Former UDIA president Darren Cooper will take over as chair of DevelopmentWA following George McCullagh’s resignation at the end of this month.
Former Urban Development Institute of Australia president Darren Cooper will take over as chair of DevelopmentWA following George McCullagh’s resignation at the end of this month.
Mr Cooper, who holds positions on the boards of ASX-listed The GO2 People and Spectur, was president of the UDIA as well as a national councillor for the association in the 2000s.
He has also held executive positions with Blackburne and Peet in the 2010s.
Mr McCullagh, meanwhile, served as the agency’s chair for the past decade; prior to that, he held notable positions within Deloitte and Cressida Consulting.
His exist coincides with the retirement of Simon Read from DevelopmentWA’s board.
Mr Read, who has previously worked with Deloitte, BDO and PBB Advisory, will be replaced by Reg Gillard.
Mr Gillard has previously chaired several ASX-listed mining companies, including Perseus Mining, Equus Mining and Tiger Resources.
Lands Minister Tony Buti commended Messrs Cooper and Gillard’s breadth of knowledge and value to DevelopmentWA’s board.
“I'd also like to thank George McCullagh and Simon Read for more than a decade of service to LandCorp, MRA and DevelopmentWA since they were appointed in 2010,” he said.
"During this time, they've overseen some of WA's most significant developments including the build out of Elizabeth Quay, Perth City Link, expansion at the Australian Marine Complex and the transformation of the Karratha City Centre.
“George was particularly influential in the creation of DevelopmentWA.
“His expertise as a conduit between government and industry stakeholders throughout the merger process played a major part in the smooth transition to a new, larger organisation.
“As chair of the board's audit and risk management committee, Simon was particularly influential in developing robust financial, risk and audit aspects of the business, which has underpinned the agency's ongoing financial health and sustainability.
“Both George and Simon leave behind lasting positive legacies.”
DevelopmentWA was formed in 2019 by the merger of Landcorp and the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority.
It’s currently the state’s sixth largest land developer as ranked by number of lost expected to be completed and sold this financial year, per Data & Insights.
