Sunshine Coast Business Council (SCBC) was formed in 2004 to be a leading regional advocate for business and for the economy.
Our purpose is to work cooperatively with industry and government to maximise regional economic performance by stimulating thought leadership and discussion around economic growth, infrastructure, investment and employment.
Our aim is for the Sunshine Coast to be a Top 5 performing region in Australia and a Top 3 performing region in Queensland by 2025, measured by: growth in GRP, employment indicators including unemployment, under-employment, job creation and participation rates as well as growth in householder income.
Our motto since 2004 – “One Vision, One Voice”. SCBC enjoys a cooperative working relationship with many business and community industry groups and associations as well as all levels of government. The Business Council is acknowledged as a key point of reference and leadership.
Our members are some of Australia’s leading national and regional companies that operate in different sectors in different parts of Australia and internationally. They generate national and regional wealth, create jobs and play an important role in regional growth, innovation and change. We give our members a voice on the future of our regional economy and we now have a record number of members becoming actively involved in the advocacy agenda and events conducted throughout the year.
Our priorities will change to reflect the requirements of our members and what is happening in the national and regional economies. Priorities are agreed at the annual Strategy Direction Workshop, giving the Business Council a national and an economy-wide perspective. The workshop is held in the first quarter of each calendar year.
Our advocacy direction is supported by regional research, member and stakeholder feedback as a result of the annual Strategy Direction Workshop. Our priorities and advocacy focus are centred around issues related to growth, investment, infrastructure and employment.
Underpinning aims
We seek to continually improve our interaction with the business community by:
- Growing SCBC's membership and sponsorship to encourage greater participation from all regional business, regardless of industry or size
- Providing events, networking and feedback functions for the benefit of members
- Collaborating with other industry groups to increase the regional industry and business information flow to members
- Continuing to improve our communications with governments to ensure our voice is heard, and
- Regularly updating this website to serve as a rich source of information and communication for members.
The Board
The SCBC’s Board is elected from our membership annually covering local industry groups and business leaders from a broad range of industry sectors and geographic areas of the Sunshine Coast.
Sandy Zubrinich
Board Member and Chair
Director, Zubek Pty Ltd
Sandy Zubrinich has held the role of chair Sunshine Coast Business Council since 2012. Her personal ambition in this role continues to be to work closely with members and the three tiers of government to strengthening and diversify the regional economy with particular attention to improving youth unemployment rates.
Under Sandy’s leadership the Business Council has an impressive Board who combine to deliver a stronger industry and business environment.
Sandy has held senior executive roles in South Australia State Government, Banking and Financial Services, Telecommunications, ICT, and Strategic Consulting. She worked internationally with Ernst & Young LLP managing the global strategy management service line which was based around software Sandy co-developed. During that time, she gained experience consulting to top 50 global companies in the United States and Europe where she worked with global teams delivering major transformative projects and brings that experience to the SCBC.
Returning to Australia Sandy was a Director in Telstra Retail responsible for Growth, Innovation and Acquisitions.
Adrian Allen
Board Member and Treasurer
Regional Manager Sunshine Coast – Communities
Stockland
Adrian Allen is a qualified property professional with over 25 years’ experience in urban planning and development in both the private and public sectors. He has extensive experience and understanding of commercial influences that facilitate the successful delivery of large city scale development projects.
Adrian was appointed the Sunshine Coast Regional Manager towards the end of 2018, overseeing a dynamic team of over 40 people with five community development projects; including two city building projects, Oceanside and Australia’s largest master planned community project in single ownership – Aura.
Prior to November 2018 Adrian was the Project Director for Aura and has worked with a large multi-disciplinary team to partner and deliver a world class sustainable and liveable community.
Adrian is a member on the Queensland Divisional Council for the Property Council of Australia.
Prior to Stockland, Adrian was employed at Urbis from 2002 to 2008 and Caloundra City Council from 1998 to 2002.
Kevin Covey
Board Member
Founder and CEO
Covey and Associates
Kevin Covey is the Managing Director and Principal Engineer of Covey Associates Pty Ltd, a company he founded in 1990 with offices in Maroochydore (Head Office), North Lakes, Tamworth, Armidale and a visiting office in Papua New Guinea.
The diverse team of over 70 staff at Covey’s consist of fully qualified engineers, landscape architects and designers who are conversant in all fields of master planned residential communities, tourist facilities, commercial, environmental, education, industrial, public works projects and aged care/retirement. The consultancy includes disciplines of civil, structural, hydraulic, environmental, mechanical, landscape architecture, bushfire analysis, building design and fire safety.
