People on the Move

Nathan Dal Bon is inaugural CEO of the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation. Sustainability stalwart Chris Luscombe retires after 25 years of service to property. And Architectus and Aurecon appoint new female leaders.

Nathan Dal Bon has been appointed inaugural chief executive officer of the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation. Dal Bon, previously a senior Commonwealth Treasury official, led the Treasury team that established the NHFIC and has been its interim CEO since September.

Aurecon has added two more female senior leaders to its global executive leadership team, with Louise Adams (pictured left) appointed as managing director Australia and New Zealand, and Francoise Merit as global chief financial officer. Adams, previously regional director responsible for Aurecon’s South Australian and Victorian practice, was the first female member of Aurecon’s global board. Merit was previously CFO for Australia and New Zealand. Meanwhile, former CFO Andrew Muller takes on the role of chief operating officer.

Chris Luscombe, head of operations and sustainability at Charter Hall, is retiring after 25 years of service to the property industry. Luscombe spent 19 years with Mirvac, and by the time of his departure was general manager of asset management with responsibility for the property management, engineering and operations of assets worth $7.5 billion in value. Luscombe has been a vocal champion of environmental sustainability and the NABERS rating system.

Architectus has appointed a new principal, Sophie Cleland, who joins the firm from ARM Architecture. Cleland has worked on public projects from the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games athlete’s village to the National Museum of Australia.

Urbis has appointed transport planner and traffic engineer Graham McCabe to lead its new transport advisory service. McCabe boasts a track record that includes projects such as City of Sydney’s bicycle plan and Western Sydney Airport ground transport plan, as well as the integrated transport system for Davao – the third largest city in the Philippines.

Kathryn Walker joins commercial law firm Piper Alderman as an environment, energy and infrastructure partner in Adelaide. Walker’s experience, most recently with Cowell Clarke, includes experience includes representing stakeholders in South Australia’s first electricity buying group, advising on South Australia’s Big Battery Project, providing advice on the National Electricity Market compliance and advising on renewable energy projects.

Arcadis has appointed Lisa Samways to the position of client and sales executive director for Australia Pacific. Samways was previously Arcadis’ business leader for national buildings design in Australia, and takes on the new role following Stephen Uhr’s appointment as executive director Asia Pacific for clients, innovation and strategy.

Savills Australia has welcomed a new director, Brad Esler (pictured right), to lead the Victorian industrial and business services division. Esler joins Savills from JLL, where he started as a valuer in 2007 before transitioning into an investment specialist role. Over in Perth, Savills has boosted its office leasing team with the appointment of Mark Stanhope as an associate director. Stanhope previously operated his own interior design and architectural practice for 10 years. And Savills is preparing for a bumper new year in Sydney’s CBD and fringe suburbs, welcoming a new state director, Tom Mott, to lead the office leasing division. Mott joins Savills from JLL, where he was a senior director in the Sydney CBD office leasing team.

Murray Wood has been appointed partner for Knight Frank’s residential project marketing in Australia. Having previously worked with JLL, Colliers and most recently CBRE, Wood has led marketing of prestige projects including Barangaroo Stage 1, the three stages of Darling Square and the iconic Opera Residences at Circular Quay.

Following its acquisition of New Zealand-based project management firm Xigo in November, TSA Management has acquired Canberra-based Xact. Chief executive Andrew Wilson will lead the team of more than 280 project management specialists.