The Government has appointed Mr Adrian Harrington as the part‑time Chair and Member of the Board of the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC), and Mr Kelvin Ryan and Ms Jane Hewitt as part‑time Members of the NHFIC Board. Mr Harrington and Mr Ryan have been appointed for a five‑year period commencing from 19 July 2021. Ms Hewitt has been appointed for a three‑year period from 26 July 2021.
NHFIC is a corporate Commonwealth entity dedicated to improving housing outcomes for Australians. NHFIC is focused on assisting first home buyers and single parents into the market, increasing supply of affordable and social housing and contributing to housing research in Australia.
Mr Harrington has 30 years of experience in the funds management and real estate sectors. He is currently a senior executive at Charter Hall, an ASX‑listed real estate funds manager, and Independent Chairperson and Director of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI). He has been a part‑time Member of the NHFIC Board since 2018. Upon his appointment to the position of NHFIC Chair, Mr Harrington steps down as the Independent Chairperson and Director of AHURI.
Mr Ryan has extensive experience in housing construction and is a former CEO of various major housing developers including Simonds Group and BGC Residential. Ms Hewitt has over 27 years of experience in real estate development and asset management. She is currently a non‑executive director at Mirvac and Chair of the Beacon Foundation. Ms Hewitt was previously a non‑executive director at SGCH, a Tier 1 Community Housing Provider that provides homes for around 11,000 people across Sydney and the recipient of the largest loan from NHFIC’s recent bond issuance at $250 million.
The Government has also appointed Ms Jennifer Cunich as the part‑time Independent Chairperson and Director of AHURI and Mrs Alexandra Waldren as a part‑time Independent Director of AHURI, both for a four‑year period commencing from 19 July 2021.
AHURI is a national not‑for‑profit independent network organisation that funds, conducts, disseminates and tailors high‑quality research on housing and urban policy, and homelessness.
Ms Cunich has over 30 years’ experience in the business and property sectors. She is a former Non‑Executive Director of the Victorian Planning Authority, CEO of the Australian Institute of Architects and Executive Director of the Property Council of Australia. She has been a part‑time Director of AHURI since 2019.
Mrs Waldren is the National Director Industry Policy at Master Builders Australia. She is the current Chair of Livable Housing Australia. She has over 20 years’ experience as a government public policy adviser with expertise in transport infrastructure, aged care and regional development policy, regulatory and program management areas.
The Government thanks NHFIC’s outgoing chair, Mr Brendan Crotty, and outgoing member, Mr David Cant for their contributions to NHFIC’s work over the last three years, and Mr Harrington for his contribution to AHURI’s work over the last six years.