Beyond the CBD: The rise of strategic centres

Future Ready Forum

Strategic urban centres are crucial to the development of the Greater Perth region, as its population grows to a projected 3.5 million by 2050.

Our Future Ready Forum – Beyond the CBD: The rise of strategic centres, is being held at Cockburn, a thriving example of a strategic centre where the population has more than doubled since the 1990s and its commercial and industrial areas generate more than $17 billion annually.

The City of Cockburn is positioning the region as an important gateway of growth and opportunity with projects like WA’s first surf park, the Fremantle Dockers training and administration hub, and a planned $1 billion retail precinct redevelopment.

Significant developments like Latitude 32, one of Australia’s largest industrial zones, and the planned multi-billion-dollar Westport container port are also on its doorstep.

Overlooking the Dockers’ state-of-the-art training grounds, this event will bring together a cross-section of leaders from planning and design, property investment and sport and recreation. They will share their insights in creating strategic centres and thriving, urban communities.

Committee for Perth’s Future Ready Forums explore tomorrow’s opportunities. Featuring future-focused leaders, the events bring together members and special guests to make connections, share insights and discuss important issues.

We look forward to sharing ideas with you for making a difference to the future of Greater Perth.

Meet our speakers and panellists

Andrew Byars

General Manager Property Investment – Perron Group

Andrew has been in the property industry for 30 years and is responsible for the management, development and acquisitions/disposals for the Perron Group $3B+ Property Investment Portfolio. He holds a Bachelor or Business from Curtin, a Master of Business from the University of South Australia and he is a Director of Shopping Centre Council of Australia and Property Education Foundation of Western Australia.

Carol Catherwood

Head of Planning – City of Cockburn

Carol Catherwood is Head of Planning for the City of Cockburn leading the portfolios for strategic, community and transport planning.

Over her 24 years in local government she has primarily worked in areas with three of her favourite things; growth corridors, railway lines and infrastructure challenges.

She has a keen interest in the connection people have to the different parts of Perth and what makes them love where they call home.

When she’s not leading the future planning for Cockburn, you’ll likely find Carol somewhere along her happy place of Beaufort Street.

Dr Anthony Duckwork

Urban Designer – UWA/Fairplace

Anthony’s specialist areas include defining, reviewing and communicating the quality of residential environments and the integration of human needs into public places and projects.

Through research and consultancy he has developed, trialed and applied a number of innovative and interactive collaborative design models to enable co-creation of urban plans, projects and policy. These tools are aimed at embedding community and stakeholder knowledge and values into urban development to help generate a shared spatial vision.

Anthony believes good design is first and foremost about people. If we focus on human needs and our relationship with the environment then the products of our design process will generate places and objects which endure as well as support and enrich our individual and collective livelihoods and wellbeing.

Simon Garlick

CEO – Fremantle Football Club

A former CEO of the Western Bulldogs (2010-2015), Simon was appointed CEO of Fremantle effective November 18, 2019 after serving as CEO of Bastion EBA (2015-2019), a division of Bastion Collective, Australia’s leading independent marketing, communications and commercial agency.

Simon, who played a combined 181 games for Sydney and the Western Bulldogs (1994-2004), also has extensive experience as a director, with previous governance responsibility on the AFL Players’ Association board and as a Western Bulldogs board member.

He has expertise in complex stakeholder management and engagement experience across governing bodies, local, state and federal governments, media and the negotiation of major commercial/sponsorship contracts with multinational corporations.

Educated at St Kevin’s College in Melbourne, Simon has a BA Business Administration from the University of Western Sydney, an MBA from Victoria University and completed the Program for Leadership Development (PLD 17) with Harvard Business School.

Andrew Ross

Chairman – Aventuur Perth Surf Park

Upon graduation in 1994, Mr Andrew Ross worked in Australia and internationally as a lawyer and an investment banker for 10 years. He then co-founded and ran as Managing Director two international oil and gas exploration and production companies for 8 years.

In late 2012, Mr Ross founded URBNSURF Group, which he led for a period of 8 years as Executive Chairman. During his tenure, URBNSURF grew to become Australia’s leading surf park developer and operator.

In his role at URBNSURF, Mr Ross was responsible for delivering the first man-made surfing lagoon in the Southern hemisphere, ‘URBNSURF Melbourne’, which commenced operations in early 2020.

Mr Ross joined Aventuur, Inc. as Chairman and Chief Development Officer in mid-2020 and is now focused on developing large scale, integrated recreation and leisure destinations globally, which feature man-made surfing lagoons.

Mr Ross is considered a leading global authority with respect to the feasibility, design, construction and operation of man-made surf parks, including the creation of related brands, guest experiences, and project capital raising.

Andrew is an avid surfer, skater, snowboarder, and a passionate photographer and musician.