Management Committee

Mike is Lead Deloitte Partner for Queensland Government and founder of Deloitte’s Global Economics Institute.

Having first led Deloitte Access Economics in Australia, Mike has now led the expansion of a global practice across 20 countries.  The result has been significant global influence around the most important issues in society, including economic development, climate change, Covid-19, future of work, and digital disruption.  For example, the Great Barrier Reef perspective was covered by 1,100 media outlets, shortlisted for a Cannes Lions award, and influenced $500m to saving the Reef.

Over the last 25 years, Mike has held several senior executive and board roles in both the public and private sector in Brisbane, including Senior Deloitte Partner, Queensland Government Senior Executive and Hospital CEO. Mike is also well known for numerous local community impact work including mental health and First Nations.

Mike has three daughters and commits every day to a better future for all.

Shannon Willoughby is The University of Queensland’s Director for Government Relations and Policy. Working with the Vice-Chancellor and President, Shannon drives strategic engagement with government to support new partnerships and influence policy – particularly in priority industries and sectors of focus, including the bioeconomy, energy transformation, the biomedical sector, workforce and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Shannon previously ran the State Government’s International Education and Training strategy, working across the state and internationally to grow the service export and enhancing student experience amongst Queensland education visitors. Shannon was also the CEO of Study Gold Coast, and a former chief reporter at News Limited. She sits on a number of boards and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is passionate about advocating for the education, training and research sector and the great role it has in Brisbane, Queensland and wider Australia. She is also a strong champion for the sector having a more visible role in city development.

Jacob is a Brisbane-based planner working at the Brisbane Lions, where he manages strategic planning, infrastructure projects and stakeholder relations for one of Australia’s most iconic sporting clubs.

He was named Queensland’s PIA Young Planner of the Year in 2015 and the AFL’s national ‘Play To Win’ Champion in 2016.

Jacob managed the design process, funding strategy and project delivery of the Brisbane Lions’ $82 million boutique stadium and high performance precinct at Greater Springfield. Brighton Homes Arena will is transformative for the AFL Club’s community and commercial reach and is an exciting wellbeing and entertainment precinct at the heart of Australia’s largest master-planned community.

Jacob holds a Master of Urban and Environmental Planning degree from Griffith University and a Bachelor of Science in Conservation Ecology from the University of Melbourne. He serves as a Justice of the Peace (Qualified).

Jacob has extensive experience in strategic planning and community & stakeholder engagement. He formerly managed government and inter-sport liaison for the AFL to identify future facility sites and modes of program delivery to meet changing community recreation demands.

Meredith is a Senior Principal Town Planner at Tract where she leads the Queensland Planning and Urban Design team. In this role, Meredith works on a range of projects in the residential, healthcare, recreation and commercial sectors throughout South East and Regional Queensland. With experience as a town planner in local government and private sector, Meredith is well versed in statutory legislation interpretation and application, project coordination and the leadership and management of multi-disciplinary consultant teams.

Meredith has been actively involved with the Committee for Brisbane, particularly in the initial production of the Brisbane 2033: Our Olympics and Paralympics Legacies Phase 1 paper.

Meredith is also an active member of the Planning Institute of Australia and Urban Development Institute of Australia, regularly participating in mentoring, committees and policy driven initiatives for these organisations.

Tony is a Business Services Partner with BDO in Brisbane. His approach is based on longstanding and close working relationships with clients to ‘partner’ with them in their businesses.

Tony provides taxation, commercial, strategic and succession advice to a wide range of clients, including family owned and operated businesses and high net worth clients. He advises on estate planning, and has acted as executor and attorney on a number of complex estates.

Tony joined BDO in 1980 and has worked across a range of service lines and industries including Professional Services, Property & Construction and Not-For-Profits.

Dr Caroline Riot is Director, Games Engagement and Partnerships at Griffith University and is leading the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic engagement for the University. As Senior Lecturer in Sport Management with Griffith Business School, Caroline brings expertise in high performance sport, elite athlete development, community engagement and wellbeing. She is highly respected in the Olympic movement, with strong business and government networks and a track record of achievement particularly in the Oceania region.

