known brand and has a solid reputation from which to work from. I see my role as building on these foundations further to ensure CSM are the preferred steel storage solutions supplier in the marketplace. It has been a steep learning curve, getting to know all of the products (over 3500) however with the new direction of the company, offering more bespoke solutions with a design focus, it is very exciting to enter the business at this time and be part of the change.

What past experiences do you think will be beneficial or that you can draw upon to bring your own unique vision to this position?

I am very lucky to have worked across various industry’s during my career. The experience and skills developed over this time has brought me to where I am today. After University, my very first job was in the fashion industry, as the on-road Quality Assurance representative for a swimwear company, checking the quality of garments made at the local manufacturers in Sydney. This was a great experience as it taught me the value of hard work and to treat everyone as equals. Often English was not the first language of the contractors so kindness, patience and empathy were very important traits to master. Later in this industry I also worked as a Brand Manager for an International company who are the leaders in Dance Apparel. This highlighted the importance of brand reputation and consistency of your brand when marketing on an international scale. When running my own marketing agency, I understood the importance of doing what you say, don’t over promise and always over deliver. Looking after your team, even if it is a simple thank you for their commitment and dedication to the business, this has such a huge impact and can create wonderful results for everyone.  So my unique vision for the business is to utilise all of my past experiences to ensure CSM continues to be a great place to work, offers a high quality product and CSM are the first choice when it comes to office storage solutions within the property industry.

Who inspires you in your daily life?

I am very lucky to be a mother to three wonderful children. They continually inspire me to be a better person and a role model in their lives. I do enjoy the challenge that work brings and it is a huge part of my life, however it is also wonderful to walk in the door each day to the smiling faces and hugs of those we love.

What trends do you see happening in workplace environments over the next 12 months?

Wellness has definitely been the buzz word in design this past year and I believe there is a continuing shift towards a more holistic approach to workplace design with a focus on employee  “wellbeing”. Companies already spend tens of billions of dollars each year on wellness programs but often receive mixed results if they fail to integrate wellness into their workplace design to support their considerable investment of these initiatives.

Studies have shown that a lack of wellness among employees can drive costs such as health care, and contribute to absenteeism as well as lack of motivation which lowers productivity, so I think its a logical conclusion that more companies will start integrating wellness into the design of their workplace environments. Sleep pods and air filtered green walls are already realities in some workplaces and through this kind of design, employees are provided with  an environment that supports their health and well-being.  At CSM we are working on helping our clients create workplace ecosystems designed to support all their efforts to enhance the “user experience” through human focused design.

Connect with Renee on LinkedIn

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For more information on CSM projects and products contact us sales@csm-office.com.au

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