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The Property Council of Australia has elected a new national president, and touted a “history-making” new board composition.
David Harrison will be taking the reins from Stephen Conry AM, who concluded his two-year term at a board meeting on Tuesday, 30 March 2021.
Mr Harrison is well renowned for his work as the managing director and group CEO of Charter Hall.
Two new national vice-presidents have also been elected: Bob Johnston, the CEO of The GPT Group, and Sophie Fallman, managing partner, real estate, Brookfield.
The Property Council of Australia has also touted a 50:50 gender balance being achieved among the 20-member board “for the first time in its history”.
After his announcement into the top role, Mr Harrison commented that “it has been a tough year for the property sector”.
Expressing that he is honoured to be taking on the role at “a critical time” for Australia’s biggest industry, he added that “we should be proud of the major role the industry has played in Australia’s response to the COVID pandemic”.
“Property has done much of the heavy lifting to pull our economy out of recession and stands ready to achieve even better results over the long term with a continuation of positive policy settings,” he stated.
As stimulus and support measures are wound down, the new president explained that the Property Council would be leading public debate on reactivating CBDs, resuming overseas migration and on potential reforms to state and federal tax and planning systems.
“With property employing 1.48 million Australians, and contributing $234.7 billion to our economy, the health of our industry needs to be front of mind for all levels of government,” he argued.
Mr Harrison, Ms Fallman and Mr Johnston are joined on the Property Council board by a number of high-profile executives, directors and CEOs.
They include Stockland’s managing director and CEO, Mark Steinert; AMP Capital’s head of real estate, Kylie O’Connor; the head of residential at Mirvac, Stuart Penklis; and Minter Ellison’s acting CEO; Virginia Briggs.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Grace Ormsby
Grace is a journalist across Momentum property and investment brands. Grace joined Momentum Media in 2018, bringing with her a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) from the University of Newcastle. She’s passionate about delivering easy to digest information and content relevant to her key audiences and stakeholders.
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