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Property Council of Australia appoints new chief executive

The Property Council of Australia today announced the appointment of Mike Zorbas as the new chief executive of the organisation.

Zorbas, who is currently the Property Council’s group executive policy and advocacy, will commence in the role today. He is the fifth CEO in the 54 year history of the organisation, which represents the industry nationally and in every state and territory.

Zorbas has jointly acted in the chief executive role since December. He previously served as group head of government, media and industry affairs at Lendlease Australia, group head of strategy and corporate communications at Grocon and general manager of government relations at Stockland, roles in which engaged governments around the country. Before these roles, Zorbas served as the Property Council’s chief advocate to the Australian Parliament.

National president of the Property Council David Harrison said the board of directors felt Zorbas possessed the required industry insight, track record of positive policy outcomes and people leadership, and a deep understanding of members’ interests needed to deliver the Property Council’s ambitious three-year strategic plan.

“I am delighted Mike will continue his great work for our industry as the Property Council’s new Chief Executive,” Harrison said.

“He is a strong and respected voice for our industry,” he added.

“I am honoured to accept this role and will ensure we continue to be the strongest voice for our members in challenging times,” Zorbas said.

“With our three-year strategy in place, I look forward to working with members, allies and all levels of government to unlock the potential of our great Australian cities.

“Australia needs to harness the insight and thought leadership of the property industry to get the next decade right for our communities.

“We need better planning for our cities and significantly more domestic and overseas investment.

“We must continue our globally recognised leadership on sustainability and we must help governments get smarter about creating more new and more efficient homes across the housing spectrum and across the country.

“I look forward to working with our talented Property Council team to make our increasingly diverse industry and our own organisation great places to work,” he concluded.

Harrison and Zorbas also paid tribute to previous chief executive Ken Morrison, who announced his resignation last year to pursue new opportunities after eight years as CEO and 25 years as an employee.

“Ken served a combined 25 years at the Property Council. We are grateful to him for his outstanding advocacy and commercial achievements and his loyal service and we wish him well for the next phase of his career,” Harrison said

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