Hon Nick Champion MP
Nick Champion has spent much of his working life advocating for workers’ rights and representing his local community.
Mr Champion served as Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Science and was Deputy Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade having as the Federal Member for Wakefield and Spence from 2007.
Mr Champion resigned from Federal Parliament to contest the State seat of Taylor at the 2022 State Election.
Upon his election to State Parliament, Mr Champion joined the Malinauskas Labor Government’s Cabinet holding the economic development portfolios of Trade and Investment, Housing and Urban Development, and Planning, as he strives to deliver economic growth and plan for the future of South Australia.
Following changes to Cabinet made in April 2024. Mr Champion now holds the portfolios of Housing and Urban Development, Housing Infrastructure, and Planning.
The Presiding Member and Board of the SA Housing Trust are appointed under the South Australian Housing Trust Act 1995 and are responsible to the Minister for Housing and Urban Development for overseeing the operations of the Trust. The Presiding Member of the SA Housing Trust’s seven-member Board is Mary Patetsos AM.
The Board’s Aspirations for the SA Housing Trust
To provide security and safety, as well as breaking, intergenerational cycles, by creating healthy homes and support services so all South Australians can access sustainable housing.
Our Board members
Mary Patetsos AM
Mary Patetsos AM is a professional non-Executive Board Director serving on both national and South Australian boards.
Mary is a passionate South Australian with strong National and Global networks and has experience in a range of areas especially in health, community services, local government, aged care and housing. Her background ranges from academic studies in sociology, social work, psychology and economics to extensive practical experience with government, community and private sectors.
Mary is on a number of Councils and Commissions with a rare blend of academic qualifications and expertise and brings a commitment to social justice and community development and extensive governance experience.
Samuel Moore
Sam Moore is an experienced international finance professional and lawyer. For over 25 years, Sam has worked across all aspects of financial services including structured finance, capital raisings, mergers and acquisitions, credit, lending, operations and products, including as a lawyer both in Australia and Europe specialising in international cross border structured finance transactions.
He is the Managing Director of Capital Prudential, a real estate funds management business, and is also a Board member of not-for-profit, KIK Innovation, which operates the free coding school, 42.
Sam previously held Board and senior management positions at Rural Bank Limited and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank and was a Board member of the Social Impact Investment Network of South Australia. Sam has also previously been a Director of Homesafe Solutions a specialist fund manager in the retirement sector. Sam is the current Chair of the South Australian Housing Trust Audit, Risk and Finance Committee.
Andrew Beer
Professor Andrew Beer is Executive Dean, UniSA Business, the University of South Australia. He is a Fellow of the UK’s Academy of Social Sciences and a Fellow of the Regional Australia Institute and serves as a board member of the South Australian Housing Trust.
Professor Beer is a former Chair of the Regional Studies Association, a global scholarly association based in England and Brussels and currently chairs their publication committee.
Professor Beer has undertaken research, provided policy advice and consulted on a range of issues including the impacts of structural change in economies, the strategies needed to sustain businesses in regions, population dynamics and demography, housing and the needs of older Australians.
Glenise Coulthard AM
Glenise Coulthard AM is an Adnyamathanha Woman from the Flinders Ranges and has extensive experience in the public sector. She has previously held a position as Director Aboriginal Health in the Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network, SA Health and led several state projects on Children’s Health, Family Birthing, Otitis Media & Renal Health from operations at Port Augusta Hospital and other regional health services during her career.
Glenise is a recipient of a Churchill Fellowship in 1996, travelling to New Zealand and the United States to view First Nations Children and Women’s Programs. Glenise is Deputy chair of Ninti One Limited Board and has served on the Board of the Royal Flying Doctor Service for more than 20 years.
Glenise also sits on the South Australian Aboriginal Advisory Council, a position she has held for the past 5 years.
Louise Small
Louise is an experienced company director and executive with more than 25 years in the banking and finance sector, including senior roles with Adelaide Bank and as State Manager SA/NT for Mortgage Choice. She is a current director of the SANFL and Credit Union.
