Michelle Tierney

Michelle is an inspiring trailblazer and leader for diversity in business. 

Michelle is a proud Aboriginal woman, descendant of the Wiradjuri peoples of the central west and western slopes and plains region of NSW and member of the “Hidden Generations”, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people whose cultural heritage and identity have been obscured or disconnected due to various social, political and familial circumstances of assimilation policies encouraging or forcing them to assimilate into non-Indigenous communities.

A little girl from housing commission zealot of genuine cognitive diversity, equity and inclusion, champion of disruption of entrenched disadvantage who found her way in corporate Australia and now vows to pay it forward, to do some good in the world, to make some modicum of difference for those more vulnerable than ourselves and to play a role in the next generation of talent, to change the face of corporate Australia and to walk together to create a better future for our First Nations communities and future generation.

Michelle is a professional Non Executive Director of listed, unlisted, federal government, not for profit and for purpose Australian and New Zealand organisations.

She has more than 30 years’ experience in the property industry as a listed Non-Executive Director, former Chief Operating Officer, senior corporate real estate and financial services executive and leader with ASX50-300 and NZX50 organisations with a background in funds management, real  estate investment, property and asset management, general management, transformation, strategy development and execution and sustainability.

Michelle is currently a Non-Executive Director of:

• Stride Property Group (NZX:SPG), a property owner and manager of commercial property that focusses on creating, developing and investing in places with enduring demand;
• Growthpoint Properties Australia (ASX:GOZ), investing in high quality office and industrial property;
• PEET Ltd (ASX:PPC), one of Australia’s leading residential developers creating masterplanned communities, townhouses, and apartments;
• Cotton Research and Development Corporation, an Australian Commonwealth Government entity (Statutory Recipient Body) under the Primary Industries Research and Development (PIRD) Act 1989 to enhance the performance of the Australian cotton industry through investing in research and development, and its application;
• Uniting NSW & ACT, one of the largest not-for-profit organisations in Australia offering over 550 services across NSW and the ACT in the areas of aged care, retirement and independent living, early learning, disability, chaplaincy and community services;
• CareerTrackers, a national purpose-driven organisation addressing the underrepresentation of First Nations Australians in universities, professional roles and leadership positions in industry and community by supporting pre-professional First Nations university students and linking them with employers to participate in paid, multi-year internships; and
• HESTA non-executive nominee director of Assemble, developer and manager of social, affordable, build to rent and build to rent to own housing. Together with HESTA and Australian Super, two of Australia’s largest superannuation funds- Assemble is delivering new homes and providing better and mr3oe divers housing choices for renters and homebuyers right across the country. Assemble is in service to value-aligned institutional investors to facilitate ownership of strong-returning, institutional-scale and quality housing that is delivered in partnership with the development industry, government and community housing sector.