Zorbas takes reins of Property Council

THE NATIONAL property industry has a new leading advocacy voice with Mike Zorbas taking over as chief executive officer of the Property Council.

Mr Zorbas had been on the council’s executive team since 2018 managing the policy and advocacy portfolio, before the peak body announced last week he would take over as its new boss.

He briefly shared the top job with Jane Fitzgerald as joint-acting CEOs until the appointment was confirmed last week.

Mr Zorbas’ other recent experience has included roles on the boards of the Sydney Institute, Livable Houing Australia and formerly the Committee for Sydney.

The new leader said he was “honoured” to take the job and said he would aim to be a strong voice for the organisation’s membership.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

Property Council president David Harrison said he was confident Mr Zorbas would be a “strong and respected voice for our industry”.

“He is knowledgeable and passionate about the role property plays in shaping our cities for the better and he understands and champions members’ interests across the country.

“Mike has the vision to lead our industry forward in challenging times and his ability to engage with governments at all levels is a significant asset as the regulatory environment becomes increasingly complex.

Mr Harrison also paid tribute to departed CEO Ken Morrison, who ended an eight-year stint at the Property Council’s helm last year.

“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.”