When Fiona Yang first arrived in Sydney as a lawyer from China, she had no idea that within a decade, she'd study an entirely new field, launch her own business, and set a national real estate record.
"I came to the University of Sydney to study a Master of Commerce (Marketing and International Business), and at that time, I didn’t even know if I’d stay in Australia," says Fiona. During her final semester of study however, she landed a coveted summer internship at CBRE, a global commercial real estate giant. She did so well that the company offered her a part-time position while she completed her studies.
"They had a very strict interview system and everyone in the business was very results driven," she explains. "If your performance wasn't great in that first month, you'd have a meeting with your manager, and if it wasn’t better by the second month, you'd get a warning."
While stressful, Fiona thrived in this environment by overdelivering and anticipating needs ahead of time. "I studied every project in the company, made a large number of cold calls, and tried to secure appointments for senior agents," she says. "I think my managers thought 'she's good, she always tries her best', so they gave me more responsibility."
Making the leap
When Fiona had been with the company for almost two years, she decided to launch her own business. "I knew in my heart I wanted to create something of my own – build something myself rather than just execute someone else's dream."
This sentiment was bolstered by her time at the University of Sydney, which opened her eyes to the power of fresh starts. "It gave me a new mindset and the confidence to start over, because it made me realise that success isn't just about one moment in life, it's the continuous learning," she says.
"It gave me comfort knowing that if I failed once, I could always restart, and I think the value of fear becomes a lot smaller when you realise that." This confidence boost was particularly important for Fiona given her background had been in an entirely different field up until that point.
"Studying marketing and international business at the University of Sydney played a pivotal role in shaping my career trajectory," she adds. "It enabled a fundamental shift in my thinking – from a rules-based, analytical mindset to a more market-driven, customer-centric and commercially strategic approach."
My time at the University of Sydney gave me a new mindset and the confidence to start over, because it made me realise that success isn't just about one moment in life, it's the continuous learning
Fiona Yang (MCom '17)
A new chapter
In 2021, Fiona co-founded Plus Agency with her former manager, Peter Li, using those early lessons from CBRE as drivers to establish a reputation and trust within her industry.
"Australia is very results oriented and systems and process really matter," she says. "This means managers and directors don't have to be there and yet people still know what they need to do, and this has influenced how we've built Plus Agency – we wanted structured compliance and internal systems."
Part real estate agency, development consultancy and marketing firm, Plus Agency works closely with developers from the outset. "We partner with developers before they even get the DA", she explains. "We provide advice on how to improve floor plans, and we look at marketing and what kind of people we should actually target."
The agency has enjoyed ongoing success, as has Fiona. In 2024, she received the Property Marketer accolade at the REINSW Awards for Excellence, becoming the first Asian recipient in the awards history. In 2025, she was named Australia's Property Marketer of the Year at the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) National Awards for Excellence and was also recognised as one of the Top 50 Women in Real Estate Australia by Real Estate Business. Plus Agency also holds the national record for real estate sales price.
The business now sits among the country's top 50 real estate businesses, managing portfolios of countless and exclusive residential projects valued at over $900 million. They also have over 300 channel partners across Australia.
After changing careers, in 2025 Fiona was named Australia's Property Marketer of the Year at the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) National Awards for Excellence. Image credit: REIA
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LinkChanging the game
Fiona's current role within the business sits above the day-to-day operations. "I see myself more as a strategic integrator in the company because we're not a traditional agency," she explains. "We invest in property technology, we build internal AI systems, we integrate data, product positioning, branding and a global sales network."
The vision she's working towards now is a bigger and better version of what Plus Agency already is. "Our long-term vision is to build a publicly listed, tech-driven real estate platform that’s capable of standing alongside leading U.S. real estate companies on a global stage.
"I don’t see Plus as just participating in the industry, I hope we can help move Australia's real estate industry towards being more results-driven and globally competitive."
The future roadmap for Fiona and the business remains heavily informed by her time at the University of Sydney. "It really gave me a global perspective and encouraged me to think beyond local markets," she says. "It's shaped how I approach our strategy, and I believe having the ability to translate global insights into highly localised solutions has been key to our success."
Header image credit: Kaka Lixu Tang, FMPP PTY LTD