TRANSFORMING STRATA MANAGEMENT WITH INNOVATION AND EXPERTISE
PICA GROUP
PICA GROUP
PICA GROUP: TRANSFORMING STRATA MANAGEMENT WITH INNOVATION AND EXPERTISE
Project by: Malvern Kandemwa
Words by: Michelle Duncan
Just when Bobby Lehane thought he was stepping away, fate and PICA Group brought him back into the world of strata management. Now, as CEO, Lehane and his team are putting passion and dedication at the heart of the industry. During his time away, Lehane allowed himself to be guided by purpose, immersing in charity work. Yet a persistent sense of something missing lingered.
“I enjoyed the freedom at first, and some of the not-for-profit work I did was deeply fulfilling, but it wasn’t enough,” he admits.
“After about 18 months, I realized I was missing what I truly do— leading and transforming organizations, shaping and building, tackling intellectual and emotional challenges. Most of all, I missed the human connection.”
Fate, with its ever-sharp sense of irony, intervened at the funeral of a former CEO of PICA Group, Australia’s leading property services provider.
“He was a wonderful man, and at his funeral I was surrounded by so many people from the strata community,” Lehane recalls. “Strangely, it felt like I’d found my people.”
Soon after, by sheer coincidence, the role of PICA Group CEO became available—and Lehane felt compelled to apply.
“It was a rigorous selection process, but fortunately, I was successful.”
After taking the reins at PICA Group in January 2023, Lehane drew on his experience with the organization to assess both the opportunities and challenges ahead.
“With over 30 branches, it’s the largest strata management company in Australia by a significant margin,” he says. “It’s twice the size of the next competitor.”
That scale brought with it a large team, multiple strong brands, an extensive customer base—and a fair share of internal bureaucracy.
“There were expenses in the business that were simply not sustainable,” he admits. “If the
only way to solve problems is by throwing people at them, you’ve got an even bigger problem.”
Aware of the expectations on him, Lehane wasted no time in acting.
“We conducted a diagnostic of the situation, which clearly highlighted the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats,” he says. “From there, we began developing a strategy to address them. While PICA Group is a much larger business than CHU, the challenges were remarkably similar.”
The strategy came together quickly, setting the course for PICA Group over the past 12 months.
“The strategy itself is simple. We decided to tackle complexity and expenses through simplification. We’d provide the best tools and support for our people and customers, and streamline processes through automation,” he explains.
Once the PICA Group house was in order, with all key metrics moving in the right direction, Lehane and his team turned their focus to growing the business further.
“That part has really only started to come to fruition in the last few months,” he says. “Many early decisions and actions take time to show their impact.”
While some changes at PICA Group may deliver immediate results, Lehane emphasizes that many will unfold over the coming years. Automation and AI are central to growth, but always with the goal of easing the workload for the company’s people.
“We’re not turning into robot hotels,” he insists. “There are mundane tasks that need doing, and automation frees our strata managers to focus on building relationships.”
He acknowledges the journey ahead. “There’s no such thing as instant gratification; it doesn’t all happen in one year,” he notes.
With the strategy well underway, Lehane says PICA Group stays focused on its ambition to excel for its people, customers, communities, and owners.
The company has collaborated closely with partners and industry peers to deliver the best outcomes for clients. These include strata insurance broker Body Corporate Brokers, CHU Underwriting Agencies, Whitbread Insurance Brokers, commercial law firm Chambers Russell Lawyers, and repairs and maintenance specialist The Scotia Group.
“Given the scale of the business, we can’t do everything ourselves. We rely heavily on our partners,
and they’ve been a crucial part of the solution,” he notes.
“We foster and value these relationships, built on honesty and transparency. If you’re hiding things from your partners, it’s probably not an ideal relationship. It’s a work in progress, but they stay a key part of our success.”
Taken together, PICA Group represents more than seven decades of accumulated strata management expertise.
“We have more strata management professionals and experience than any other company in the country, and over 75 years, we’ve
built up our capability, resources, and knowledge,” Lehane says.
“We manage everything from the smallest duplex to the largest high-rise. That scale is phenomenal, but it also enables us to negotiate exceptional outcomes for our customers with our partners and others.”
PICA Group has also put systems in place to ensure continuous service.
“If staff are on holiday, we’re still there for our customers because we have such depth of talent that we can step in when needed. That makes a real difference.”
Established in 1948, PICA Group runs branches across Australia. Each branch not only supports its local community but also benefits from the backing of PICA Group’s ownership through a range of support services.
“One owner is a Japanese property management company, and the other is an Irish fintech,” Lehane explains. “This allows us to adopt innovations from both shareholders.”
Over the past year, PICA Group has made significant strides in its use of AI, while its ESG initiatives are also guided by its parent companies.
“It’s a huge advantage to leverage a far deeper pool of resources than we could as a purely standalone Australian company.”
The breadth of resources and expertise at PICA Group makes it a formidable presence in the strata management industry.
“We work very closely with the Strata Community Association on many of the sector’s challenges,” Lehane says.
“We’ve dedicated significant resources to the SCA, and I believe we’re the single largest source of funding through our memberships.”
Much of that support, Lehane notes, is aimed at helping smaller competitors who may lack resources, underscoring PICA Group’s commitment to the industry beyond short-term gain.
“Given our size and relationships, we often take the initiative ourselves. We work directly with the industry, including insurance providers, to advocate on behalf of both our clients and the sector as a whole,” he adds.
Lehane’s authenticity forms a cornerstone of his leadership style, honed over the course of his career. “Every role I’ve undertaken,
every experience, has prepared me for what I do today,” he says.
“I think my tech background has been instrumental in shaping PICA Group’s future direction. It’s a huge advantage that isn’t quite common in the industry.”
He stresses that experience cannot be taught. “If I walk into a meeting and I’m the smartest person in the room, something’s wrong. What I bring is the benefit of insights developed through years of experience and situational learning.”
IT’S A HUGE ADVANTAGE TO LEVERAGE A FAR DEEPER POOL OF RESOURCES THAN WE COULD AS A PURELY STAND-ALONE AUSTRALIAN COMPANY.
Confronted with what he saw as existential threats and a pressing sense of urgency upon joining PICA Group, Lehane spent his first six months tackling challenges head-on. Once the immediate pressures eased, he shifted his approach.
“That’s when we began building trust among our people, and confidence in the future started to grow,” he recalls.
“I transitioned to a more inclusive and collaborative style, creating an environment where people can reach their full potential. That’s where I feel most comfortable.”
This approach included dedicating time for company-wide oneon-one meetings. “I’ve visited every branch and spoken with everyone. I make time for those conversations,” he says.
“We cover operational matters, but also personal issues, career development, and strategies for specific challenges. I enjoy mentoring and supporting the team to achieve their goals.”
