Our People
Our team is 500 strong, from a diverse range of skillsets, backgrounds and lifestyles. We see people for their talent and potential, but the one thing that unites us is our passion for what we do.
Marnie Lewis-Millar
Marnie has been an owner and Director of Lewis Land Group since 2004.
Marnie has been involved in the real estate industry for over 30 years and has extensive experience in the acquisition, development and management of a variety of property assets.
Marnie holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Sydney (and New York University) and a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Sydney.
Marnie also operates and is a director of The Lewis Foundation – a private philanthropic Foundation focused on Children’s health, welfare and education .
Shay Lewis-Thorp
Shay has been a co-owner and Director of Lewis Land Group since 2004.
Shay holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Sydney, and a post-graduate degree in Communications/Journalism from The University of Technology Sydney.
After working in print media for a number of years, as a features editor and writer, Shay moved into the property industry in 2004.
Shay has extensive experience in the acquisition, development, and management of property assets.
Shay is also a director of The Lewis Foundation – a private philanthropic Foundation focused on Children’s health, welfare and education.
Brett Draffen
Brett was appointed Lewis Land’s Chief Executive Officer in October 2023.
Previous to joining the group, Brett was the Chief Investment Officer at Mirvac, one of Australia’s largest ASX listed real estate groups. At Mirvac, Brett held key leadership positions which contributed to the overall growth and success of the business. As the Chief Investment Officer for 9 years, Brett orchestrated group-wide capital allocation strategies, managed third-party capital partnerships, and oversaw major commercial and mixed-use projects’ acquisition and delivery. Prior to this Brett was CEO of Development and Group Strategy at Mirvac where he managed national development projects in the commercial and residential domains. Brett is highly regarded in the property industry with a notable tenure of 21 years at Mirvac.
Brett has a Bachelor of Business, Valuation and Land Economy from Curtin University. He is a past President of the Property Council of Australia, NSW, and has served as a national board member from 2009 to 2013.
Chris Calvert
Chris Calvert is a Non-Executive Director of Lewis Land Group. After six years as the Group’s CEO, Chris has an intimate knowledge of the business, providing leadership and strategic direction influencing the overall management, operation and performance of the Company.
He has 30 years experience in the property industry, half of which has been in leading Australian and overseas property groups in real estate investment and development.
Chris is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Bahrain Real Estate Investment (Edamah) B.S.C., the real estate arm of the Bahrain Sovereign Wealth Fund, and is responsible for the leadership and strategic direction of Edamah, together with the overall management, operation and performance. Prior to his time at Edamah, Chris was the Lewis Land Group CEO, and before this, Chris was the CEO of Cambridge Industrial Trust (CIT), a listed real estate investment trust listed on the Singapore Exchange.
Alex Thorp
As Head of Acquisition, Alex is responsible for overseeing the Group’s acquisition strategy and for overseeing the planning and development of the Lewis Land Group’s residential, retail and hospitality holdings.
Alex led the acquisition of the Group’s leisure portfolio, which includes The Fiddler and Camden Valley Inn in NSW and The Belvedere in Queensland.
Prior to joining Lewis Land Group in 2002, Alex worked in commercial construction for ten years and was a founding director of Built Constructions.
Chris Allenby
Chris joined Lewis Land Group as Chief Financial Officer in April 2020, bringing over 25 years’ experience in financial management to the team.
Prior to joining the Group, Chris was a Partner of KPMG for 12 years where he worked alongside private and mid-cap listed companies. Chris has been a trusted advisor to family businesses and high net wealth individuals, working across a broad range of industries with particular strength and experience in the Retail, Property and Technology sectors.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from the University of New South Wales and was honoured to complete the INSEAD Chairman’s 25 Leadership Program in 2018.
Michael Long
Michael has over 30 years of experience in real estate development and construction from a wide range of sectors including large scale industrial, high-end residential, hotel, and retail projects.
