Board and Executive
The Team
Heritage Perth Inc. is an incorporated association whose members form a voluntary independent board representing a range of organisations and groups in Perth. Two committees, drawn from the main board and people offering specialist experience, are responsible for Finance and Strategy and Development.
Patron
His Excellency Mr Malcolm McCusker AO QC, Governor of Western Australia
Vice Patron
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor, Lisa Scaffidi
The Board
Evan Campbell joined the real estate company Mirvac in 1992 as a trainee development executive. Since then he has been Development Manager responsible for many of Mirvac’s most successful projects, including the Beacon Cove development in Melbourne, Newington Olympic Village and Pacific Place Project in Chatswood, Sydney.
In 2001, Evan was instrumental in Mirvac’s acquisition of Fini Group where he headed the property due diligence team for his company. In addition, he also managed Mirvac’s winning bid to develop the $1b Burswood Peninsula project.
Since arriving in Perth Evan has been instrumental in Mirvac’s growth heading up major projects and new business deals such as the Leighton Beach project. In December 2006, Evan was promoted to Chief Executive Officer of Mirvac WA with responsibility for managing and leading Mirvac’s $4b business in WA.
Councillor Rob Butler
Councillor Rob Butler has fourteen years local government experience both as a Councillor and former Deputy Mayor City of Subiaco. He was elected to the City of Perth in May 2003 and is Chairman of the Council’s General Purpose Committee, a member of the Planning Committee and Employment Committee.
When not about Council business, Rob is executive director of three successful manufacturing and supply companies serving mining, oil, gas and general engineering industries throughout Australia. He is also an active member of many Boards involved with the Arts and Humanities in Perth.
Tony Ednie-Brown
With over 40 years experience in architecture, planning and landscaping, Tony has developed specialisations in architecture, urban design and in the co-ordination of a wide range of disciplines in respect of complex projects. He is highly regarded in the architectural community at large, as recognised by the honour of an Order of Australia Medal; the Architects Board Award for services to the standing of the profession; and elevation to Life Fellowship by the RAIA national body.
Tony’s specialisations include urban design studies, townscape and local government planning issues, heritage consultancy, mediation and dispute resolution. He has also recently been appointed a Senior Sessional Member of the State Administrative Tribunal.
Brian Leedman
Brian is a marketing and communications specialist with more than 15 years combined experience at Westpac Banking Corporation, Ernst & Young and pSivida Corp.
As the Vice President, Investor Relations of pSivida Corp., a global drug delivery company based in Boston, he led international capital raising missions that netted in excess of US$40m and has presented at investment conferences in Australasia, US and Europe. Prior to that, Brian was the Group Marketing Manager of Ernst & Young in Perth, where he was responsible for building industry relationships, public relations, and brand management.
Brian holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Australia where he also served for two years as President of the Graduate Management Association. Brian was a 2004 winner of the WA Business News under40 Awards and is a Board Member of the Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce and Heritage Perth. He is an active speaker in the conference circuit and has chaired a number of national investor relations and capital raising conferences in Sydney and Perth.
Heather Merritt is Director of External Relations at the University of Western Australia Business School and has spent more than two decades in marketing and communications roles, with senior positions in the international corporate world in Canada, Indonesia and Australia.Heather’s most significant career accomplishments include managing the media for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Torch Relay and, whist in Indonesia, working on crisis and reputation management campaigns for multinational global brands such as NIKE, Emirates, Gillette, Samsung and Cemex. She moved to Perth in 1995 to establish the Australasian operations of a petroleum software company which was subsequently acquired by multinational company Schlumberger.
As well as marketing all the UWA Business School’s programs, Heather is responsible strengthening the reputation of the School world-wide. Working closely with the Business School Dean, Heather also supports the development of stakeholder relationships including all who have contributed to the recent $25 million fundraising campaign for the School’s Futures Fund and recently completed new building.
Lyndon Rodgers, a licensed auctioneer, plumber and builder, is founder and Principle of a Perth-based real estate company. Lyndon brings to the Heritage Perth Board extensive knowledge of all real estate and building aspects through vast experience over the years.
Melvin Yeo
Melvin is a Legal Counsel with the corporate office of Wesfarmers Limited. He graduated with honours from the University of Western Australia in 1997 and is also a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Prior to joining Wesfarmers, he was a senior corporate lawyer with Australian national law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth for 7 years.Melvin’s legal expertise is in corporate governance, takeovers, mergers and acquisitions. While in private practice, he also gained considerable commercial property experience, having acted for various listed and private property developers and owners of office buildings, shopping centres, industrial parks and holiday resorts.
Melvin has a strong interest in giving back to the community and profession in the manner in which he is able to best contribute. He is Vice-President WA of the Australian Corporate Lawyers Association, is a Committee member of the Western Australian Club Inc. and chairs its House, Food & Beverage Sub-Committee, and serves on the governing council of Araluen Botanic Park Foundation Inc.
Ben Della-Bosca
Born and bred in Perth, Ben can trace his ancestry back to ships arriving in the 1830’s. It is therefore no surprise that he has a keen interest in heritage. He has also spent considerable time working and travelling in the UK and Europe which has contributed to his passion for the conservation and promotion of Perth’s heritage.
Ben’s credentials include a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) from the University of Western Australia, an ICAA Graduate Diploma from the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and a Master of Applied Finance (Corporate Finance/Advisory) from Kaplan Professional. He has over a decade of professional services and in-house experience with key expertise including valuations, financial modelling and project analysis and reporting.
Richard Offen – Executive Director
Richard Offen joined the staff of the UK National Trust in 1989 and from 1992 until 2003 was responsible for the Trust’s famous Neptune Coastline Campaign. Under his direction the campaign raised over £28 million, enabling the Trust to buy and protect 160 kilometres of the spectacular British coastline.
Before being appointed Executive Director of Heritage Perth, Richard was a founding partner of the heritage consultancy Solutions for Heritage.
Richard is a popular lecturer, has been a regular broadcaster on both radio and television and, in 1999, wrote and presented a 55 minute documentary video, Neptune’s Legacy, which charts the history of the UK National Trust’s most successful campaign. Richard was co-author of the National Trust book ‘The Living Coast’ and wrote the text for a book of aerial photographs of the British coast entitled ‘Coastline UK’.