Board & Management

James was appointed Managing Director in September 2007 and is one of the founders of Lifestyle Communities Limited.

With over 40 years’ experience in property development and construction, James brings to Lifestyle Communities® a wealth of knowledge and experience in the property industry.

Prior to establishing Lifestyle Communities®, James held several senior management roles in property and related sectors, including CEO of Dennis Family Corporation and roles at Coles Myer and Lend Lease Corporation.

James is the founding Chair of the Residential Land Lease Alliance, the peak body for the land lease industry. He is also the Chair of the Blue Sky Foundation, a foundation he set up to research and focus on youth mental health.

Philippa was appointed to the Board of Lifestyle Communities Limited as a Non Executive Director on 18 September 2013.

Philippa has more than 20 years’ experience in senior operational and leadership roles within the property sector. She was formerly Chief Operating Officer
of the Juilliard Group, one of Melbourne’s largest private property owners. Previously she was Head of Institutional Funds Management of Centro Properties Group (now Vicinity Centres).

Philippa has a background in law and investment banking, specialising in IPOs and mergers and acquisitions. She has extensive experience across governance and risk management, property and finance.

Philippa is currently an independent director of AustralianSuper and Chair of its Investment Committee. She is also a Non-executive Director of oOh!media (ASX:OML) and Hub Australia. Philippa is not related to James Kelly, Managing Director.

David Blight was appointed to the Board of Lifestyle Communities Limited as a Non-Executive Director on 15 June 2018. He is also Chair of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee.

David has 39 years of experience in property investment, development and fund management
in Australia and globally. He is currently the Chief Investment Officer of ARA Private Funds, the private equity real estate business of the ESR Group.

Prior to this he was the CEO and co- founder of ARA Australia, the Australian business of Singapore based ARA Asset Management, prior to it being acquired by the ESR Group in January 2022.

David’s previous roles include Vice Chairman of ING Real Estate and Global Chairman and CEO of ING Real Estate Investment Management based in The Netherlands. He has also held senior executive positions with Armstrong Jones, Mirvac Group and APN Property Group.

Mark was appointed to the Board of Lifestyle Communities Limited as a Non-Executive Director on 1 December 2019. He is also Chair of theAudit Committee.

Mark retired as Group CFO and Company Secretary of McMillan Shakespeare in December 2020.

He has 23 years’ experience as a CFO in both listed and unlisted companies in the financial services, manufacturing, and mining sectors.

In particular, Mark has expertise in financial management and advice, the management of financial risks, capital management as well as leading key strategic projects including acquisitions and divestures.

Claire Hatton was appointed to the Board of Lifestyle Communities Limited as a Non-Executive Director on 1st May 2022.

Claire has 20 years of experience working in digital business and 25 years of senior international business experience in travel and technology industries across Australia, Asia, and the U.K.

Most recently, as an executive, Claire spent seven years on the Google Australia and New Zealand commercial leadership team.

Claire is a Non-Executive Director of Australian Pacific Travel Group, and a Non-Executive Director of ASX- listed company Tyro Payments Ltd (ASX: TYR). She is also the Co-Founder and Director of Full Potential Labs, a leadership development company working with global technology firms.

Darren joined the Lifestyle Communities® team as Chief Financial Officer in May 2018 and has previously held a number of senior finance and commercial roles with Toll Holdings Limited predominantly in the resources and marine logistics industries.

Prior to joining Toll, Darren gained valuable experience in commercial and finance roles based in Dublin and London and professional services in Brisbane.

Darren was appointed as Company Secretary on 9 July 2018.

Simône joined Lifestyle Communities® in November 2017 as an experienced HR leader who specialises in business partnering, to foster operational and performance excellence.

Working predominately in organisations with a strong customer centric focus, Simône consolidated her human resources experience as the National HR Manager for Calibre Clothing. Simône is focused on implementing strategies to attract, retain and develop market leading talent.

Chris joined Lifestyle Communities® in February 2007 having previously worked in finance after completing a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne. Chris’s role and responsibilities include land acquisition, feasibility analysis, planning and project delivery.

Chris has developed a large network of property contacts throughout Melbourne and he has a diligent approach to land procurement and development.

Rita joined the Lifestyle Communities® team as the Head Of Marketing in May 2022. Rita has over 20 years of experience within the marketing sector, most recently having spent 5.5 years in Macau with Sands China as a senior leader in one of the world’s largest integrated resorts.

Rita possesses excellent first class management capabilities which have resulted in countless successful outcomes. Her experience spans from leading the marketing function during major multi-million dollar asset redevelopments to delivering stabilisation projects to differentiate maturing assets in crowded marketplaces.

With a personable style of leadership, Rita thrives on cultivating collaborative working relationships across all levels of management and developing highly effective teams that deliver solid results.

Fiona joined the Lifestyle Communities® team as Executive General Manager Design & Construction in May 2023. Fiona has over 20 years of experience within the construction industry, having held a number of senior construction roles with Coles, Cotton On, Lend Lease, and Baulderstone.

Fiona has also worked with external consultants in the research, development, and implementation of several sustainability initiatives that are now being widely used throughout the construction industry as sustainable alternatives to currently used materials.

Fiona has a Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) from Deakin University, and is currently completing her Domestic Builders Licence with the MBAV and VBA.

Cate joined the Lifestyle Communities® team as Executive General Manager Experience in July 2023, having held a number of senior commercial and customer roles with Qantas Airways Limited, predominantly in Qantas Loyalty. Prior to joining the team, Cate spent a year in the Middle East as Chief Commercial Officer for Saudia Airlines Loyalty.

Driven by a passion for growth, scale ups and developing exceptional teams, Cate is committed to elevating our end-to-end customer experience to foster sustainable growth.

Cate has a Bachelor of Behavioural Science from Griffith University and an MBA from Australian Graduate School of Management.

Ben joined the Lifestyle Communities® team as Executive General Manager Sales in March 2024.

With over 25 years of sales and customer experience Ben has been part of companies such as AC Nielsen, Fairfax Media and most recently 13 years at REA Group where he was EGM Sales Residential & Commercial.

Ben takes a longer-term strategic lens on sales, balancing customer experience with revenue growth whilst focusing on building engaged and empowered teams that hold the customer as central to everything they do.

Anita joined the Lifestyle Communities® team as Company Secretary in December 2021.

Anita is an experienced finance professional with 20 years’ experience in senior finance roles within public and private entities across IT technology, mining, industrial and public practice sectors, including 7+ years ASX listed company secretary experience.

Anita specialises in corporate governance, secretarial support and statutory financial reporting. Her expertise also extends to IPO’s, capital raisings, acquisitions, takeovers and restructures.