“How I think about and rationalise concepts and realities has been hugely influenced by my quite eclectic career and especially married life and parenthood. I know I’m a much better person now than at the start of my journey because of the important people in my life. I have a more balanced outlook and I’m very interested in improving social equality — especially in housing.”
My corporate and independent consulting work has mainly been concerned with the front-end planning, concept development and financial analysis stages of capital asset, economic and business development initiatives in New Zealand and Australia. I’ve been entrusted with finding solutions to some vexing property issues and managing complex large-scale projects — often in dynamic contexts involving ambiguity and risk.
I’ve contributed as a team member and project director to some impressive outcomes working across a wide range of property and asset classes including dairy processing, supermarket, marina, commercial office, warehouse, heritage, rural-residential, urban residential, airport, network utility, and large-scale mixed-use communities. I’m also a former registered property valuer, licensed agent and CEO of a specialist corporate agri-sector and infrastructure valuation firm.
In the economic development sector I held the role of Executive Director of a state economic development agency mandated with providing ministerial advice in relation to major events (e.g. America’s Cup, Commonwealth Games, APEC). I worked alongside a highly experienced largely private sector board and my counterpart in the policy unit Scott Morrison (former Australia Prime Minister). Illuminating—yes. Meaningful—no. I also have business development experience helping export-focused and not-for-profit enterprises in the ICT, bio-tech, agri-research, niche manufacturing and tourism sectors.
I’ve pursued a number of personal entrepreneurial initiatives across tourism, property, and e-commerce sectors and these are what I’ve enjoyed the most. They have given me a hands-on appreciation of enterprise ideation, the hard work, highs and lows that go hand-in glove with converting a concept into a financially viable reality, and valuable lessons on when to dig my toes in, when to pivot, and when to walk-away.
How I think about and rationalise concepts and realities has been hugely influenced by my quite eclectic career and especially married life and parenthood. I know I’m a better person now than at the start of my journey because of the important people in my life. I have a more balanced outlook and I’ve become very interested in improving societal outcomes. As such, I’m now directing my energy to researching ‘third sector’ housing systems and policy interventions, how these contribute to improved housing outcomes — especially for people where conventional property ownership or market pricing is out of reach — and how they can be enabled to positively disrupt the housing ecosystem. I hold a Master of Business Administration Degree (Distinction) from Massey University Business School and a Diploma in Valuation from University of Auckland School of Architecture. I have recently completed a thesis on not-for-profit housing policies and systems for a Master of Philosophy Degree at Auckland University of Technology School of Future Environments — to incubate further in-depth research.