Build to rent developer Assemble has announced its newly-formed board with Angela Emslie, former chair of industry super fund Hesta, appointed as independent chair.
AustralianSuper’s Bevan Towning and Malcolm Skene would also join the board which was made up of five Australian business leaders with experience in property, superannuation, responsible investment, banking, finance, aged care, and non-profits.
The board line-up included:
- Angela Emslie, State Trustees, PRI, RGAA and Frontier Advisors non-executive director and former Hesta independent chair;
- Kris Daff, Assemble managing director;
- Graham Hodges, Regis Aged Care independent non-executive chairman and former ANZ deputy chief executive;
- Bevan Towning, AustralianSuper head of property; and
- Malcolm Skene, AustralianSuper investment director.
The board of directors would offer strategic oversight for Assemble on its financial control and compliance, as well as leadership in governance matters such as environmental, social and governance (ESG), and maintaining culture, values, and code of conduct.
AustralianSuper was a new investor and brought a significant presence on the board, representing the nation’s largest superannuation fund’s cornerstone investment in the operating business in June this year.
Assemble’s privately funded mixed-income rental housing portfolio would inject $1 billion of construction activity into Victoria’s economy, creating 8,000 construction jobs, with a project value of $3 billion.
The firm currently had 30 staff and would aim to scale quickly and double the team by 2021.
Daff said the formation of a board is a significant milestone in the business’ history, supporting it ambitions as a leading force in Australia’s affordable build to rent housing industry.
“We welcome our newly appointed board that will provide strategic advice to our growing business as we focus on championing new pathways to home ownership and mixed-income build to rent, both new and evolving asset classes,” Daff said.
