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With a new board of directors, the network is changing its corporate governance in an effort to give members more of a say in who represents them at the top.
Professionals Australia Group has introduced a 10-member board comprised of five directors elected by regional councils and five independent directors.
Outgoing chairman Carl Petersen said the new board structure was the culmination of a number of alterations the network had been making over the course of the past 12 months, including instituting the regional representative groups.
“Since our annual general meeting last year, members have been able to influence the direction of the group more directly,’’ Mr Petersen said. “That ability reaches its peak at the closure of this annual general meeting after which members will for the first time be represented by five directors they chose through their five regional councils.”
Current board members Cameron Wilson and Peter Carmont will step up into the roles of chairperson and deputy chairperson, respectively, while former board members Caleb Robins and Greg Earney will continue to serve.
They are joined by John Newlands, representing Queensland, Ben Stevens from NSW, Kirsteen Ryder of Victoria, Tim Edwards from South Australia, and Peta McKenzie of Western Australia. Brian Brady from Queensland rounds out the group as an independent director.
Mr Petersen noted the move came off the back of an extended period that posed a number of challenges for their 230 offices and that it follows concerted efforts from the group’s corporate governors to better respond to members’ needs during the pandemic.
“This past eighteen months has been a difficult period for members, with offices frequently shut and highly restrictive work rules imposed.
“I am very proud of the fact my board unanimously voted to assist those members most severely affected by government-ordered lockdowns with fee relief packages,” Mr Petersen said.
“I don’t know of any other real estate group in Australia that did what we did in response to our members’ needs in 2020,” he added, crediting CEO David Crombie with developing an approach that allowed the company to be nimble in making changes.
“David has been extremely successful in reshaping the group into one that is attracting a lot of attention in real estate circles,’’ he said.
“He has been proactive in all those areas that enable a group to function successfully in a highly competitive industry.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet Helmke
Based in Sydney, Juliet Helmke has a broad range of reporting and editorial experience across the areas of business, technology, entertainment and the arts. She was formerly Senior Editor at The New York Observer.
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