Kevin Covey has previously won “Manager of the Year” - Owner Manager category in the Sunshine Coast Regional Australian Institute of Management Awards. Covey Associates were also recipients of the UDIA QLD Consultants’ Excellence Award for both 2017 and 2021 and the designers of various other award winning projects.
Kevin is a Fellow of the UDIA and sits on a number of Committees and is the Chairperson at not-for-profit Aged Care Board.
Kylie Ezzy
Board Member
General Manager Corporate Communication
Sunshine Coast Airport
Kylie Ezzy has more than 25 years’ experience across a range of disciplines including advocacy, marketing and communications, stakeholder engagement, media relations, market research, business intelligence, events management, human resource management and customer service.
Kylie’s in-depth understanding of community, government and business has been developed through her senior executive positions in Local and State Government and the private sector.
Kylie holds a Masters in Business (Communication), is a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Kylie joined the Sunshine Coast Airport team in 2021 and as the General Manager Corporate Communication, Kylie is responsible for leading Government, business and community relations and managing the Airport’s brand and reputation.
Kylie is driven by a passion to make a positive difference in the communities that she lives and works in.
Jason Garland
Board Member
Founder & Chief Technology Officer
Secure Access
Jason Garland has built his own IT business, Secure Access IT in Maroochydore and directly employs 16 people. He has contributed significantly to the regional IT industry over the past 24 years and to the Sunshine Coast economy by way of technological innovation and consultancy to transform regional businesses to thrive in a global digital world.
He is an authority in Cyber Security (MCyberSec), ICT infrastructure (MCSE) and a long-term advocate for the development of industry talent. Jason is active in a leadership capacity within the Sunshine Coast Tech Industry Alliance (SCTechIA) and a member of the Sunshine Coast ICT Working Group. Jason collaborates with industry globally including international trade to keep pace with current industry and technology trends and to see what can be introduced into the Sunshine Coast region to make it an ICT hub of the future.
Jason remains committed to the sustainability of Sunshine Coast’s economic future and he is recognised for his long-term support and contributions to community organisations championing better opportunities for youth on a local and international scale.
Alex Hoffmann
Board Member
Director
Habitance Energy Positive Architecture
Alex Hoffmann, Director of Habitance Energy Positive Architecture, has 30 years’ experience in Architecture, Urban Design and Master Planning. He places emphasis on the urban spaces between architecture, landscape architecture, and planning, which incorporates Public Transport Infrastructure, Urban Design, Multi-Residential, Civic and Community projects.
He adopts rigorous design processes and emphasis on integrating social, environmental, and economic sustainability in all projects which has led to working with government departments, regional councils, Tier 1 engineers, and major developers. Significant projects include Aura, Stringybark Bridge, Springfield Station, Parker Street Microunits, Sunshine Coast Light Rail Study and Moreton Bay Rail Link. Alex has led the Brisbane architecture studios of HASSELL, Archipelago and GroupGSA, to deliver a range of projects in SE QLD.
A Sunshine Coast resident for 15 years, in January 2021, Alex launched Habitance to collaborate with locals to promote and support sustainable development in the region.
Alex is a member of Australian Institute of Architecture (AIA), 2022 AIA Regional Awards Judge, contributed to the Sunshine Coast Design Book, tutored at UQ, and finalists in SC Business Awards in 2022 and 2023.
Peter Saba
Board Member
Group Executive, Developments
Walker Corporation Pty Ltd
Peter Saba, as Group Executive, Developments at Walker Corporation Pty Ltd I have led many of our urban transformations across Australia, driving the Walker ‘vision to reality’ ethos in our place making and master planning expertise.
Holding a degree in Bachelor of Building (Construction Economics) (Hons), I have been with the Walker Group for over 25 years bringing a unique skillset of financial discipline and development together across the group’s projects and all whilst managing the delivery of developments in the industrial, residential and commercial business units.
Currently overseeing the development of the new $3 billion Maroochydore City Centre, I have closely managed the execution of some of the group’s largest and most successful developments including Broadway Shopping Centre, Regency Chatswood, Centenary Quays, Bluestone Mount Barker and Banksia Grove.
In my previous role with Walker Corporation Pty Ltd, I was the Development Director and General Manager of the highly acclaimed $1 billion Hope Island Resort.
