Antonia Mercorella: how she became the first female and youngest ever CEO of the REIQ

From walking away from a commercial law career to join the State Theatre Company to becoming the first female and youngest ever CEO of the REIQ, Antonia Mercorella’s journey is anything but conventional.In ep 24 of Raising the Bar, George Sourris from Empire Legal sits down with REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella to unpack the career pivots, legislative battles and leadership decisions that have helped shape modern Queensland real estate. Over more than a decade leading the REIQ, Antonia has been behind some of the industry’s biggest reforms - from defeating the controversial land tax proposal, to delivering mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD), driving Seller Disclosure reform and modernising one of Australia’s oldest industry institutions.We cover:- The journey: how Antonia went from theatre and law to leading Queensland real estate, what her unconventional career path taught her about leadership and why communication, advocacy and adaptability have been critical to her success.- The fights that shaped the industry: the REIQ’s role in overturning Queensland’s land tax proposal, securing mandatory professional development for agents, leading major legislative reform and fighting for better outcomes for property professionals and consumers alike.- Raising standards and leading change: Seller Disclosure, Realworks, leadership, housing advocacy and why lifting professionalism, consumer confidence and industry standards remains central to the future of Queensland real estate.If you work in real estate, law, property or leadership, this episode is a real look at what it takes to influence reform, challenge government and genuinely raise the bar in one of Queensland’s most important industries.Contact Antonia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonia-mercorella-8b516a43/Follow us on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empirelegal/More podcast episodes: https://empirelegal.com.au/podcast/Check out our blogs: https://empirelegal.com.au/blog/Website: https://empirelegal.com.au/Support the show