BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Alex joined Southern Cross Housing (SCH) in 2016 and brought with him over 30 years of experience in the property, construction, and housing industry, and an extensive qualification portfolio. Prior to this, Alex held many senior executive and advisory positions within private, public, and not-for-profit sectors, that supplied him with a wealth of knowledge relating to Housing NSW, property portfolio planning, NRSCH, and Community Housing Provider (CHP) accreditation. Alex holds a master’s degree in Property Development, a graduate diploma in Urban Estate Management, Clerk of Works qualifications, and is a licensed Builder and a registered Certified Practicing (property) Valuer (CPV).

As CEO, Alex is responsible for the services we provide, the governance we practice, and the growth of the organisation. He is committed to achieve and maintain SCH’s overall vision, ensuring ‘A home for everyone as a foundation to a fulfilling life’, by providing strategic focus and support to all SCH staff, based on operational decisions made by our board of directors.

Nick was previously a Managing Director of STA Travel, directing STA’s international businesses in the US, Asia and Europe. Between 2007 and 2009 he managed a World Bank development project in Tonga, improving the sustainability of their airport infrastructure, before returning to Australia as CEO of Recreational Tourism Group. Nick became CEO of Wunan Foundation, based in the East Kimberley, providing educational employment and housing opportunities to local Indigenous communities.

John has over 19 years’ financial accounts management experience in the building sector, including 7 years with Southern Cross Housing. He knows the shoalhaven economy having worked locally for 16 years in a range of small to medium sized businesses. John has strong governance and reporting knowledge complimented by strong project and people management skills.

John has been a Board Member since 2003. He has been the Auditor for many local community organisations such as the Women’s Refuge, Family support, as well as local pre-schools and churches. John has an Economics Degree, is a Chartered Accountant and is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Peter is a Councillor with Snowy River Shire Council. He was formerly the Chairperson of the Monaro Tenancy Scheme and is the former Director of Environmental Services of four Councils. He is also the Chairman of the Uniting Church Committee, Cooma. Peter is a qualified Building Surveyor, Town Planner and Health Surveyor.

Lee is a registered Architect and Director of Dunn & Hillam Architects. She is an invited Juror for City of Sydney Design Excellence Competitions and a obsessional tutor in the Bachelor of Architecture program at Faculty of the Built Environment UNSW. Lee previously worked with the Government Architect NSW as the principal and acting director of design excellence.

Michael holds a Professional background in Sales, Marketing and General Management. The first half of his career was spent in the Medical arena, working for multinational corporations, working with high-end medical consumables and treatments. The second half of his career was spent in IT, predominately in the area of client and contract management in large-scale outsourcing contracts.

Michael’s focus has always been on managing complex commercial relationships of profitability and equity between the client and supplier. Since retiring in 2017, his focus has been on finding ways to contribute to growth in the Bega Valley and contributing his skills where they may be of use to others.

Michael is currently:

• Chair of the Mumbulla Foundation, a local group that raises funds and provides grants to local organisations supporting our community, and grants to support students of UOW Bega
• Member of the Distribution Committee of the Mayoral Fund for the Tathra and District Fire
• Member of the Bega Valley Shire Council’s Cemeteries Advisory Committee

Dr Laura Wynne is a researcher with a decade-long history of conducting, delivering and communicating research across a range of fields in university, government, and non-government settings. Laura has expertise in housing policy, land-use planning, and environmental sustainability policy and practice.

Laura has a PhD in social science from the University of Tasmania. Her doctorate focused on the renewal of public housing estates in NSW, with a case study of the planned redevelopment of the Waterloo public housing estate exploring residents’ experience of displacement and urban change. Recently, Laura worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Wollongong on a number of projects, including research on public housing futures in the Illawarra region, funded by Shelter NSW.

Natalie is an award-winning consultant and businesswoman with a background in management and extensive experience achieving results for local councils. Boasting a 20-year track record in the development industry, her expertise spans real estate, town planning, property development, and business improvement.

Natalie has over 8 years of experience in driving local government planning improvement projects with a focus on procedural transformation, resolving roadblocks and providing workable solutions.

Natalie’s strength lies in establishing and maintain working relationships with industry leaders. Her affiliations span Homelessness NSW, Property Council, UDIA, pivotal Local and State Governance figures, and Industry Consultants.