She is a driven ambassador for improving inclusion and diversity in the workplace and community. She is currently General Manager with multi award winning Adelaide building firm Turnbull Built and recent recipient of the Housing Industry Association of SA’s Professional Women’s Award and Small Business Management Award.
A passionate advocate for women’s sport, Louise is a former State League netballer and premiership captain with Matrics Netball Club, Australian representative in Indoor Netball, assistant coach for the Adelaide Thunderbirds and AFLW Player Development Manager for the Adelaide Football Club.
Craig Holden
Craig has an Honours Degree in Architecture, a Graduate Diploma in Building Project Management, is a licensed commercial builder, a licensed land agent and is a developer of city residential apartment buildings with his company Forme Projex.
Craig is the Chair of the State Planning Commission SA and a board director of the ACH Group.
Craig’s career encompasses architecture, project management, construction, real estate and development.
Chelsea Lucas
Chelsea is an experienced public servant and the current Manager of Governance and Legislation at the Department for Housing and Urban Development. She brings extensive experience in planning policy and has played a key role in the funding, design and delivery of new infrastructure and housing projects.
Chelsea has a Bachelor of Design Studies (Architecture Major), Honours Degree in Law and a Masters Degree in Urban and Regional Planning.
Julie-Anne Burgess
Julie-Anne is the new Chief Executive of the SA Housing Trust and will commence on 28 April.
She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the South Australian Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). She has extensive experience across South Australian government having worked as an Executive in the Department for Trade and Investment, Department of Treasury and Finance, Courts Administration Authority and SA Health.
She commenced her career as a Podiatrist and worked clinically before moving through academia and into health leadership. Her career has spanned the public sector in Tasmania, NSW, Queensland and Adelaide.
Julie-Anne’s leadership skills have been developed in her various roles across the public sector and augmented through the life lessons of being a part of a family.
Head, Aboriginal Housing
Cheryl Axleby-Keeffe
Cheryl is a proud Nurungga woman with extensive experience working within both federal and South Australian government sectors, the Aboriginal community sector, law and justice, human rights, women's issues, Aboriginal family violence, youth justice, child and youth; family services, Closing the Gap and was the SA co-Convenor for the Uluru Dialogues.
She held the role of Alternate Deputy Chair for South Australian-Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Commission Patpa Warra Yunti Regional Council. Cheryl held the role as CEO of Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement from 2012-2020 and was the National Co-Chair of National Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Legal Services from 2014-2020. She is the National Co-Chair for Change the Record, holding this role since 2016. Prior to her appointment as SA Housing Trust’s Head of Aboriginal Housing in 2022, she was the Relationship Manager (SA) at Aboriginal Community Housing Limited.
Cheryl is dedicated to improving the quality of life of Aboriginal peoples through holistic programs that put self-determination, truth telling and empowerment at the forefront. As Head of Aboriginal Housing, she believes this can be achieved successfully through embedding the priorities of the South Australian Aboriginal Housing Strategy 2021-2031: self-determination, place based, participation, co-design, inclusivity and transparency into SA Housing Trust’s everyday business.
Director, Office of the Chief Executive
Catherine Burgess
Catherine has a lifelong passion for housing equity and believes stable housing plays a foundational role in the quality of people’s lives. This dedication is the backbone of a career spanning 30 years in the social housing sector in South Australia.
Catherine began her career on the front-line, helping clients access homelessness services, social housing, and private rental assistance. She has since supervised service delivery teams, developed networks with external agencies and organisations to advocate on behalf of clients for housing-related support services, managed business improvement projects and progressed through various other roles in the SA Housing Trust.
Her experience and knowledge has been enhanced through further education in business studies, governance, and housing management and policy.
She is a strategic leader with over 20 years in management, driving service improvements, and state-wide community engagement and input into major housing strategies. Catherine has represented South Australia at national housing strategy meetings, including negotiating a new National Housing and Homelessness Agreement and has led our involvement at National Housing Conferences. She currently manages the Trust’s Office of the Chief Executive.
