An ICMS Property Experience That Proved a ‘Game Changer’

When ICMS alumnus Maaz Goda returned to the Northern Beaches Campus to speak to current property students, he brought with him a career story that began at ICMS, expanded through international industry exposure and ultimately led him to establish his own real estate agency. 

Now Founder and Director of Maaz Goda Real Estate, Maaz graduated from ICMS in 2019 before building his career in the property industry and eventually making the move into business ownership. 

Returning to ICMS for the recent Property Insider: Real Career Advice from ICMS Alumni panel, part of the ICMS Property Masterclass, gave Maaz the opportunity to reflect on some of the experiences that helped shape that journey. 

One stood out immediately: an international property tour he joined while studying at ICMS. 

“It was a game changer for me,” Maaz said. 

“The reason why is that here we have classes, we attended the lectures, but being able to go on that tour, we got to experience things hands-on. We met developers, we met CEOs and directors.”  

Taking Property Learning Beyond the Classroom

The international tour exposed Maaz to property markets overseas, including the UK and United Arab Emirates, where students visited construction sites and met professionals working across the industry. 

For Maaz, the value came from seeing in practice what he had been learning at ICMS. 

After returning to Australia and graduating, he found himself drawing on both the international experience and his classroom learning as he entered the workforce. 

“I was able to adapt a lot of the things that I saw overseas, through the tour and also through the learnings we had in the classes as well,” he said.  

That combination also gave him something tangible to discuss when interviewing for roles: “experience that I’ve seen with my own eyes.”  

It is an example of the industry-connected approach to the accredited ICMS Bachelor of Property (Development, Investment and Valuation), where academic study sits alongside practical experience, Work Integrated Learning (WIL) professional placement and opportunities to engage directly with the property profession. 

For Maaz, those early experiences did more than help him enter the industry. They also broadened his view of what he might eventually do within it. 

Choosing Entrepreneurship

Years later, Maaz found himself facing a significant career decision. 

He was working for a major real estate brand and had been offered the opportunity to become a partner. It was an attractive path, but there was another ambition he had been carrying with him. 

“I’ve always wanted to start my own company,” he told students.  

When weighing up the decision, Maaz again found himself thinking about his earlier international property experience, including what he had seen in London, Amsterdam and the UAE. 

Seeing the potential for growth and development in other property markets had encouraged him to think about what might also be possible in Australia. 

“I’ve always been that person that likes to be at the front, where I like to be in control…  hands-on,” he said. 

Building a Growing Property Business

Maaz initially planned for his agency to focus solely on sales, but the business began developing in directions he had not anticipated. 

Word of mouth brought new opportunities, including expansion into property management. From an initial focus on the Hills District, the agency is now attracting clients from across Sydney. 

Rather than trying to predict exactly where the business will end up, his approach is to remain open to where demand and opportunity take it. 

“I think for me it’s just more follow the business and see where it takes us.”  

A Connection to Property That Goes Further Back

Maaz also shared with students that his connection to property predates his professional career. 

Originally from Sudan, he grew up with a family connection to land. 

What was less clear when he was younger was exactly where that connection might take him professionally. 

ICMS became part of the process of turning that interest into a career, giving him the opportunity to study property, encounter different parts of the profession and gain practical industry exposure before graduating. 

Back at ICMS, This Time as an Industry Speaker

Seven years after graduating, Maaz returned to ICMS not as the student listening to property professionals, but as one of the professionals sharing his experience with the next generation. 

The Property Masterclass brought current students together with representatives from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), experienced property professionals and ICMS alumni to explore professional standards, career pathways and the realities of working in the industry. 

Maaz’s return brought that industry connection full circle. 

The international experience he accessed as an ICMS property student helped him see possibilities beyond the classroom. He carried those experiences and his degree into his early career, eventually chose entrepreneurship and built a business of his own. 

Now, he is bringing that experience back to where part of the journey began. 

For today’s ICMS property students sitting on the same campus where Maaz once studied, his career provides a real-world example of where the experiences and connections made during a degree can lead. 

Disclaimer: This article is based on comments made by Maaz Goda during the ICMS Property Masterclass in September 2026. Career experiences and business information reflect information shared by Maaz at the time of the event. Individual career experiences and outcomes vary.