Value-driven strategic directorship of complex projects and initiatives

Approach

COLLABORATE

To successfully solve your challenges and capitalise on opportunities, we harness the experience, knowledge and untapped ideas of your multi-disciplinary stakeholders. We create fundamental clarity of your current situation, articulate a shared stakeholder vision and define the success criteria. 

PLAN

To achieve your project/initiatives success criteria we articulate a no-nonsense solution. We map the strategic milestones and scenario pathways, actionable time-based tasks and forecast contingencies. We provide clarity of the destination, the road map and the investment.

DELIVER

We will deliver your objectives because we commit to ‘stay the course’. We lead project control groups, facilitate communication, drive accountability of contributors and celebrate accomplished outcomes. With precision and discipline, we stand behind our co-created solutions and the plan.

Your business will benefit from our expertise and practice that consistently develops and delivers market-disruptive solutions befitting your high-value challenges, opportunities, projects and commercial initiatives. The benefits you will realise include:

Benefits

  • Expert strategic and tactical advice for Boards, Owners, CEOs and Executive teams

  • Independent, proactive, passionate and expert leadership of teams and initiatives

  • Alignment of your organisation’s purpose and brand promise with deliverables

  • Establishment and sustained momentum of your high-value projects and initiatives

  • Accurate and clear strategic road maps, timelines and investment delivery

  • Delivery of internal and external stakeholders’ accountability

  • Gifting business leaders more time to focus on core responsibilities

About Peter

Peter’s exceptional knowledge and experience of commercial, government and political participants in the region, coupled with his reputation and integrity, enables him to connect your organisation with the capabilities necessary to establish unifying visions that disrupt the norm. Peter combines a pragmatic project-based discipline with an infectious human-centered enthusiasm to strategically deliver targeted outcomes.

Peter is an accomplished executive who has over 35 years’ experience successfully managing, facilitating and developing complex private and public organisations. His industry experience includes management across a range of sectors; property precinct planning; project development; ports and logistics; startup and innovation; retail; tourism; sport and recreation; and economic development.

Peter passionately applies his expertise and experience to assist organisations to “be strategically courageous” while simultaneously delivering economic, social and environmental outcomes. Outcomes which are synergistic and provide mutual and sustainable benefit for investors, customers, and the community.

Our experience has been gained servicing a diverse client base including ASX-listed and private companies, not-for-profits, startup and scaleup enterprises.

We operate in a range of sectors, aligned to our experience, focused on: property investment, planning, development and management; social, affordable and needs-based housing; infrastructure; logistics and ports. Where appropriate we utilise our public sector relationships to facilitate collaborations with government officers and elected representatives.  Our client’s projects and initiatives are geographically located along the eastern seaboard extending north from metropolitan Sydney to northern Queensland.

Experience

  • • Origin Energy Eraring Services

    • Ingenia Communities

    • Rose Living

    • Green Capital Group

    • Hunter Group

    • Home in Place (formally Compass Housing)

    • Commercial Collective

    • Alda Properties

    • Urban Villager

    • Biraban Aboriginal Land Council

    • Riverview Liverpool

    • SEATA

  • Utilising the full breadth and depth of our public and private and industry sector experiences we customise our service to meet each client’s unique circumstances.

    To protect our clients’ privacy, the projects below are described in general terms.

    • Provided strategic directorship of pre, during and post-planning approval activities to achieve timely above target ROI

    • Facilitated private and public sector Project Control Groups (PCG) to expedite critical project milestones

    • Led multidisciplinary teams to plan and deliver master planning of multi-use investments at precinct and town centre scales

    • Initiated and directed complex – off market, englobo acquisitions

    • Facilitated Project Control Groups (PCG’s) between otherwise competing investors to achieve cooperation and project goals

    • Provided strategic and tactical advice for CEO and senior executive

    • Developed governance and growth strategy for scaleup organisations, oversaw and guided implementation

    • Undertook whole of organisation and divisional level restructure and stewarded delivery of the same