As Head of Development, Michael is responsible for implementing the strategic goals and objectives for the property development sector of the organisation, and subsequently providing the direction and leadership necessary to achieve them.
During his career, Michael has successfully delivered multiple high-end developments throughout Australia and SEASIA working as Head of Development for Cambridge Industrial Trust, a Senior Project Manager for Confluence Project Management on Singapore’s $1B Marina Bay Sands hotel development and at Lendlease in Sydney, Singapore and London.
Michael has a proven ability to build stakeholder relationships and communicate effectively to achieve desired outcomes with government agencies, authorities, consultants, financiers and peers alike.
Tye Van Dyk
As Head of Investments, Tye works alongside the CEO in driving Lewis Land’s long-term portfolio strategy, is responsible for active strategic asset management as well as evaluating and executing acquisition and development opportunities. Tye moved into this role following five years as Deputy CFO and has handled much of the financial aspects of Lewis Land’s portfolio, including the acquisition of The Komo, redevelopment of Harbour Town Adelaide, Sovereign Place, The Belvedere and the ground-breaking Harbour Shores project.
Previously, Tye worked at KPMG advising on a range of high-profile transactions, restructures and capital raisings across different industries for clients including private equity funds, pension funds, listed and unlisted corporates.
Tye holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Tasmania, and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
Meredith Hayes
Meredith Hayes leads the Group’s shopping centre business as Head of Retail. Responsible for the management and performance of the retail assets, Meredith’s focus is on customer experience and sustainability. The $1billion+ portfolio includes Harbour Town Premium Outlets Gold Coast and Adelaide, and Sovereign Place Town Centre Port Macquarie.
Meredith has a strong background in Property Management and Commercial Real Estate, working as Retail Analyst at Dexus Property Group and Investment Manager at Fortius. She joined Lewis Land in 2018 and holds a B. Property Economics.
Brad Jenkins
Brad is responsible for operating the Group’s hospitality venues including four family friendly hotels and two retail outlets across Queensland and New South Wales.
Prior to joining the Group, Brad operated a private consultancy business focused on operational and financial management of multiple hospitality assets across Sydney.
Brad has more than 30 years’ experience in the management of large entertainment venues and diversified hotel groups across Australia.
Tania Rucioch
Tania is responsible for overseeing retail operations and asset management strategies across multiple assets.
Prior to her position of Retail Asset Manager, Tania was the Centre Manager at Harbour Town Premium Outlets Adelaide for 10 years. Through strategic initiatives and a customer-centric approach, Tania led her Centre Team to successfully enhance the overall shopping experience, attracting the desired tenancy mix and improving overall performance.
Tania has a strong background in Shopping Centre Management, with over 30 years of expertise in developing marketing strategies, operational efficiency, and customer engagement.
Tania holds a Diploma in Property Services, a Diploma in Asset Management and a Graduate Certificate in Shopping Centre Marketing.
Aron Eltahir
As the National Leasing Manager, Aron oversees the leasing strategy and budgets across the Group’s portfolio of retail assets. This includes Harbour Town Premium Outlets Adelaide, Gold Coast, and Sovereign Place Town Centre in Port Macquarie. Additionally, Aron works closely with the development team to secure tenant pre-commitment for the Group’s development projects at Sovereign Place Town Centre.
Aron commenced with Lewis Land Group in 2017. Prior to his current role, he was employed to deliver the asset repositioning strategy at Harbour Town Premium Outlets Adelaide. This included successfully introducing iconic international brands to the centre such as Nike, Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, and Polo Ralph Lauren.
Aron has worked in property for over 17 years and is passionate about curating the optimal tenancy mix in retail assets to ensure sustainable income and capital growth is delivered to shareholders.
Aron is a Registered Land Agent, holds a Diploma in Property Services, a Diploma in Asset Management, a Certificate in Finance, and in 2022 he completed a Graduate Certificate in Construction Management to further enhance his knowledge in retail development projects.
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