ACCESS 2 PLACE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Financial Controller
Alex is a Chartered Accountant with a background in financial management, restructuring, turnaround and insolvency. He has been involved with the not-for-profit sector since the age of 15 as a volunteer and later as a board member and employee.
Housing Officer Anne Knight has worked in the South Australian public sector for more than 20 years, including in SA Police, SafeWork SA, SA Health and SA Housing Authority.
Anne is new to Community Housing, and looks forward to helping Access 2 Place tenants with internal transfers and the application process.
She's a professional, resilient, and empathetic person who delivers outstanding customer service - all great assets for Access 2 Place.
Anne enjoys listening to an eclectic selection of music and has a strong interest in the V8 Supercars. She's happiest spending time with her husband, two children and fur baby Wookie.
Ashleigh has extensive knowledge of the social housing sector - across community housing, government housing, short-term crisis accommodation and medium-term housing agencies. Having worked as a Housing Officer and Housing Services Advisor, she brings highly relevant experience to Access 2 Place.
In her Housing Officer role with us, Ashleigh will service the Campbelltown, City of Playford, City of Salisbury, Gawler, Prospect and Tea Tree Gully regions. She has a Certificate III in Business Administration and is studying a Bachelor of Social Sciences with the University of Adelaide.
Job Titles:
- Marketing & Engagement Officer
Carl Fourie is our dedicated Marketing & Engagement Officer at Access 2 Place, where he's instrumental in steering our marketing and communication strategies. With a rich background spanning over a decade in marketing and business development, Carl brings a wealth of expertise and an adaptable approach to his role.
In his position, Carl focuses on broadening our brand visibility and fostering meaningful connections within the community and among stakeholders. His transition to Access 2 Place was driven by a desire to merge his professional skills with his commitment to making a socially impactful difference. Here he can contribute to our vision & mission whilst finding deep satisfaction in impacting lives beyond the standard measures of business success.
Job Titles:
- Maintenance Officer
- the Maintenance Officer
David Centofanti is the Maintenance officer within Access 2 Place. He has a background working in the building industry as a licensed electrician for over 10 Years. With extensive experience in maintenance, he has a passion to help solve problems in the community within the disability sector.
Outside work, David is a qualified sound engineer and likes to write and compose music as well play the guitar. He enjoys football and is also very family orientated spending most of the time with his children.
David joined the Board of Access 2 Place Housing in January 2019 and is a Partner and the Adelaide Office Chair of Grant Thornton.
As a Chartered Accountant with over 14 years' experience, David is the South Australian lead for Grant Thornton's Real Estate & Construction Group. David specialises in providing advice to the property industry and is the Chair of the SA Property Council of Australia's Social Infrastructure Committee.
David brings a diverse range of skills and expertise to Access 2 Place Housing and hopes this will aid the organisation in achieving its strategic ambition to develop high quality housing for people living with disability.
Deborah Faehrmann is the Asset Officer at Access 2 Place her role is responsible for maintaining the standard of our properties and working with clients and tenants to ensure that tenancies are sustainable, well managed and compliant,.
Job Titles:
- General Manager Disability Housing
Emma joined Access 2 Place in April 2023 as General Manager - Disability Housing. Emma says that she was drawn to Access 2 Place for the organisation's values-based approach, and the genuine care that the organisation has for its staff and clients.
Emma has spent over 20 years contributing to the aged and disability sectors and has a passion for improving and supporting other people to live the lives they choose.
Emma's leadership has been integral to the implementation of significant change and building capacity within her portfolio. Under her leadership, Emma likes to ensure her team are focused on customer service, the protection of customers' rights, person-centred approaches and providing quality service at all times while adhering to legislative and industry requirements and regulations.