    • Created ‘burning platforms’ for project/initiatives to be supported by diverse stakeholders

    • Secured approvals and collaborative support from local and state government to progress stalled and significant projects

    • Successfully advocated and represented clients’ needs to local and state elected representatives

    • Delivered initiatives to address housing supply, affordability and homelessness issues

    • Developed and implemented governance and systems improvements

    • Provided mentoring and coaching to owners, directors and executives

    • Improved organisational governance and performance by taking on Non-Executive Independent Chair and board roles

  • • Master of Business General Management (with Distinction)

    • Graduate Diploma of Management

    • Bachelor of Arts

    • Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors

    • NSW Real Estate Licensee.

  • Peter was CEO of Dantia (the unique Lake Macquarie City Economic Development Company) 2017-2020. In this time the organisation attracted and facilitated the delivery of over 70 projects. The associated $564m delivered investments diversified the economy, created over 5,000 jobs, improved sovereign manufacturing and rectified essential soft and hard infrastructure gaps at a city-wide scale. Peter pioneered his collaborate – plan – deliver approach here resulting in adaptive reuse of brownfield industrial and mining lands. Under Peter’s leadership the organisation delivered a staggering 51x ROI and built a $3.1 billion investment pipeline of future projects for the city.

  • As Executive Manager of Trade and Business Development at Port of Newcastle (2012-2017), Peter was a member of the executive team that delivered a 27x earnings sale of the asset. He oversaw the diversification of port business, introducing new capabilities for fuel, grain, project cargo, defence and commercial shipbuilding and cruise operations. Peter achieved commercial close for a $850m container terminal and oversaw over 100 other commercial and industrial lease transactions.

  • Peter led the $470m redevelopment of Charlestown Square while General Manager of the Hunter region’s largest retail centre from 2003-2011. He implemented projects that saw the centre: move from 17th to 3rd most productive nationally; and become the most environmentally sustainable centre in Australia at the time. From 2011-2012, he managed GPT’s Rouse Hill Town Centre and prepared it for the arrival of the Northwest Rail Line.

  • Peter has actively contributed to boards in a non-Executive Director and Chair capacities contributing to mission-locked strategies associated with governance and policy development in organisations focused on eradicating homelessness, addressing housing supply and affordability including at Compass Housing, My Place Property and with the Anglican Savings and Development Bank, leveraging and utilising capital to address complex and competing priorities.

  • Peter held executive positions at Centennial Park Moore Park Trust and Blacktown International Sportspark, two of the State’s premier tourism, sport and events assets where he led strategic venue and event management activities before, during and post the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Sectors

  • "Peter has been very effective, not just with the political and strategic issues involved with a rezoning application, but also navigating the nuances and challenges involved in creating a cohesive Project Control Group team consisting of multiple developers. I would not hesitate to recommend his services."

    — Alice Joy —

    CEO & Co-Founder Urban Villager

  • "Pete is focussed and driven. He thrives on making deals happen and working the angles necessary to do this through a strong book of connections. Peter has an in-depth knowledge of business at all levels and the ability to improve culture and unify work teams. "

    — Matt Kearney —

    Partner & Director of Development & Capital Markets - Commercial Collective

  • "Peter Francis is an executive leader who is a mentor to complex organisations, their executives, and Boards in supporting sustainable organisational change. His extensive diverse corporate experience and background is hugely insightful and motivating and a strength that combines well with his energetic approach. Peter is a brilliant communicator and concerted collaborator, possessing a rare ability to promptly define corporate challenges and offer fit-for-purpose solutions. Peter stands by his recommendations, working with his clients through implementing improvement pathways. I’d highly recommend Peter to any organisation seeking change or leadership coaching."

    — Scott Bacon —

    Director of Shield Assets Pty Limited

  • "Peter has been assisting our company on various property developments over the past 12 months. Peter is dedicated, driven and highly knowledgeable in his field and achieves promised outcomes. I highly recommend Peter to anyone needing property development assistance."

