CCBR Business Review

4 Cathy Slater Slater Architects – Success by design WHEN CATHY SLATER started her own building design firm from her parent’s home in 1980, the quietly spoken 23-year- old had no idea that ‘Plan 2000’ would grow to become the full service, award-winning architectural practice it is today. She had not even considered her business future post 2000 let alone imagined that she would undertake years of study to become a registered architect in her forty’s, employ up to sixteen staff at one time and design some of the Central Coast’s most classic homes and medium density develop- ments. An advocate for best practice in the Australian architectural industry and a suc- cessful businesswoman in a male-dominat- ed profession, Cathy is an inspiration, not only to women in traditionally male fields, but to all those who dare to take a leap of faith and start a business from scratch. Cathy and her family immigrated to Australia from the UK, moving to the Central Coast when she was 14. A student at Erina High, Cathy had a particular flair for art and set her sights on becoming an artist. While that dream wasn’t realised in a professional sense, she became an accomplished amateur artist who has entered numerous portraits in the coveted Archibald Prize, including portraits of Darrell Eastlake and Malcolm Brooks. Painting more for enjoyment these days, some of her work hangs in the homes of her clients. Cathy’s first job was as a tracer with a local project home company. She gained a Certificate in Architectural Drafting from Sydney Technical College, returning to the Call us today on 1300 542 542 or visit officepace.com.au Planning a new office or a refit? OfficePace takes care of workplace furniture for commercial and corporate spaces in the Central Coast area. Office design and space planning Installation and ongoing care Office furniture sourcing and solutions Mariners Centre of Excellence Level 3, Suite 312, 1 Bryant Drive, Tuggerah NSW 2259 CO V E R S T O R Y Central Coast to work for a drafting and engineering firm. She then gained her Building Clerk of Works qualification with a view to becoming a builder and used both qualifications to her advantage by design- ing and building her first home at the age of 19. Four years later, Cathy started her own business, operating from her parents’ home for the first nine months before mov- ing into a “tiny shop” in Terrigal, where she stayed for the next twelve months. Cathy met her husband, Bill, while oper- ating from her Terrigal office. He introduced her to a number of local developers, which, through networking, led to a broadening of her client base. She moved to Gosford, strategically choosing to share office space with a surveying firm; employed an appren- tice draftsperson and secured her first major project – a 410-home community housing project In Wyong Shire. It was the mid- 1980s and the Central Coast was booming. Cathy became so busy that by 1988 she led a team of sixteen, including Bill, who left a management role with the Express Advocate to oversee the administrative side of the business in 1985, following the birth of their first child, Rachael. Four years later their son, Tim was born. With Cathy only taking a few days off for each birth and often taking her children to work with her as babies, she says she couldn’t have man- aged without Bill’s support. The business moved to larger premises at Erina in 1994 and Cathy evolved the nature of her work from project homes to bespoke homes and medium density residential projects in line with her passion for unique and intricate design work, especially for prestige coastal properties. Her reputation for complex, high quality design was such that many would be surprised to learn that Cathy was not a registered architect until changed State Planning Policies in 2003 required her to upgrade her qualifications in order to continue to design properties more than three storeys high. After six years of study combined with running a business and motherhood, Cathy became a registered architect at the age of 48. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” said Cathy, who pre- sented two boutique medium density resi- dential projects – Lighthouse at Avoca and Peaston Gardens at Terrigal – to the Board of Architects to qualify. Of the 400 applicants in the first intake, Cathy was one of just eight (and the only female) to be accepted. Being a registered architect opened new doors for Cathy and allowed her to continue working on the type of projects she enjoyed most – those that gave her the greatest level of creative freedom. She rebranded the business to Slater Architects and has since won a swag of architectural awards. Her work has also been featured in numerous industry publications. Very particular about proportion in all her work, Cathy draws inspiration from nature and appreciates the timeless beauty, shapes and strength of natural materials. While Cathy’s unique style and atten- tion to detail and quality have earned her a long and impressive list of clients and projects along the Eastern Seaboard (and By Phaedra Pym CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS REVIEW APRIL 2018