I also play a pivotal role within our national new business team and am responsible for helping secure new tenants, land sales and future acquisitions.
Nicola Scott
Board Member
Regional Manager
Sunshine Coast, Master Builders
Nicola Scott is the Sunshine Coast Master Builders Regional Manager.
With two years under her belt in the role, she is working hard to bring change to the local industry by focusing on and highlighting areas that need improvement, further support, and education.
Nicola’s QBCC background and other previous professional roles in both public and private sectors, assist her in providing a high level of guidance and support to her members, while continuing to work on and deliver up to date information and training.
Brad Williams
Board Member
General Manager
Sunshine Coast, RPS Australia Asia Pacific
Brad Williams is the General Manager of the RPS Sunshine Coast business, with over 30 years’ experience in Queensland as an urban planner and development consultant. Brad has been at the forefront of substantial Master Planning projects in the region, assisting clients and communities achieve positive development, environmental and social outcomes. In his current role as the leader of RPS operations on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Brad oversees the work of a diverse team of development consultants, from urban planning and design to land surveying, landscape architecture and environmental management.
Brad has a Masters Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Queensland, is a Member of the Planning Institute of Australia and a Certified Practising Planner. He is a Member of the Urban Development Institute of Australia, a Member of Queensland Environmental Law Association and presently chairs the Sunshine Coast Committee of the Property Council of Australia.
Mark Reilly
Board Advisor
Board Advisor
General Manager East Coast Region, TAFE Queensland
Mark Reilly, with over 30 years of experience spanning international, interstate and the Queensland Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, he possesses an in-depth knowledge of the challenges and opportunities that VET provides to business, communities and individuals in a rapidly changing socio-economic landscape.
As the TAFE Queensland Product Sponsor for the Community Services portfolio, Mark led the development and continuous improvement of TAFE Queensland’s suite of education and training resources to service the aged care, disability support, early childhood education and care and community services sectors to ensure graduates are job-ready and possess the skills and knowledge to meet the needs of industry.
Mark is proud to lead a staff of dedicated and skilled educators that is committed to serving students and the community. Mark is a passionate advocate for vocational education and training, noting the remarkable difference it makes to people’s lives.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Education (Adult Vocational Education) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ross Young
Board Advisor
University of the Sunshine Coast
Professor Ross Young was appointed to the University in August 2021 as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation). Prior to joining UniSC, Professor Young has held a number of executive academic roles in clinical and academic health and in medical research. This includes Chair of Trauma Rehabilitation at the Jamieson Trauma Institute, Metro North Health; Executive Dean, Faculty of Health and Executive Director of the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). He is committed to social justice and maximising health outcomes for all people, particularly the most vulnerable in our communities and to the use of novel digital and technological solutions to important health and societal challenges.
Commercial collaboration and patent activity have included licensing gene chip technology and Professor Young also has Board representation in the academic, community and health sectors. He has contributed to health leadership development through mentoring and strategy development in large health and research entities.
Kerrie Bryant-Adams
Board Secretary and Executive Officer
Kerrie Bryant-Adams has been with the Sunshine Coast Business Council since May 2014. She has been working with Association and member-based organisations for more than 30 years. She has held senior roles within not-for-profit organisations and has experience in administration, financial reporting, event management, sponsorship procurement, human resource management, marketing and professional development.
Prior to establishing her own consultancy, she worked for CPA Australia for 23 years heading up their Continuing Professional Development and Events business unit across Australia and Asia.
Kerrie has a Bachelor of Business specialising in human resource management and marketing, as well as a graduate diploma in market research. She works with a number of organisations on the Sunshine Coast looking after their board functions, minute taking, account and record keeping, compliance and governance matters, meeting preparation and event management.
Chair
Since SCBC’s inception in 2004, the following individuals have held the position of Chair:
- Ms Sandy Zubrinich (2012 - present)
- Mr Jason Law (2010 - 2011)
- Mr Maurie Hill (2010)
- Mr Paul Pettigrew (2007 - 2009)
- Mr John Prescott AC (2004 - 2007)
Portfolio structure
The management of SCBC is separated under key portfolios. Board members work across portfolios and frequently involve other members in projects and discussions within the portfolios. The current portfolios are:
- Board, Secretariat, Finance and Administration
- Communication & Marketing
- Advocacy
- Membership & Sponsorship
Constitution
Click here to view the Sunshine Coast Business Council's Constitution.