    — Bryan Rose —

    Managing Director - Rose Group

  • "I would like to commend Peter Francis for his very professional, efficient, and effective business consultancy, as well as for project management of complex projects and related policy and process development. They have been areas of expertise utilised by Home in Place (Compass Housing), with excellent results. Regular and quality communication with internal stakeholders, and a good capability to refine, adjust and adapt to the dynamics of organisational development are also a strong suit. I recommend Peter to any organisation seeking those attributes in a business consultant."

    — Greg Budworth —

    Group Managing Director - Home in Place

  • "We worked with Peter on a large residential subdivision rezoning on the Central Coast. Peter’s communication skills and collaborative approach were instrumental in bringing together various levels of government to achieve a positive outcome."

    — Ian Stewart —

    Director - Barker Ryan Stewart

  • "Peter is exceptional in every respect - professionalism, innovative approach, relationship development capability, development of commercial planning, negotiations, and commercial savviness. Gets things done, meeting the required goals. Strong on community, understanding government and civic role and commitment."

    — Jennifer Anderson —

    Senior Development Manager, Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation

  • "I have known Peter professionally for more than a decade. I can attest to his management expertise, broad experience across a range of sectors, connectivity, enthusiasm and integrity. He has a disciplined, strategic, outcomes driven approach to overcoming challenges. Peter has realized extraordinary results in different sectors. I have no hesitation recommending Peter to those seeking expert management and business development advice and associated services."

    — Rob Tew —

    Director - Tew Property Consultants/Certified Practicing Valuer

    Director – SEATA Holdings Pty Limited

  • "We have known Peter in a professional capacity for over a decade. We met Peter on the opposite side of the negotiation table dealing with a state significant infrastructure project worth in excess of a billion dollars. Peter led negotiations with professionalism, integrity and distinction. His laser focus on subject matter was complemented with a meticulous eye for detail. We have no hesitation recommending Peter for any range of management consultancy. His business insight and commercial acumen are first class, and he has much to contribute and a valuable perspective to offer, to a diverse range of businesses and industries."

    — Andrew Setchell —

    Director - Anglo Ports

  • "Having worked with Peter on numerous projects over many years I consider him to be a respected and trusted leader, a commercially astute businessman and a person of the highest order with regard to his values and ethics. Not one to shy away from a tough conversation, Peter approaches his work from a position of openness, transparency and honesty."

    — Paul Sneddon —

    Director Executive Recruitment - Rarekind

  • "Peter is a strong leader and a visionary. He has the unique ability to articulate and deliver highly complex, large-scale projects with ease. He brings stakeholders together and can forge collaboration between parties with differing views to achieve collaboration and mutually beneficial outcomes."

    — Lara Grierson —

    Director, Marketing - GWG Recruitment

  • "Peter is a one-in-a-million, visionary leader. His ability to lead a team, collaboratively develop strategies and execute their implementation is second-to-none. I count myself very lucky to have worked closely with Peter and to have learned from such a personable and effective leader."

    — Harry Balding —

    Product Manager - Avbetta, LLC

  • “…Peter Francis... has always been punctual, reliable, evincing a strong sense of responsibility. I have trusted him completely with finance matters... he has always had regard for my interest... has a disciplined outlook and principled character…”

    — Sir Roden Cutler (24 May 1916 – 21 February 2002) —

    V.C., A.K., K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O., C.B.E (1992)

  • “I have found Peter to be a man of great leadership, well organised and very professional in his duties… I found him to be most cooperative and conscientious. He exhibits a high level of initiative, responsibility, honesty and trust…”

    — Dawn Fraser (AC, MBE) —

  • “… undoubtedly you have achieved in 16 months, what was expected to be achieved in 3-4 years. A platform, which will enable NSW Indoor Soccer, to sustain in a structured, strategic environment with substantial growth for years to come. Your drive and energy, your commitment to the NSW board and its objectives and your constant challenging will be missed."

    — Mike Bushe —

    Chairman