Catherine’s corporate knowledge and experience working in the community sector makes her an invaluable member of the executive team in developing strategies to improve housing opportunities and outcomes for South Australians facing barriers to secure housing.
Chief Financial Officer, Finance & Partnerships
Nick Symons
Nicholas is the Chief Financial Officer of the SA Housing Trust and leads our Finance and Partnership Division.
Nicholas’s leadership was instrumental in establishing the SA Housing Trust as a stand-alone entity and establishing a solid financial basis to provide longer-term financial sustainability and transform its strategic direction. He has more than 10 years of experience in the public sector, having started his career as a graduate at the South Australian Auditor General’s Department. Prior to his current role, Nicholas has held other senior management positions , including in Renewal SA.
With a key focus on value and efficiency, Nicholas strives to support and enable the SA Housing Trust and its housing partners to achieve successful property and tenancy outcomes. He brings a strong social conscience to his role and is passionate about identifying innovative way to both provide housing and removing barriers to housing outcomes.
He holds a Bachelor of Finance and a Bachelor of Commerce as well as professional accounting qualifications as a member of CPA Australia.
Executive Director, People & Strategy
Shane Pritchard
Shane has more than 30 years of experience in various fields of business strategy, corporate services and risk management. He has been with the SA Housing Trust since January 2021.
He is the State Manager for Emergency Relief – the services our staff provide to keep people safe and secure during natural emergencies like bushfires and floods. He is responsible for strategic and business planning, analytics, technology, business improvement, human resources, health safety and wellbeing, facilities management, protective security, as well as media and communications.
Previously, Shane has held Regional (Asia Pacific) and Global Executive level roles in Investment Banks in Singapore, Moscow, London and Sydney. Prior to that, Shane worked in the Caucuses, Balkans and Sahel Regions for the United Nations and a humanitarian non-government organisation. He has led a team in post-war Iraq during the reconstruction and served as an Officer in regular and special forces units in the Australian Army.
Shane holds two Masters degrees – in Business, and in International Relations. He has a Bachelors degree in Political Science, and a Diploma in Risk Management.
Executive Director, Property Services
Mark Hayward
Mark joined the SA Housing Trust as the Executive Director, Property Services in January 2023. He has a personal interest in housing equality and a strong desire to create better housing outcomes for all South Australians.
He is responsible for the asset management of more than 33,000 public homes, including asset strategy, acquisition, divestment, development, and maintenance.
Having worked in both the community housing and private sectors, and with more than 15 years experience in asset management, strategic direction and planning, high-level negotiations and stakeholder management. He is highly regarded in all areas of the housing sector.
With his collaborative and engaging style of leadership, he brings extensive experience to the role. His pragmatic approach to problem solving, strives to maintain high levels of staff engagement and endeavours to support staff to achieve their best.
Prior to commencing with SA Housing Trust, Mark held senior leadership positions across the public, not-for-profit and private sectors.
Mark holds a Masters of Business Administration (Property Management), Bachelor of Education, and Graduate Diploma of Project Management. He is a registered Land Agent and a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Executive Director, Customer & Services
Fiona Curnow
Fiona is an accomplished human services executive with over 25 years experience leading service inclusion and improvement across multiple public service agencies, including child protection, disability services, housing and justice services. As a policy maker and an accessible leader, Fiona actively listens to the voices of lived experience and is driven by values of social justice and equity. Fiona has experience as a Board member for not-for-profit organisations.
Fiona is responsible for tenancy services for the more than 50, 000 occupants who reside in public housing, and for the provision of private rental, emergency, and transitional accommodation services across the South Australia. With a collaborative and people focused style, Fiona works in partnership with the Executive team to build staff, organisational capability and customer service.
Fiona earned a Masters Degree in Social Sciences (Criminology) from the Charles Sturt University, and a Bachelor of Arts (Aboriginal Studies) from the David Unaipon School at the University of South Australia, and is an experienced project manager and change leader.