Outside of work Emma loves spending time with family and friends whether it is with her kids Go-Kart racing or going on various family adventures.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Marketing and Communications Specialist
Finbar is a Marketing and Communications specialist with extensive experience working with various industries, including aviation, retail and engineering. He has held senior roles as Asian Pacific Marketing Manager and Tender and Bid Consultant. Finbar's daily role is Bid Manager for South Australia at global multinational engineering firm WSP delivering successful proposals and response documents to win contracts for large-scale ventures and projects. Additionally, Finbar provides consultation services to numerous businesses and organisations, offering marketing, communications and business solutions.
Finbar brings lived experience to the team; after sustaining a spinal cord injury from a motorbike crash in 2009, Finbar became a paraplegic and uses a wheelchair for mobility. Since becoming a paraplegic, Finbar has worked as an advocate for people with disabilities, seeking to improve access, awareness and inclusion in the community and workplace.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Chartered Accountant and Auditor With over 20 Years Experience Working With Ernst & Young
James is a Chartered Accountant and Auditor with over 20 years experience working with Ernst & Young (EY) across Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. He has advised a number of clients across a wide range of industries including media and entertainment, manufacturing, aged care and education.
James has held numerous board roles including as Deputy Chair of St Peters Girls School, and was Chair of Eldercare Australia. He lives in Adelaide with his wife and three daughters.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chair
- Deputy Chair of the Board
Jeanie joined the Access 2 Place board in June 2019 after serving on the Audit, Risk and Compliance committee since October 2015.
Her background is in construction law; she has specialised in this area of practice since 1992 and is a founding partner of the Adelaide specialist construction law firm, Fenwick Elliott Grace, established in 2006.
Jeanie has a deep understanding of the challenges and pressures facing the construction industry and how these impact on those procuring and using buildings. She is an active participant in a number of industry bodies, including as a member of the Construction Industry Forum, the Contracts and Subcontractors committees for the Master Builders Association of South Australia, a committee member of the SA Chapter of the Australian Institute of Building and a former Board member of the Architectural Practice Board of South Australia.
Jeanie has a strong belief in equality of opportunity and the fundamental importance of the availability of safe, flexible and accessible housing as critical element in achieving this outcome for people living with disability. She welcomes the opportunity to apply her expertise and experience to supporting the important work of Access 2 Place.
Michael joined the Access to Place Board in October 2023.
His professional career has been centered in the town planning and property development sectors, having been a consultant servicing both the private and public sector over the last 30 years. He has been responsible for a range of major strategic planning initiatives in both South Australia and the Northern Territory and has been involved in the delivery of many city shaping projects.
Michael is a long standing member of several industry associations including the Planning Institute of Australia (SA Division) and the Property Council of Australia. Michael serves on the Executive Council of the Urban Development Institute of Australia (SA Division) and is also an independent member of the City of Mitcham Council Assessment Panel.
Michael is seeking to bring his experience and industry connections to assist Access 2 Place in shaping the provision of Specialist Disability Accommodation in South Australia.
Natasha has joined Access 2 Place as our new Housing Officer. She has a Bachelor of Psychological Sciences and a Masters of Social Work from her former studies.
Natasha has had diverse roles within the community and social services. She has worked in both non-for-profit agencies and Government roles, specifically with children, young people and families, she has also had experience working in the social housing sector with relevant experience in public, social and community housing. Natasha is passionate about working collaboratively to promote and ensure the inherent right of clients to have access to services to increase their quality of life.
In her spare time, Natasha enjoys activities such as paddle boarding and nature walks with her puppy, Wilbur. Natasha also loves podcasts and reading diverse books from all genres.
Natasha joined the Board of Access 2 Place in January 2020 and was elected Chair in July 2023. She has over 30 years' experience in senior leadership roles in the Australian and South Australian Governments, leading public policy reforms in disability, ageing, carers, employment and housing to improve the lives of Australians. She is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia, and has tertiary qualifications in management, risk management, project management, public law and psychology.
