The Development Drum

Interview with Rebecca Oelkers from BHC | S2Ep9

In this episode of the Development Drum, we talk to Rebecca Oelkers from BHC about her advocacy for affordable housing and social justice, the current housing crisis, the importance of design when developing affordable housing and the future of BHC.Links from the episode: https://bhcl.com.au/ About your host: Kirsty Chessher-Brown is the CEO of UDIA Queensland.About Rebecca: Rebecca has over 19 years experience in the affordable housing sector and is a passionate advocate for affordable housing issues and committed to growing the supply of safe, secure, affordable housing and delivering services that enable tenants to achieve increased wellbeing and inclusion.

Interview with Michelle Wooldridge from Cedar Woods | S2Ep8

In this episode of the Development Drum, we talk to Michelle Wooldridge about the different challenges that exist between urban regeneration projects and Greenfield projects, how she navigated the complex landscape of the previous year and learn all about her new dog-friendly office.Links from this episode: https://www.cedarwoods.com.au/ About your host: Kirsty Chessher-Brown is the CEO of UDIA Queensland.About Michelle: Michelle hails from a background in property after a decade at Lend Lease, overseeing urban regeneration projects including Brisbane showgrounds, Herston Quarter, Cairncross Morningside and Cross River Rail as well as Yarrabilba 15,000-lot master plan community. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Business with Distinction and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Interview with Max Shifman from Intrapac, and President of UDIA National | S2Ep7

In this episode of the Development Drum, we talk to Max about his thoughts on what role the Federal Government could play in unlocking supply, and how saying ‘yes’ from early in his career led him to managing a forensic and safety engineering consultancy before joining Intrapac.Links from this episode: https://intrapac.com.au/About your host: Kirsty Chessher-Brown is the CEO of UDIA Queensland.About Max: Max Shifman is the UDIA National President and CEO at Intrapac Property one of Australia’s largest private developers. He received the  UDIA Victoria Young Professional Award in 2013 and was part of the team responsible for Intrapac’s multiple UDIA Excellence Award-winning Somerfield project, Whiterock Ripley, and Kinley, the former Lilydale quarry redevelopment. In whatever spare time he has left after all of that, he’s also a bit of a fitness fanatic.

Interview with Tanya Martin from Lendlease | S2Ep6

In this episode of the Development Drum we talk to Tanya about the parts of her job she find most rewarding and which job, in her early career she considers where she had the most fun, but probably did the least for her career! She shares her thoughts about how important community education and communication is around the topics of development timeframes and scale. Links from this episode: https://www.lendlease.com/au/About your host: Kirsty Chessher-Brown is the CEO of UDIA Queensland.About Tanya: Tanya Martin is a Senior Development Manager at Lendlease and has over 20 years of planning and development experience. In her time at Lendlease Tanya achieved approvals for a number of large-scale projects including Yarrabilba and Elliott Spring and she is currently leading the team delivering Kinma Valley. In any spare time left after work and family, she enjoys good food, good company, and a good laugh – she is our kind of people.

Interview with Anthony Demiris from AVID | S2Ep5

In this episode of the Development Drum, we talk to Anthony about how his intentions to have a career in finance, actually led him to a fulfilling career in local and international, large-scale property development. We learn about his family’s passion for Cobber dogs and which sport he follows in his downtime.Links from this episode: https://avid.com.au/communities/residential/avid/qld/harmony/About your host: Kirsty Chessher-Brown is the CEO of UDIA Queensland.About Anthony: Anthony Demiris is a Project Director at Avid and leads Queensland's Development team. He was integral in establishing Avid's $3 billion Harmony project on the Sunshine Coast, which recently took out Project of the Year and Master Planned Development Award at the UDIA Queensland 2022 Awards for Excellence

Interview with Jamisen Rivera from Frasers Property Australia | S2Ep4

In this episode of the Development Drum we talk to Jamisen about adapting to the burgeoning market of build-to-rent, making the leap from marketing into property development, and the piece of leadership advice she’d give to her 20-year-old self.Links from this episode: https://www.frasersproperty.com.au/About your host: Kirsty Chessher-Brown is the CEO of UDIA Queensland.About Jamisen: Jamisen Rivera, is a Development Director at Frasers Property Group and is delivering one of Frasers’ first build-to-rent projects, Brunswick & Co, as well the riverside apartments at Hamilton Reach.Udiaqld.com.au 

Interview with Harrison Phillips from Sekisui House | S2Ep3

In this episode of the Development Drum we talk to Harrison about how he stays motivated on long-term projects, lessons learnt from community engagement, and the impact winning the Institute’s Young Leader of the Year award has had on his career.Links from this episode: https://www.sekisuihouse.com.au/About your host: Kirsty Chessher-Brown is the CEO of UDIA Queensland.About Harrison: Harrison Phillips is the Queensland Project Director for Sekisui House Australia. Harrison is currently leading the team to develop the $1.2B West Village precinct in Brisbane’s West End. Harrison was the Institute’s Young Leader of the Year for 2021.Udiaqld.com.au 

Interview with Paul McManus from KubUnity | S2Ep2

In this episode of the Development Drum we hear from Paul about his passion for delivering affordable housing, how he moved his ‘hobby’ in development to a career, and how he finds his networks and mentors.Links from this episode: https://kubunity.com.au/homeAbout your host: Kirsty Chessher-Brown is the CEO of UDIA Queensland.About Paul: Property was always in Paul’s blood; acquiring his first property at 19. After undertaking a few projects as a “hobby”, Paul transitioned to pursuing property development full-time. Kubunity took out the Institute’s Award for Excellence for Affordable Housing last year.udiaqld.com.au

Interview with Dan Gibson from RPS | S2Ep1

In this episode of the Development Drum we talk about how Dan stays connected to his team, his experience of going through an acquisition, finding purpose and a work-life balance, plus tips for his 20-year-old self.Links from this episode: https://www.rpsgroup.comAbout your host: Kirsty Chessher-Brown is the CEO of UDIA Queensland.About Dan: Dan Gibson is the Regional General Manager, SEQ at RPS and manages a large team of 120 technical experts. An urban designer and a lifelong resident of SEQ, Dan has contributed to many of the region’s most well-known urban development projects.Udiaqld.com.au 

Interview with Don O’Rorke from Consolidated Properties Group

In this episode we talk about Don’s plans for the company, his team, their portfolio, and the current opportunities in the market in light of current conditions. Links from this episode: https://www.consolidatedpropertiesgroup.com.au/About your host: Chelsea van Riet is the UDIA Queensland’s Director of Research and Engagement.About Don: As a founding member of Consolidated Properties Group, Don has successfully shaped the business over 40 years to its current $2.3 billion development pipeline.