Word on the Street
Don’t just take our word for it: let your future colleagues tell you why they choose to work in Parramatta, from making the most of new career opportunities, to achieving work-life balance.
Get to know the people on the street. Meet:
- Andrew Pointer, the Head of Marketing & Business Development for MatthewsFolbigg. [He/she] came to Parramatta because the work offered both a challenge and an opportunity. [He/she] says Parramatta is a professional environment but still holds a strong sense of community, and is easy to get to from the city by car or train.
- Richelle Fitzgerald, a solicitor for Coleman & Greig. She came to Parramatta because she wanted to work closer to home. She says that in Parramatta, local businesses support each other and there are excellent networking opportunities. .
- Brendan Croft is the Front Office Manager at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Parramatta. He moved to Parramatta from Sydney and switched a one-hour work commute to eight minutes, and says the rest is history.
- Jody Goldring is the Manager, Health & Safety Services, in the human resources (HR) branch of the Attorney General’s Department of NSW. She moved to Parramatta from Sydney with the Department, and now has more time to enjoy her personal pursuits.
- Neil Hart is the Manager, HR Consultancy Services for Tanner Menzies in Parramatta. He says Parramatta provides the affordable living, good client base and quality infrastructure to make working in the city easy.
- Paul Jackson is the Communications Manager for Shell Clyde Refinery. He says working in Parramatta has not only improved his work-life balance, it has also helped his career by enabling him to work closely with Shell’s community partners.
- Karen Moore is a Marketing and communications consultant and has worked and lived in Parramatta for 10 years. She says the quality office-space, parklands and shopping make Parramatta a thoroughly modern, switched-on and vibrant place to work.
- David Esler is the Director of Kaizen Executive Recruitment Management Consulting. He and his wife Jodie came to Parramatta on a 12-month assignment more than two years ago, and they have never looked back.
- Jody Goldring is the Manager, Health & Safety Services, in the human resources (HR) branch of the Attorney General’s Department of NSW. She moved to Parramatta from Sydney with the Department, and now has more time to enjoy her personal pursuits.
Case study: position for growth
 Andrew Pointer
Head of Marketing & Business Development
MatthewsFolbigg
“I head up the marketing and business development arm of MatthewsFolbigg, a law firm based in Parramatta. We’re the leading law firm in greater western Sydney.
“I came to Parramatta because the work here – with MatthewsFolbigg – offered a challenge and an opportunity. This is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. I knew I’d be not too far from Sydney, in a leading but smaller firm ready for growth. The challenge was to capture and develop business to maintain and ensure the firm’s market dominance in the greater west.
“My role here is to strategically market the MatthewsFolbigg brand through the website, events, brochures, advertising and a range of innovative initiatives like podcasts on legal issues.
“I identify and develop new business opportunities and grow firm revenue with our clients and targets, and train the professional staff-members on networking and ‘the client conversation’.
“Here in Parramatta, I find my ‘big city firm’ experiences (Deloitte and Blake Dawson) and knowledge can be fully utilised, in an environment that really lets me make a mark on the firm’s future development.
“My background includes working in export and investment promotion for the NSW Government as well as similar consulting roles, so by contributing to the Sydney West Marketing Committee, I can help contribute to growth in this region.
“I love that Parramatta is out of town and a professional environment, but still holds a strong sense of community. Of course, given that I live in the lower North Shore, it’s also great that Parramatta is so easy to get to from the city by car or train.”
Case study: work-life balance
 Richelle Fitzgerald
Solicitor
Coleman & Greig Solicitors & Notaries
“I’m a solicitor in the Commercial Advice Team at Coleman and Greig. I live in Western Sydney, so I joined Coleman and Greig in Parramatta because I wanted to reduce the time I spent travelling to and from work every day.
“I was also confident that Parramatta was a growing central business district (CBD), and the quality of work would be just as good as the kind I would be exposed to in a law firm in Sydney.
“Coleman and Greig is a fantastic place to work, with a great location and great people. I’ve found that local businesses in Parramatta support one another, and there are great networking opportunities.
“I love that Parramatta is close to home, and centrally-located.
“Now that I work in Parramatta, I have more time to relax and enjoy life, as I don’t spend so much time travelling. This means I have more free time for sporting activities and to spend time with my friends and family.
NEW HORIZONS
David Elser
Director
Kaizen Executive Recruitment & Management Consulting
David Esler is the Director of Kaizen Executive Recruitment Management Consulting. He and his wife Jodie came to Parramatta on a 12-month assignment more than two years ago, and they have never looked back.
“I’m the principal of Kaizen Executive Recruitment and Management Consulting. We are a specialist recruitment and management consulting firm, looking after the particular needs of the domestic, commercial and industrial sectors.
“I have worked with a number of large corporate manufacturers and distributors, specialising in sales, marketing and business management. I have worked in or managed people in the roles we recruit for, which gives me clear insight into the type of people companies need to fill their positions.
“I came to Parramatta two years ago to complete a corporate software upgrade and implementation project across three merging business units. The project was finished in less than 12 months, but my wife and I found that Parramatta had more to offer than we had imagined, and we decided to stay.
“From a social and work-life balance perspective, as well as the enormous opportunity for growth and development, we discovered that working and living in Parramatta beat the Sydney traffic hands down.
“We have the luxury of a large and growing customer base literally at our front door. Parramatta is the geographical centre of Sydney and provides the gateway to growth and industry in the greater west.
“Parramatta is the place for us and the future of our business. Although I’m still not quite sure about the local football!”