Natasha is currently Managing Director of NchangeR, a consultancy providing government relations, strategy and governance services to social purpose organisations. Natasha is also a Board Member of the Council on Chiropractic Education Australasia and the South Australian Board of the Medical Board of Australia, as well as a community champion for PANDA - Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia.
Natasha was instrumental in implementing the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in South Australia, including leading the South Australian contribution to the development of the national NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Framework. She is excited to be able to bring this knowledge and expertise to assist the growth of Access 2 Place as a provider of Specialist Disability Accommodation in South Australia.
Job Titles:
- Asset Coordinator
- Property Development Manager
Nathan joined Access 2 Place as Asset Coordinator in January 2019, and has over 10 years experience in housing, covering private and the not-for-profit sector. He has a Diploma in Property Services and has a strong focus on Asset Management, the client experience, and contractor management.
Nathan is excited to start in his new role as Property Development Manager and help A2P to further increase the numbers of homes that can house people living with disability.
Nathan enjoys going caravanning/camping and four wheeled outback adventures with the kids and family.
Nicole joined the Access 2 Place Board in October 2023.
Her background brings years of not-for-profit expertise in the housing sector, spanning aged care, retirement communities along with community/social housing development and social inclusion projects.
Nicole has represented the housing and disability industries across various platforms including five years as Chair on the Aged and Community Services Committee, both at state and national levels.
Nicole's own journey with vision loss has had a profound impact and given her a unique perspective on her approach to creating inclusive and accessible housing solutions that meet the individual needs of people who live with disability.
In her role as Office Manager, Rachel oversees the smooth running of our Greenhill Road office, she helps out with finance and maintenance activities, supports the management and tenancy team and oversees the updates to our official website, social media, and much more!
Before she joined Access 2 Place, Rachel worked in a variety of roles, she has extensive experience in office administration and has a long history of working within the building maintenance industry.
She loves meeting new people, spending time with her family and walking her Red Heeler, Kasey.
Sonja Lal is a Housing Officer at Access 2 Place. She has a Diploma in Community Services and substantial experience in community and social housing.
Sonja grew up in New Zealand and embarked on a career in travel and tourism. She moved into banking as a front-line staff member, eventually shifting into a role as Business Banking Associate role.
She moved into social housing after following a desire to make a difference in people's lives, providing accommodation to disadvantaged and vulnerable members of the community including people experiencing homelessness. She became an independent Affordable Housing Officer, managing a housing portfolio and working in retirement villages in a management role.
In her spare time, Sonja enjoys walking in nature, cooking and spending time with family and friends in search for best coffee in town.
Job Titles:
- Administration & Finance Officer
- Administration & Finance Support Officer
Tania Driver is the Administration & Finance Support Officer at Access 2 Place. Tania has an extensive background in all facets of office administration and has been a part of the community housing sector for almost 8 years. Tania is passionate about working in an environment that supports vulnerable people to live their best lives.
Outside of work, Tania enjoys spending time with her family which consists of a partner, two teenage boys and two spoilt dogs. Her interests include watching AFL football, home renovation projects, travelling, entertaining friends, dining out, crossword puzzles and reading.
Tania is a housing officer at Access 2 Place. Tania has an extensive background in Property Management and Community Housing spanning over years 15 years. Tania is passionate about supporting tenants to feel empowered in their home and tenancy.
Outside of work, Tania enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, exploring nature and eating out. Her interests include music, watching documentaries and self-sufficient living.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Property Development Manager
Trent has had a long association with Access 2 Place Housing, being a Board member from 2015 up until his appointment as the Chief Executive Officer in February 2021. While on the Board he was Chair of the Property & Development Committee.
Trent has more than 25 years' experience in construction projects and developments, with a specific focus on residential property.
He has been a Director of the Keith Timber Group since 2003, a committee member of the Housing Industry Association (South Australia). Trent is well experienced in building sustainable businesses and developing strong relationships with key stakeholders. Trent is married with two young school age daughters and enjoys working on their personal housing projects, keeping fit and spending time with family and friends.