2022 ACT Industry Forum and Luncheon – Table of 8

Besa Deda is the Chief Economist of the St.George Banking Group, which includes St.George, Bank of Melbourne, BankSA and RAMS. Besa has been in this role since 2008. As the Bank’s economic spokesperson, Besa is responsible for research on the economy and financial markets. She formulates views and forecasts on the outlook for the economy, interest rates and currencies and manages a team of economists. Besa gives regular presentations and often appears in the media reporting on economic conditions. Prior to this role, Besa held Senior Strategist and Economist roles with the Commonwealth Bank covering fixed income, foreign exchange, macroeconomics and equities. Besa was with the CBA for nearly 8 years and before that was an economist with the Colonial Group. Besa is the Secretary for the Australian Business Economists’ Association, is a member of the Melbourne Economic Forum, has previously written a regular property column for The Australian newspaper and lectured for FINSIA.

Allison Heller is the Director of Social Strategy at Ethos Urban. Her expertise in social impact and value creation in the property industry spans more than 20 years of policy and strategy work across the public and private sectors, in Australia and the UK. Her work involves the development of social sustainability strategies and measurement frameworks for projects ranging from commercial, residential and mixed-use precincts, to health, education, cultural and transport infrastructure. This work lies at the intersection of social value creation for communities and the demonstration of ESG performance for developers and investors. Allison brings a deep understanding of the complexities of urban development and the growing need for businesses to go beyond social license to operate, and demonstrate long term social return on investment.

Fergal G Harris has over 25 years of debt and equity experience in a range of emerging and mature markets from Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, to Europe, UK and the US. He has worked in several senior roles supporting large public and private institutions with financing of real asset and corporate financing solutions. He has extensive expertise across development and investment assets covering all major and alternative asset classes. He has previously held roles as Global Head of Real Estate for National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Regional Head of Africa and Middle East for Standard Chartered and Regional Head ASEAN for Standard Chartered, based in Singapore. Fergal leads the Australian Capital Markets business overseeing the office investments, industrial and logistics, retail investments, debt advisory, corporate finance and alternatives teams.

Kip has enjoyed 15 years working as a town planning consultant in Canberra. His focus on environmental assessments, sustainable design, active transport, community and recreation projects are aligned with his personal values and supported by his formal training as a Civil and Environmental Engineer. Over the last 5 years he has competed in the national mountain bike marathon series, sailed in the lightweight sharpie nationals and spent plenty of time with his family. He is currently working out how to convert is 1961 Holden to run on electricity. He is a Member of Engineers Australia, Member of Environmental Engineering Australia and a Member of Transport Australia.

Kylie Coe is an experienced Town Planner and Manger with a demonstrated history of working in government policy. Skilled in research, stakeholder engagement, public speaking, government policy creation, strategic and project planning. Kylie has a master’s degree in Natural Resource Management and is a member of Planning Institute of Australia and a Member of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand.

Frances Crimmins is the Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Canberra. Frances has a passion to see women achieve their potential and shape their communities. Having started her career in hotel management she soon developed strong leadership and management skills which saw her take on senior human resources roles in the health sector. Frances’ natural drive and pursuit of excellence resulted in her former employer gaining accreditation as an Employer of Choice for Women, and ACT Employer of the Year for Apprenticeships & Traineeships. Frances was drawn to YWCA Canberra in 2010 as she had always identified as a feminist, and has a strong belief in social justice, which she attributes to her mother’s influence. Having faced discrimination during her own career journey, she is now committed to being a strong voice for women. Frances has been the CEO of YWCA Canberra since 2013. She has led YWCA Canberra through a significant change processes in integrated services delivery, corporate service review and evaluation frameworks. In response to identified community need, including during the COVID-19 crisis, Frances has spearheaded a range of new programs in the areas of addressing domestic and family violence and women’s homelessness, as well as empowering women to take authentic leadership journeys. Frances is the Chair of the ACT Council of Social Services, and volunteers on a variety of other boards and committees including: National Older Women’s Housing and Homelessness Working Group and Homelessness Australia. Frances is a former Board Director of WESNET, former Chair of the ACT Ministerial Advisory Committee for Women, former Co-Chair of Anti-Poverty Week in the ACT and former Board Director of No Sweat Fashion. In 2015, Frances received an Edna Ryan Award for advancing the status of women in the ACT. In 2016, Frances was named ACT Leader of the Year at the Australian Leadership Excellence Awards run by the Australian Institute of Leadership and Management. She also attended Commission for the Status of Women in New York in 2017, 2018 and 2019.