Thank you from PB

Love does funny things to time. I put my hand up for “a couple of years” on the REIQ Board and - blink - ten years later I’m tidying up my name tag and wondering where the decade went. Having been a member of the REIQ from around the early 90s I offered myself for election to the Board in 2015 and became Chair in March 2018, which means I’ve had a front-row seat to Queensland real estate’s most turbulent and transformative years, plus an intimate relationship with agendas, acronyms and airport coffee. And I loved it. Truly. Of all the gigs I’ve had, aside from fatherhood, serving on the Board of the Real Estate Institute of Queensland has been without question the biggest honour of my life.

If there’s a single through-line to this chapter, it’s the partnership with our CEO, Antonia Mercorella. Antonia who didn’t just run the day-to-day business of the Institute; she re-energised it - turning a conservative 100-plus-year-old body into a progressive, high-profile advocate with serious policy clout.

She brings a rare blend of legal precision and show-up grit, and yes, she also shattered a few ceilings along the way as the Institute’s first female (and youngest) CEO. 

My role as Chair was simple. Provide support and guidance to our powerhouse CEO. Act as a conduit and barometer between membership, management, and board and to support a need for change while our CEO did the heavy lifting. Working alongside Antonia through this period of transformation made me a better leader, and it made the REIQ braver.

Together with a talented Board and executive team, we kept our eyes on two horizons at once: making members’ work easier today and shaping fairer policy for tomorrow. On the “make it easier” front, the humble form became our superhero. Realworks grew from a handy toolkit into industry infrastructure - secure, cloud-based contracts and HR workflows that shaved hours off busy days and took paper cuts off the endangered list. You know you’ve matured when you can get excited about version releases. (Our team did. Often.)

We didn’t just survive Covid. Your management and board led our profession through the pandemic with distinction. Under our management team's watchful eye I’m proud that we passionately and relentlessly advocated such that Queensland's critical housing market remained buoyant and that our profession prospered. I’m proud that our courageous leadership through the Covid19 pandemic literally saved people's property assets, their businesses, many careers and countless Queenslanders jobs.  

On the advocacy front, we weathered a few cyclones together - some meteorological, plenty legislative. The most public arm-wrestle was the 2022 land-tax model that would have tallied investors’ holdings across state borders. From day one we argued it would spook investment and punch the rental market in the ribs. The Premier eventually shelved it and Parliament repealed it. For us it wasn’t about winning a scrap; it was about a calmer, fairer market for Queenslanders. Antonia was everywhere through that period - briefings, media, roundtables - steadying the message and the ship.

We also made the Board table more representative and smarter. Over the decade, we embedded diversity in the constitution - reserved positions for regional voices, a female director seat, and a spot for a leader under 35 - because a modern profession needs modern representation. Watching talented people like Laura Valenti step in as female member director, and Josh Kindred as a young Director, and later seeing regional leaders like Daniel Burrett and Nadine Edwards elected, reminded me that renewal beats nostalgia every time. Fresh voices don’t just challenge you; they protect you from your own good ideas.

Of course, the best parts were never on a run or the balance sheet. They were the hallway chats at Zone events from Cairns to Coolangatta, where a property manager would quietly share a thorny tenancy issue we could help fix, or a principal would pitch a brilliant training tweak over a lukewarm sausage roll. Those moments - tiny, practical, human - are where a peak body earns its stripes. And when the emails were loud and the headlines louder, I’d remember why we do it: because good housing markets help families, and great practice helps communities.

If you’re waiting for the blooper reel, I do have a few, but I’m saving those gems for my next book. But the real punchline is that we laughed a lot, even when the stakes were high. That matters. A light heart keeps a steady hand.

The REIQ today has a secure future underpinned by a balance sheet nearing 22 million dollars. An impressive 11 million up on its position a decade ago. Your REIQ today is debt free.  It is one of few industry membership bodies that is in the enviable position of being able to reinvest its profits back into increased membership services and it proudly provides its award-winning training products to sister institutes across Australia. 

So, what’s left to say after ten years? Thank you - for the trust, the debates, the votes, the coffees, the candour and the chance to serve.

My departure and this year’s board elections opens the door for others to stamp their mark on our wonderful profession along with the very capable hands of my fellow and soon to be former Director colleagues. I’m excited to see who the next Board will comprise off

I’m proud of the accomplishments of the REIQ Board that I was charged with chairing and the REIQ I walk away from at this year's AGM: financially strong, profitable, more digital, more representative, more influential and more useful to the people doing the work in the Queensland real estate markets.

But mostly, I’m proud of the woman who lives the mission literally 24/7. Antonia, you’re an inspiring and extraordinary leader. Simply put. you’re a force to be reckoned with. I’ll miss our 10:30pm texts looking to solve the woes of the real estate profession.

To our members: Thank you. It's been the privilege of my professional life to have had your back.

Onwards - optimism remains Queensland’s most renewable resource, and your board and management team have still got plenty in the tank.