Our people are at the
heart of everything
we do.

For more than 25 years, Greg established and led several project management firms.

He now provides leadership, development advisory services, and governance capability through his involvement in various advisory boards including the University of Sydney, Northern Beaches Council, and private businesses.

Greg brings significant experience and knowledge to the governance of our firm and an extensive industry network.

Julie is the founding Director and past CEO of JBA Urban Planning Consultants (now Ethos Urban).

She is currently a board member of Greater Sydney Parklands including the Western Sydney Parklands Trust, the Board of Trustees of Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust, and the Board of Trustees of Parramatta Park Trust.

Following a 30-year career in the private sector, David joined Infrastructure NSW and was appointed as Head of Projects in 2015. David is currently a non-executive director for Water Infrastructure, and Chair of Projects for its Advisory Board.

He is also a member of Infrastructure NSW Project Assurance Group and serves on several other public and private sector boards as an advisor including Western Sydney Airport Metro, and the City of Sydney Waterloo Social and Affordable Housing working group.

David is the Founder of Essence and is responsible for its strategic direction, growth, and overall performance.

His driving motivation is to provide a supportive and collaborative environment for people to thrive, develop, and fulfil their professional and personal objectives. As well as heading the executive team, David provides leadership in the delivery of major projects and portfolios.

He has more than twenty-five years of experience in senior roles for market-leading project management businesses and has amassed more than 35 years of experience in Australia, SE Asia, and the UK.

He is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and holds a Master of Management from one of the world’s leading business schools.

David’s personal interests include ocean racing, competing regularly in various Bluewater races including Sydney Hobart and Sydney Gold Coast yacht races. He is also a keen skier and regularly hikes in remote environments.

James is a senior-level executive with an exceptional ability to construct and facilitate cohesive teams, interface with public agencies, and liaise with key stakeholders. He has been instrumental in the ongoing success of Essence and its growth in the NSW market.

James’s expertise is in the delivery of heritage, hotel, and commercial developments. An engineer by practice, he has managed the delivery of many award-winning buildings such as 5 Martin Place, 60 Martin Place, the Fullerton, the W Hotel, the Hyatt Regency, and The Sandstones.

He is an analytical thinker who can think critically about all aspects of a project. He takes a fresh approach to each project bringing with him warm optimism and enthusiasm.

When he’s not hard at work, you’ll find him riding around the Northern Beaches with his young family.

David is an exceptional leader with a strong belief that a positive working culture and working environment, will produce positive results for any project.

He brings a wealth of experience, expertise and skillsets having worked with private and listed property developers, Tier 1 contractors, and quantity surveyors on major projects around Australia. His strengths lie in the delivery of mixed-use, residential, BTR, and commercial offices. Notable developments in his portfolio include Commonwealth Games Village BTR (Gold Coast), Swanston Square Apartments (VIC), 480 Queens Street Offices (QLD), 3 McNab Avenue BTR (VIC), 50 Queens Road BTR (VIC) and 10 Ballarat Street BTR (VIC).

David has a degree in Planning & Design and a degree in Property & Construction. He brings an extensive background and skill set in property development and project delivery across all critical phases of the development process. He prides himself on bringing passions, commitment and diverse thinking to his role as a people leader.

David’s exceptional talent doesn’t stop at property development, he once trialled for a professional football contract in Europe.

Caitriona and her team are responsible for the company’s national finance & operations function, engaging with leaders to drive and optimise the financial health and deliver the seamless operations of Essence. Her career spans more than 20 years across various industries, with extensive experience in financial management operations, performance optimisation and corporate strategy.

Caitriona holds a double bachelor’s degree in business administration and Commerce, with Accounting and Marketing majors, a Post-Graduate Chartered Accounting degree, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Advanced Leadership. Caitriona is a professional member of the institute of Chartered Accountants Australia & NZ.

Caitriona prides herself on collaboration, communication, and cohesiveness to deliver a best-practice back-of-house function to strengthen the company’s performance and is passionate about making Finance & Operations accessible across the business. In her spare time, Caitriona enjoys hiking, spending time with family and travelling.

David is a property executive with more than 30 years of experience in the design, development, and delivery of projects. An architect by profession, and with a background in property development and project management, David seeks to influence every stage of the project’s journey to achieve a successful outcome.

