Our people
The StratWest executive team is supplemented by an expert advisory panel that has decades of experience in this market, as leaders in business, government, media, and the community.
Faith Halliday is a business executive and experienced collaborator. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from UNSW and has lived and worked in Australia, North America, and Asia. She is an active optimist, a proven facilitator and a strong advocate for creating sustainable, liveable and connected cities. With her design background, she derives innovative solutions across strategy and client management.
Faith has directed the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue’s 2019 and 2024 Study Tours of East London and the 2022, 2023 and 2024 Collaborative Leadership Programs. She is an honorary Board member of the Parramatta Women’s Shelter, and an active advocate for the Clontarf Foundation, the Rev. Crews Foundation, and other regional not-for-profits. She recently chaired the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue’s Central River City Revitalisation Group – a working group established to unlock the potential of the CRC.
Faith has been involved in executive stakeholder engagement, corporate strategy and major infrastructure bid advisory projects for a range of public, private, and not-for-profit organisations.
Brett brings 20 years’ of sales, marketing and stakeholder management experience to his StratWest role.
Brett draws on his extensive knowledge of industry and government networks, to provide advice and support to StratWest’s stakeholders.
He has served in commercial, marketing and strategy roles with Business Events Sydney, Tourism Australia and Luna Park Sydney, and as a policy manager at the Tourism & Transport Forum.
Brett was one of the co-hosts who curated and led the East London Study Tour in 2019 and 2024. He has also helped deliver the Collaborative Leadership Program in recent years – both StratWest initiatives.
His primary interests in the policy sphere include tackling social inequities faced by Western Sydney communities, addressing environmental challenges, and ensuring positive physical, intellectual, and social legacies are achieved.
Jessica Commins is a seasoned property executive, with 20+ years of domestic and international experience advising retail developers, asset owners and operators, and has also worked in Equities Research for Deutsche Bank.
She spent many years at Scentre Group (formerly Westfield) as National Manager, Strategic Research, reporting directly to the Group CEO. She also supported Scentre’s operational strategies and development pipeline and established a global knowledge network for the business by forming a partnership with other Westfield offices in USA & UK. She represented Scentre in external industry forums and was involved with the company’s executive leadership development programs.
Her career history includes economics and planning consulting (Macroplan Dimasi), retail chain potential support (TJX Europe in London), a previous stint with Westfield in Centre Management and as Director of Research & Finance at Taylor Street Advisory. Recent TSA roles included advisory briefs for AMP Capital, QIC Global Real Estate, Inner West Council, Australian Turf Club and Quantium.
Jess holds undergraduate degrees in Economics and Law from the University of Qld, and an MBA from the prestigious Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan (USA).
Sean is a specialist in government policy and engagement, and has a background in economics, foreign affairs and trade, defence, and health.
He has worked across all areas of the policy landscape – in private consulting firms, federal government, and non-profits. Sean has deep experience in policy analysis, strategic communications, and political strategy, having provided advice at the highest levels of government on matters relating to national security, trade, and foreign affairs.
Sean has expertise in developing and executing government engagement strategies and policy submissions, advising on government policy and decision- making processes, and supporting businesses to navigate commercial challenges and leverage opportunities in the Australian market.
Expert advisory board
Chairman | Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue
Christopher Brown AM serves as Honorary Chair of the regional think-thank NGO, Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue.
For twenty years Christopher led two of the nation’s most powerful industry peak bodies, Infrastructure Partnerships Australia and Tourism & Transport Forum – comprising CEOs from across the upper echelons of Australia’s public and private sector leadership cohort.
He has designed and led coalitions to secure and support some of the region’s most iconic projects, such as Western Sydney Airport and the Metro Rail that connects it, Parramatta Light Rail, Moorebank Intermodal’s inland port, the Powerhouse Museum, Accor and CommBank Stadiums and the Western Sydney Parklands.
Raised and educated in Parramatta, Christopher Brown was awarded Australian Honours for his service to industry and community in 2014.
Kathy is co-founder and Director of leading communications and engagement firm, Engage. Communicate. Facilitate. (ECF), with offices in Sydney and London. She is one of Australia’s leading strategic advisors, known for her work helping CEOs, Departmental Secretaries, boards, and senior management staff manage issues and policy change contexts.
She founded KJA in Australia in 2001 and for nearly 20 years her team provided high level strategic advice, issues management, leadership and project delivery for some of the nation’s major transport, health and infrastructure projects. Under her ownership, the company grew to over 70 staff and was sold internationally.
She is now working as Chair of ECF and sits on the boards of start up companies as well as civil society institutions in both Australia and the UK including Karitane and the newDemocracy Foundation. Kathy is also currently the Chair of the NSW Property Council’s Precincts Committee and a Board member of the Metropolitan Memorial Parks for the NSW State Government.
David is the Executive Director of Business Western Sydney - a not-for-profit business group representing more than 130 of the region’s largest organisations in government, industry and community. It advocates for public and private sector investment that will make the region a better place to live, work, play and learn.
David has also served as a NSW Government Minister for Roads, Housing, Western Sydney and as Lord Mayor of the City of Parramatta.
He currently serves on several boards including Sydney Olympic Park Authority, NRMA, Evolve Housing, and the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences.
A highly respected executive leader, Jacqueline is a Director of Western Sydney Lakes, one of the most significant urban regeneration projects in Western Sydney. She is a passionate advocate for Western Sydney and her recent appointment to the Board came following six plus years as CEO. During this period she was responsible for developing and leading the strategic transformational vision for the 2000HA precinct to become a world-class destination for recreation, tourism and commercial assets together with overseeing the construction of flood mitigation infrastructure, managing the rehabilitation and conservation of significant lakes, parkland assets and wildlife habitat, and instrumental in building the profile of both the company and precinct including leading a compelling media and political campaign to gain popular support opening the first inland lake beach in Penrith.
Jacqueline is also the NSW President of the Urban Development Institute of Australia , leading the industry body which represents more than 500 member companies and agencies across the public and private sector advocating to create a positive regulatory environment and sustainable development sector.
A solicitor by background, she has spent nearly 20 years working in a broad range of industry segments across legal, property and development. In 2023, she was named the winner of the Business NSW, Outstanding Business Leader of the Year Award.