CROP THE COMMUTE
Brendan Croft
Front Office Manager
Crowne Plaza Hotel Parramatta
Brendan Croft is the Front Office Manager at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Parramatta. He moved to Parramatta from Sydney and switched a one-hour work commute to eight minutes, and says the rest is history.
“I am employed by Crowne Plaza Hotel Parramatta, which is part of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). I’m the Front Office Manager.
“My role here at the hotel is to be responsible for customer service of the guests staying at the hotel. I’m in charge of a department that includes Front Desk Reception, Concierge and Guest Services (or Duty) Managers.
“I moved from Newcastle to Sydney for a work promotion. But it took nearly an hour each way to get to and from my work at a hotel near the airport. The opportunity arose for this job at Parramatta: I put in my application, and the rest is history.
“I really enjoy my job. It’s close to home, it’s part of an international hotel group that give me room to grow, and Crowne Plaza Parramatta enjoys an excellent reputation with other people in the industry.”
OPEN OPPORTUNITIES
Jody Goldring
Manager, Health & Safety Services
Attorney General’s Department of New South Wales (NSW)
Jody Goldring is the Manager, Health & Safety Services, in the human resources (HR) branch of the Attorney General’s Department of NSW. She moved to Parramatta from Sydney with the Department, and now has more time to enjoy her personal pursuits.
“I work for the Attorney General’s Department of NSW as the Manager, Health & Safety Services, in the human resources (HR) branch. I provide strategic coordination, technical support and advisory services for injury prevention and management programs and services.
“I also develop policies and procedures to ensure the Department meets its obligations to Occupational Health & Safety and Workers’ Compensation, in accordance with the relevant Acts, Regulations and associated legislation and policies.
“When the Attorney General’s Department relocated from Sydney to the Parramatta Justice Precinct in November 2007, my role moved with it so I came to work in Parramatta. But working in Parramatta was something I had wanted to do for some time. In fact, I applied for my role back in 2005, knowing that the Department intended to move to Parramatta.
“I live nearby in Merrylands, and this was just too good an opportunity to miss. It has opened up a whole new world of work-life balance: I have time to exercise and enjoy my friends and family, and no longer stress about the time it takes to get to work.
“Parramatta is much more centrally located than the city. It has access to all the main arterial roads as well as good public transport. Parramatta is fast becoming the new central business district (CBD), and so many opportunities are opening up.”
WORK MADE EASY
Neil Hart
Manager, HR Consultancy Services
Tanner Menzies
Neil Hart is the Manager, HR Consultancy Services for Tanner Menzies in Parramatta. He says Parramatta provides the affordable living, good client base and quality infrastructure to make working in the city easy.
“I am the Manager, Human Resources (HR) Consultancy Services for Tanner Menzies. I moved to Parramatta because I wanted to develop business opportunities in a high-growth area, and build a new business closer to our existing client base.
“I love working in Parramatta. Accommodation is very affordable and of great quality. We are close to our client base, and the logistics and infrastructure make working here easy.”
HELP YOUR CAREER
Paul Jackson
Communications Manager
Shell Clyde Refinery, Rosehill
Paul Jackson is the Communications Manager for Shell Clyde Refinery. He says working in Parramatta has not only improved his work-life balance, it has also helped his career by enabling him to work closely with Shell’s community partners.
“Shell Clyde Refinery is part of the Australian Manufacturing arm of Shell Australia, which in turn is part of the global Royal Dutch Shell Group.
“I manage the external affairs of both the Refinery and the Gore Bay shipping terminal at Greenwich. My role gives me a lot of contact with local community members, other businesses and the media.
“I also oversee internal communications at both sites, and administer the local Social Investment Programme, which supports community initiatives in the area.
“When I first moved to Sydney from rural New South Wales (NSW) in 1997, I settled in Parramatta. I recognised that the city could offer all the personal and professional options of Sydney’s central business district (CBD), without some of the disadvantages that go with inner city life, like crowding, parking and cost.
“Shell’s Rosehill premises is closer to my home than the Sydney CBD where I previously worked, and that brings some obvious work-life balances. But it has also helped my career. I now have the flexibility to operate very closely with our external community partners and the residents and businesses near our premises.
“Parramatta is a great place to live and work. The transport options make getting to work easy, the local business people are enthusiastic and professional, and there is a community orientation towards advancement and sustainable growth.”
THOROUGHLY MODERN
Karen Moore
Marketing & communications management contractor
The Publishing Agency (TPA)
Marketing and communications consultant Karen Moore has worked and lived in Parramatta for 10 years. She says the quality office-space, parklands and shopping make Parramatta a thoroughly modern, switched-on and vibrant place to work.
“I’ve been a contractor for TPA for the past 10 years, working in the field of marketing and communications management. TPA provides contractors to both government and private enterprises in marketing, communications, media and public relations (PR).
“Right now, I’m on a three-month contract as Communications and Media Officer for the Western Sydney Parklands Trust. The Trust is responsible for managing and developing the 27 kilometres of New South Wales (NSW) Government-owned parklands between Quakers Hill and Leppington.
“I own a home at Glenfield in Sydney’s south-west, so working at Parramatta means less travel time each day. It’s a welcome relief from commuting to Sydney every day on standing-room-only trains.
“I love the quality of the modern office space available in Parramatta, teamed with the fabulous indoor and outdoor eateries. And there is Parramatta Park, with its wide open spaces right in the middle of the city, and a huge selection of shopping venues to visit during lunch, including Harris Farm Markets.
“Parramatta is a thoroughly modern, switched-on and vibrant place to work.”
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