Jeff Holloway
BOARD CHAIR
“What we always envisaged is starting to become real, and it's just wonderful to see the enthusiasm, not just at board level, but right through the group.”
Jeff brings over 50 years of property experience to his role as board chair at Shift, and board member of Rocky Bay. His job is to channel the enthusiasm, gently communicate his experience and ensure Shift makes the best decisions going forward to achieve its objectives. With intimate involvement in some massive projects right across the country, Jeff understands the collective smarts and strategy required to capitalise on opportunities. It’s not as simple as going out and buying a property. As an investment, there are many threads you need to pull together in order to outsmart your competitor, from foreseeing a location with future growth potential, to lateral thinking in the design approach, getting the authorities on board, attracting the right users for the space, and obtaining the finance to achieve those objectives. And while profitability, sustainability and taking full advantage of the Federal Government’s SDA model are key drivers, Jeff’s real focus is to ensure that the investments Shift creates are rewarding for all involved, especially the people they’re built for.
With great responsibility on his shoulders, Jeff uses the pressure to be creative in his search for the right answer. He leans on his own instincts, talks to people, gets the very best advice in different fields. Sometimes it works, sometimes it leads to dead ends – but that’s the price you pay for pushing the boundaries and refusing to simply accept the norm, a common theme throughout Jeff’s long and successful career. As Shift looks to the future, Jeff is very calm and comfortable with the company’s direction, energised by the ‘rare’ morale within the entire Rocky Bay family of companies. He describes its executives as ‘sponges’ that soak up whatever they can – if they don't get things right the first time, they find out more until they do. With Jeff on board, Rocky Bay’s creative thinking and board level debate continues to grow in sophistication.