Board/Staff Structure

The Board

Brendan Crotty - Chairman

Brendan Crotty is currently Chairman of the Property Industry Foundation and serves on the boards of a number of private development companies as well as the Barangaroo Delivery Authority, Brickworks Limited and Australand Funds Management Limited. Brendan is also a member of the City of Sydney Planning Committee.

Brendan was the Managing Director of Australand Holdings Limited for 17 years prior to his retirement in mid 2007. He was the inaugral Chair of the Green Building Council of Australia, a Director of Youthbuild Australia and the Australian National Training Authority and was awarded the Sir Phillip Lynch Award for outstanding service to the Australian housing industry in 1998.

He has tertiary qualifications in Surveying, Town Planning and Business Administration and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Australian Property Institute and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. Brendan is a Life Member of the Housing Industry Association and a member of the Planning Institute of Australia.

He has been associated with the development of Western Sydney over many years and is committed to pursuing a sustainable future for the Parklands, its communities and its environment.

Bob Waldron
B.Econ.

Bob Waldron currently serves on the Western Sydney Parklands Trust Board and chairs the Board's Revue and Land Use Optimisation sub-committee.

Bob was, until recently, Director of Land Management with the NSW Department of Planning and was responsible for strategic land asset management with the Department. This role involved managing major land acquisition and land management programs for Western Sydney through the administraion of the state government's Sydney Regional Development Fund. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects and a retired Fellow of the Australian Property Institute.

Bob has worked extensively in strategic open space planning and development and initiated the work required to establish the Western Sydney Parklands Trust as a new government entity. Bob is committed to establishing regional open space facilities that meet the needs of Western Sydney communities.

Jim Mitchell

Jim Mitchell serves on the board of Western Sydney Parklands Trust and is the chair of NSW Treasury, NSW Parliament and Department of Lands Audit and Risk Committees.

Jim has had extensive senior management experience within the NSW public sector. He held the position of Deputy Auditor-General for 7 years and, more recently, was the Assistant Director General, Department of Local Government.

He is a Fellow of CPA Australia and continues his active involvement within the accounting profession in various roles. Jim was NSW President of CPA Australia in 2004-5. Jim spent his formative years within the western suburbs and has a long standing interest in the region. Jim is committed to ensuring the highest level of corporate governance for the Trust.

Norma Shankie Williams
BSc; Dip TP; MRTPI

Norma Shankie Williams is currently the Director of Metropolitan and Regional Strategies in the NSW Department of Planning, responsible for the review and publication of the Government's key long-term strategies for managing growth and change in the state's metropolitan and high growth coastal areas.

Norma is also chair of the Sharing Sydney Harbour Access Program Grants Committee and a member of the NSW Aboriginal Heritage Advisory Pabnel. Norma is a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Norma is committed to ensuring that the long term planning for the Sydney region delivers fair acess to jobs, services and lifestyle opportunities for all of its residents. She is particularly committed to improving access to diverse, high quality open space for the people of Western Sydney. Norma represents the Director General, NSW Department of Planning on the Board.

Ro Coroneos
BA, MA(Comms), BCom(Land Econ), LLB(Hons), Grad Dip (App Corp Gov)

Ro Coroneos is a corporate sustainability practitioner and Director of Net Balance, a sustainability advisory firm.

Ro is also NSW President and Director of the Australian Corporate Lawyers Association, and a member of the City of Ryde's Expert Advisory Panel, assisting Council's development of the Ryde 2030 Community Strategic Plan.

Having lived in Western Sydney for over 25 years, Ro is profoundly committed to ensuring the Parklands provide an enduring 'sense of place' with vibrant and accessible experiences proudly unique to Western Sydney and for all local communities to enjoy.

Suellen Fitzgerald - Exec. Director
BSc(Bot), MLandArch. FAILA

Suellen Fitzgerald is the Executive Director of the Parklands Trust and is responsible for implementing the Board's strategic directions for the Parklands.

Suellen has a background as a consulting landscape architect to public and private industry across Australia and, more recently, held the positions of Manager, Sydney Open Space Strategy and Director, Ofice of Strategic Lands with the NSW Department of Planning. She is a Fellow and past NSW President of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects.

Suellen is committed to achieving the Government's goal to create strong communities and healthy landscapes in Sydney and a sustainable future for the Parklands in the hearts and minds of western Sydney residents.

Management Structure
  • Suellen Fitzgerald - Director
The Director, Suellen Fitzgerald is responsible for the day-to-day management of The Western Sydney Parklands Trust in accordance with the general directions of the Western Sydney Parklands Trust Board.

Reporting to the Director are two main management units:
  • Kerry Jahangir - Manager, Finance and Business Development
  • Yolanda Gil - Manager, Place and Programs