Caroline worked with the International Olympic Committee across eight countries, is a two-time recipient of International Olympic Academy (IOA, Olympia Greece) nominations, and has represented Australia at international seminars on Olympic studies. Caroline chaired the Queensland Olympic Council Education Committee, was inaugural Chair of Special Olympics Queensland (Logan City), delivered pre-Sydney 2000 Olympic training experiences for international delegates with Queensland Government International Sport Unit, and was delegate at Athens 2004 and Vancouver 2012 pre-Olympic conferences.

Caroline is an engaging and pro-active leader of partnerships across universities, industry, government, community and non-profit sectors, and is passionate about bringing Queenslanders along the journey to Brisbane 2032 to ensure enduring legacies for all people, in areas of employment and training, regional and economic development, social justice, sport and health.

David is Executive Director, Enigma Brisbane. He is a senior marketing professional with over two decades of experience across various categories. After graduating from QUT, David started his career in Sydney and has worked in some of the most successful creative agencies in Sydney and London, before returning to Brisbane.

Enigma is a full-service agency, offering branding, advertising, media and digital. David leads the Brisbane office working with clients to help them stand out, grow and build competitive advantage. David is an active member of the Committee for Brisbane, through Corporate Leader membership, event attendance and workshop participation, recently being part of the group to establish the Creative Brisbane Collab.

Gene is the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Programs) for the Queensland University of Technology where she leads University-wide strategic projects and initiatives.

Following a brief career as a professional ballet dancer, Gene retrained as a Sport and Exercise Psychologist for the past 20+ years and has worked across the elite sport, performing arts and corporate sectors focusing upon the application of, and research into, performance psychology and performance enhancement.

She has significant experience in working with and leading multidisciplinary teams within high performance settings including the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia, the Australian Institute of Sport, the Queensland Academy of Sport, and The Australian Ballet School, and has worked in Senior Executive and Management roles across a range of industries and private sector organisations operating across Australia, New Zealand, North America, and the United Kingdom within the allied health, employment, training, mining, energy, and safety areas.

She is currently a Non-Executive Advisory Council Member of b.partners, an Advisory Member of the Psychology Board of Australia’s Code Expert Advisory Group, an Assessor and Mentor for Arts QLD, a member of the Mental Health Working Group for the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) and a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society.

Gene previously served on a range of boards and committees including as a Non-Executive Director of the Queensland Ballet, Practitioner Member of the Queensland Board of the Psychology Board of Australia, National Chair – Australian Psychological Society College of Sport and Exercise Psychologists, and President of Ausdance National.

Karryn Wheelans is an experienced multi-media and communications executive, who General Manager Corporate Affairs (acting) and the Group Head of Media for The Star Entertainment Group. 

Karryn transitioned from broadcast journalism to Corporate Affairs 10 years ago and has amassed high value skills in issues management, government relations, partnerships and stakeholder engagement across a wide reach of industries including media, sport, tourism and the arts. Moreso in her current role across the Australian hospitality and the gaming sectors. 

She has extensive knowledge of the broadcast industry both radio and television, working at the Nine and Seven Networks and the ABC, as well as senior producing experience that included the 2008 Olympics. 

She is an elected Director of Gymnastics Australia and Deputy Convener of the Women in Media Committee Queensland. 

Dai Gwynne-Jones has through the line communications experience and has worked in senior sales and marketing leadership roles across a wide variety of business on both agency and client side. With a strong reputation and network within the Queensland marketplace, he has a passion for driving innovation, change and growth. Dai is a director of Portfolio, one of Queensland’s most established advertising agencies and has particular strengths in corporate branding and logo development, with significant experience across the property and financial services industries.

He has delivered multiple strategic and creative solutions to a wide variety of major corporations and organisations. He is dedicated to developing equitable future for our city and is a current director of Communify.  Dai was a former management committee member for 7 years and is a past Secretary of C4B and currently sits on the Equity subcommittee.

