Villawood Properties has announced the appointment of a new CEO, with Alan Miller to join the company next month.

Mr Miller comes to the position from Peet Limited, where he was Development Director of South Australian operations. 

He takes over from interim CEO Rory Costelloe, who has held the role since February.

Mr Costelloe, along with fellow Executive Director Tony Johnson, has helped steer the company in the wake of previous CEO Phil Hanna's unexpected death in December 2018.

He said the lengthy interview process was driven by the desire to find a candidate with the right balance of industry experience and cultural fit.

“Villawood has spent 30 years building a legacy of sustainability, innovation and a commitment to genuine community building, so it was imperative to us that whoever we appointed shared these values and could deliver meaningful leadership," he said.

“It was also essential we engage someone with the passion to inspire the team to perform to their best, combined with the maturity to be sensitive to what the whole team has been through in the past few months."

Mr. Miller is one of Australia’s most credentialed property executives with 30 years of experience behind him.  

Mr Johnson, who has been instrumental in Villawood’s expansion into Queensland and New South Wales, said Mr Miller’s wealth of interstate experience was viewed as highly beneficial to Villawood’s future plans.

"Alan has held leadership roles for both CIC (purchased by Peet in 2013) and Delfin (now Lendlease), across the South Australian, West Australian and Northern Territory, which we felt provided a unique perspective," he said.

“Both Delfin and CIC were companies that pioneered high standards of community delivery, and we are confident Alan will continue to energise and guide Villawood’s philosophy of innovation and creativity as we move forward."

Mr Miller said that he was excited to meet the team and the prospect of delivering on Villawood’s community imperative.

“Villawood's community development model, insomuch as the amount of resource and time they invest into creating genuine connections both within the projects they deliver and the community at large, is unique in Australia and sets the company apart from the competition," he said.

“I like the fact that Villawood is an unlisted privately held developer as the decisions that are made will best reflect the interests of the community and the owners because long term considerations are always a factor."

Mr Miller commences at Villawood Properties on 5 August.

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