He is passionate about sustainable development and has led and delivered major projects that set high standards for sustainable development. Under David’s guidance, he is responsible for Essence’s response to climate change.

David currently serves on the Property Council’s NSW Sustainability Committee and is a Green Star Associate of the Green Building Council.

David is also an avid sailor and is passionate about architecture.

Damian is a highly accomplished professional with more than 19 years of experience in the property and construction industry.

His roles in both, client-side and contractor delivery, provide him with exceptional experience across the development lifecycle.

Damian is a great team player who is outcomes focused. His relatable approach and win-win visualisation allow him to form great working relationships, both internally and externally across all project disciplines. This leadership delivers superior outcomes for his clients and their projects.

Damian is a Professional Member of the Australian Institute of Project Management and Project Management Institute and an advocate for gender equality in the property industry. Damian has led the charge of several initiatives to promote a more diverse workplace within Essence.

Alice has more than 15 years of experience managing construction projects focusing on her client’s needs and providing enduring & quality outcomes.

She has a depth of project management experience across hotels, retail, residential and retirement living.

Her career has focused on complex projects with intensive stakeholder management. She has successfully delivered numerous projects in live operational environments.

Notable developments in her portfolio include the Hunter River Remediation Project, Charlestown Square Retail Development, Randwick Racecourse Redevelopment, and work across multiple residential estates delivering hundreds of homes within NSW, SA and QLD.

Alice hails from Newcastle where she studied construction management. She started working with Tier 1 builders for the first 10 years of her career before moving to client-side project management and ultimately moving across to Essence.

Alice is passionate about gender diversity and equality, the development and progression of her team at Essence and coffee (and perhaps Champagne too!).

Lindsey is an accomplished industry professional with both development management and client-side project management expertise locally and abroad. His experience spans over 20 years in the retail, hotel, and residential sectors.

Projects within his portfolio include the Marriott Docklands, AC Marriott, Quincy Hotel, Melbourne Connect student accommodation, Coventry Haus, The Peak, Pacific Werribee, Hoppers Crossing and Pacific Epping Shopping Centres, Harbour Town Shopping Centre and Westfield London.

He is personable with a respectful and collaborative approach to projects, whilst being results-focused.

His experience across both consultancy and property development, results in the ability to prioritise actions and outcomes to meet the client’s best interests, and contains the technical skills to deliver projects successfully, making him a well-rounded project director.

Lindsey is passionate about creating a fun and high-performing working environment where people want to be, participate, learn, and feel rewarded by their contribution.

Tze Loong is a strategic thinker who takes a structured approach to problem-solving, defining the scope of an issue and understanding the root causes before developing viable solutions.

He is a strong team player with an excellent service background and recognises that excellent working relationships are fundamental to successful project delivery. Tze Loong is a strong team leader who nurtures his team, driving their career and developing their potential to align them towards their career path and business objectives.

He focuses on continuous improvement and attention to detail, delivering innovative and sustainable business solutions. Tze Loong is passionate about success and sees challenges as opportunities to exceed expectations.

Cameron is an industry leader with more than 20 years of property experience.

Throughout his professional career, Cameron has led the successful delivery of a wide variety of civil, environmental and building projects. He has specific expertise in seniors living, social housing, education and infrastructure. Cameron has directed numerous project teams ensuring consultant designs and contractor works are delivered within budget, and on time, ensuring statutory & standard requirements, and project objectives are met.

Cameron is a successful negotiator and communicator and has led negotiations and managed relationships with authorities, public and private partnerships, construction companies, and consultants.

Stuart is a successful team leader, with extensive expertise across all facets of project management.

His professional background spans various sectors such as aviation, hotels, health, residential, government and defense.

Stuart is a team player who prides himself on a calm, measured and strategic approach to his work. He has built a reputation as an industry leader, showcasing an ability to effectively manage and organise diverse personnel for elements of construction, development strategy and in business environments of varying industries.

Marie has more than 20 years experience in the property and construction industry, driving maximum return by bringing a high strategic approach to major projects.

Marie’s career combines 360 degree experience across client, builder and tenant side. She is passionate about design excellence and dedicated to a strategic, turn-key management approach which drives value across the full life-cycle of complex projects.

Throughout her career Marie has managed multi-year projects spanning across the commercial, residential, infrastructure and retail sectors.