Peter is an award-winning architect, an accomplished and recognised urbanist, and a leading figure in Queensland’s urban design community.

Peter is the Founding Director of Archipelago – an integrated architecture, urban design, and landscape architecture practice and one of Australia’s leading city-making design firms.

With over thirty years of experience in architecture and urban design, Peter provides leadership, design expertise and strategic thinking to the major projects shaping our nation’s cities. Peter combines work on major projects with key involvement in urban design professional bodies. He is regularly sought as a design leader, city-making expert and public speaker who authors and facilitates design enquiry and continues to advocate publicly for better cities through design.

Peter is a TEDx Alumni, past President of the Urban Design Alliance Qld, and a founding member of the Queensland Urban Design and Placemaking Panel, a member of the Griffith University Cities Research Institutes Advisory Council and sits on a number of industry boards and panels.

Currently a Committee for Brisbane Corporate Member, Peter is a long-standing supporter of CFB events through attendance, sponsorship and participation in speaking roles, and is a current member of the Committee for Brisbane 2032 Olympics Legacy Subcommittee.

Paul Coory created COHA Group Project Management because he saw a gap in the design and construction market – where the quality of client advocacy was not what it could be. Paul possesses a unique combination of skill sets having worked in architectural practices, in property development and construction companies.

This unique combination across all three professions positions Paul, and by extension COHA Group, perfectly to represent their clients’ interests more effectively, adding tangible value throughout every phase of a project.

COHA Group works across multiple sectors particularly sport and leisure, entertainment, and hospitality.  It is COHA Group’s work in the Sports Infrastructure space that has captured Paul’s passion. Having delivered the Brisbane Lions’ Brighton Homes Arena in Springfield and currently working with three AFL clubs, COHA Group have a long list of sporting clients, covering sports such as rugby, rugby league, soccer, baseball, basketball, cricket, and more.  As preferred supplier of Project Management services for Department of Tourism, Innovation & Sport, COHA Group prides itself as a leader in the delivery of sports projects.

Paul is a current committee member on the Committee For Brisbane’s Sports Hub Sub-committee and Enterprise Sub Committee.

Paul’s personal passion for the advancement of the sporting landscape in QLD and to make this state the sporting capital of Australia where many of the governing bodies for the major sports in this country should be relocating to the Olympic state in the coming years.

Matthew has over 25 years’ experience in the property industry with an extensive background in large scale mixed use urban regeneration projects in both Australia and the UK. Matthew is the Project Director leading the 2.5bn city shaping Waterfront Brisbane transformation of Brisbane’s premium workplace precinct and riverfront dining destination. A passionate contributor to the property industry in Brisbane and holds qualifications in Regional and Town Planning and Masters of Business Administration. 

Stuart has been a partner at McCullough Robertson for 25 years and is a specialist Planning and Environment lawyer, practising exclusively in town planning, property development, local government, heritage and environmental law for over 35 years. 

 Stuart is a keen observer of urban planning and its outcomes and has extensive experience in working for developers, Local and State Government and GOC’s relating to urban development including master planned communities, waste operations and the circular economy, environmental issues, and complex infrastructure planning and funding, particularly in greenfield developments. 

Stuart’s community  and volunteering history includes:  

• Queensland Environmental Law Association Management Committee (QELA) for over 16 years holding all ordinary membership and executive positions including President, at least once.  

• Board – Brisbane Open House, having been involved for 10 years including establishment as limited liability company.  Retired in 2022 to afford Board regeneration opportunities. 

• Property Council of Australia (PCA) –   active committee member for the ‘s Planning Committee and mentor in the PCA Mentoring program;  

• supporter of the Committee for Brisbane  (and its predecessor) for many years; and 

• an active supporter of the numerous arts organisations in SEQ and Northern NSW. 

Stuart has a small hobby farm in the Scenic Rim with his wife Annie and son Hamish.  He is known to many on the Management Committee and Past Presidents and thinks now it is time to contribute directly.