27 Nov 2025
The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) is celebrating the significant contribution of six outgoing Directors whose leadership has guided one of the most transformative periods in Australia’s built environment: Peter Bailey, Julie Coates, Nicole Lockwood, Adrian Pozzo, Anna Skarbek and Andrew Whitson.
Across their collective tenure, these leaders have strengthened Green Star, expanded GBCA’s reach across new sectors, championed collaboration, and helped embed sustainability as a core expectation across Australia’s property industry.
Driving sustainability from ambition to mainstream practice
Outgoing Cbus Property CEO and former GBCA Chair Adrian Pozzo said the shift he witnessed from optional sustainability initiatives to industry-wide accountability has been profound.
“Green Star has become a trusted, world-class benchmark that unites the industry around shared ambition, measurable action and meaningful impact,” he said.
“GBCA and Green Star have given companies the confidence to lead boldly and challenge convention, helping transform sustainability into a core driver of value and performance across the property sector and beyond.”
Mr Pozzo said one of the most rewarding aspects of his time on the Board was seeing real-world impact across the country.
“It is deeply rewarding to know that our work has helped shape healthier, more efficient and more inspiring places for Australians. That is a legacy I hope continues for generations.”
Shaping greener, fairer and more resilient communities
Andrew Whitson, Stockland’s CEO of Development, highlighted GBCA’s role in lifting expectations across the residential sector.
“GBCA has been a driving force in creating happier, healthier and more resilient communities. Their collaborative approach has shaped how the entire supply chain thinks about sustainability – from the way homes are designed, to how they’re built and how they perform over time.”
Mr Whitson pointed to the launch of Green Star Homes as a standout achievement.
“This was a landmark moment. Green Star Homes takes sustainability from a ‘nice to have’ to a core expectation. It’s practical, it’s scalable, and it’s what customers are now looking for.”
Taking sustainability thinking into infrastructure
Infrastructure WA Chair, and former Chair of Infrastructure Net Zero, Nicole Lockwood said the last decade has shown how critical independent assurance is to achieving climate goals.
“GBCA has been a pioneer of sustainability in the built form. The practical focus on action and implementation has created real progress and positioned Australia well for the climate action required this decade.”
Ms Lockwood said bringing GBCA into the infrastructure conversation is a personal highlight.
“Expanding the lessons of Green Star into the infrastructure agenda was an important step. GBCA’s leadership was critical to gaining early traction across Infrastructure Net Zero.”
Aligning finance and emissions reduction pathways
Climateworks Centre CEO Anna Skarbek AM reflected on the enormous shift in climate governance, reporting and investment since joining the Board nearly a decade ago.
“Net zero has gone from a concept to a formal goal across countries, states, territories and major companies. Financial institutions managing nearly half the world’s privately managed funds now have net zero portfolio targets. Standards that require climate risk to be included in annual reports simply didn’t exist when I joined the Board.”
She praised GBCA’s evidence-based approach to shaping the Built Environment Net Zero Sector Plan.
“GBCA and the Property Council of Australia have shown leadership in setting ambition based on science and working with industry on how to deliver it. The next step is keeping the momentum going – removing barriers, scaling incentives, and ensuring best practice becomes widespread, not niche.”
Engineering leadership for climate-ready places
Former Green Star Advisory Committee Chair and Arup Principal Peter Bailey said he has been encouraged by how quickly industry has embraced higher standards for climate action, nature and circularity.
“The inclusive and consultative approach of GBCA has meant that industry willingly seeks improvement and higher goals. Approaches that were uncommon just a few years ago are now mainstream.”
He said engineers have a critical role to play in the next decade.
“Delivering sustainable, climate-ready projects is central to the wellbeing of society. This century should be the time for engineers to shine.”
Advancing low-carbon and circular innovation in materials
Former CSR CEO Julie Coates said the materials sector has undergone a major shift during her time on the Board.
“Over the past few years, the conversation in our sector has shifted. The focus is no longer just on improving the energy efficiency of buildings, but on addressing the embodied carbon within the materials used to construct them.”
Ms Coates said Green Star has played a central role in maturing the sustainability conversation and that looking ahead, the sector’s greatest opportunity lies in combining decarbonisation and resilience with new models of circular design.
“We’re entering a period where buildings will be judged not only by how efficiently they operate, but by how responsibly they’re designed, constructed and deconstructed. The leaders will be those who can integrate decarbonisation, circularity and resilience into one coherent strategy that delivers long-term value for investors, tenants and communities.”
A legacy of leadership
GBCA Chair Anthony Boyd paid tribute to the retiring Directors for their leadership, commitment and impact.
“Their insight and dedication have helped strengthen both GBCA and Green Star and positioned Australia’s built environment to lead globally.”
As GBCA farewells this group of influential leaders, the organisation also looks to its next chapter.
Four new Directors – Dale Connor, Paul Dalton, Rowan Griffin and Christina Tonkin – joined the GBCA Board at the AGM, bringing deep experience across construction, materials, finance and sustainability. Their appointment marks the beginning of a new phase of stewardship for GBCA and Green Star.