Our Team

Karen Howard is an accomplished Non-Executive Director with more than two decades of board and chairing experience across government, private, public, and for-purpose organisations.

She has provided governance oversight to entities with property assets under management of approximately $3.4 billion across Australia and New Zealand, as well as Trusts and Foundations administering funds ranging from $1.4 million to $25 million.

Formally accredited as a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Certified Chair™ and a Qualified Risk Director®, Karen has held 14 board positions spanning sectors including tourism, prop-tech, fin-tech, small business, health, and education.

A recognised Chair, she is known for her accountable leadership, focus on strategic growth, and the commitment to strong governance frameworks. Karen brings extensive expertise in governance, finance, and regulatory compliance, and is highly effective in engaging with senior stakeholders and decision-makers to influence policy, foster innovation, and deliver sustainable long-term outcomes.

Julie holds over 25 years’ experience in leadership and organisational development, and education and training at both enterprise and Government levels. Julie has successfully translated her skills to the community sector through her work as Founder and Interim Board Member of Under 1 Roof.

Under 1 Roof has gained recognition as an exemplar of cooperation and collaboration, demonstrating real outcomes for people with complex needs. Julie is the Chair of the Tenancy Management Committee and a member of the Catalyst Board.

Les is a retired Grant Thornton Partner with a wide involvement in not for profit organisations. During his time at Grant Thornton Les headed up Assurance Service and was the Office Managing Partner for five years.

Les has been a Director of various not for profit organisations and has also contributed to the Professional Education program for The Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants. Les is currently the Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee and is a member of the Finance Committee.

Kirsty is a property professional and Managing Director of Kelen Property. She was previously Chief Executive Officer for the City of Brisbane Investment Corporation where she was responsible for the property development and investment strategy for that business, which spans across various real estate sectors. Her property experience across both public and private sectors has been built following an early career in finance and business management roles.

Kirsty has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Graduate Diploma in Property Economics with a Development Major. She is the chair of BHC’s Finance Committee and is also a member of the Queensland Division Council of the Property Council of Australia.

Matt has more than 35 years’ experience in the property industry. He is currently Head of Origination and a Development Director at GFM, a national property funds manager and leader in the “Build-to-Rent” sector (under its Home BTR brand). Prior to this role, Matt was Head of Development at Grocon, where he oversaw a range of projects including 480 Queen Street and the 2018 Commonwealth Games Village / Smith Collective.

Matt’s other prior roles include Director of Development at the ULDA / EDQ and General Manager of Development at the Indigo Group. Matt holds an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Architecture from  the University of Queensland. Matt is the Chair of BHC’s Property Committee.

A former KPMG Partner Katie brings a diverse portfolio of experience, with 25 years providing governance, risk, and advisory professional services across the public sector.  A passion for improving health and human services, Katie has worked with many education, healthcare, and community service organisations both within Australia, and internationally. Specific to the affordable housing spectrum, she is well versed in operational improvement, leveraging digital and technology to enhance tenancy experience, and the importance of strategic partnerships in enabling growth.

Katie now works alongside clients focusing on priority initiatives across the domains of strategy, governance, research, and innovation. Leveraging her internal audit background, Katie is an experienced independent Audit Committee member, and a member of the RACGP National Research and Evaluation Ethics Committee (NREEC), drawing on her academic background in information systems, data analytics and risk management.

Katie is the Brisbane City Council appointed Director and a member of the Finance Committee and the Audit & Risk Committee.

Karla is a lawyer and partner at Allens, specialising in banking and finance. Karla has over 25 years’ of national and international experience in real estate and construction finance, corporate and project finance, acting for a range of clients including financial institutions, private developers, listed corporates and government-owned corporations. Karla is currently deputy-chair of the Queensland Law Society Banking & Financial Services Law Committee and a member of the Allens board.

Karla is a member of BHC’s Property Committee and Audit & Risk Committee.

Juliette Wright is a passionate social justice campaigner dedicated to ensuring people in need receive the right support at the right time. In 2009, she founded GIVIT, an innovative online platform that connects generosity with genuine need, changing how Australians support the most vulnerable in everyday hardship and during natural disasters and emergencies.

Under her leadership, GIVIT has facilitated more than 8.5 million donations, directly helping people experiencing poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, and the devastation of bushfires, floods, cyclones, and the COVID-19 pandemic. By safely and efficiently matching donations to those who need them most, Juliette has ensured dignity and choice remain central to how communities are supported.

What began as a simple act of kindness – donating baby clothes – grew into a world-first donation management platform endorsed by governments and used by more than 5,000 non-profit organisations nationally. Today, GIVIT is a lifeline for individuals and families facing crisis, providing essential goods and services that improve lives and restore hope.

Building on this impact, Juliette is now extending her vision globally through Recovere, a new social enterprise designed to empower communities worldwide to manage donations effectively in times of crisis. Her tireless work has been recognised with numerous honours, including being named Australian of the Year Local Hero in 2015 and receiving the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2019.

Margaret Forrest is a barrister who practices predominantly in commercial law and criminal law/regulatory prosecutions representing clients in all jurisdictions, including the Supreme Court and the High Court.

Prior to the Bar, Margaret was a solicitor in the Corporate and International Tax Division of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu; a solicitor in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions; and an Associate to Judge Kiernan Dorney QC in the District Court of Queensland.  

Margaret has also worked at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague and has taught Evidence Law and Criminal Law and Procedure at the University of Queensland.

Margaret holds a Master of Philosophy (Criminology) from the University of Cambridge and degrees in Law and Arts (Mandarin Chinese) from the University of Queensland.  She was the recipient of a Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust Scholarship.

Rebecca Oelkers is BHC’s Chief Executive Officer.

Rebecca has worked in the affordable housing sector for over two decades, including 15 years in executive roles within BHC. She leads a growing team of 85 staff who have delivered more than 2,000 homes across 45 developments since 2002. Under Rebecca’s leadership, BHC is currently delivering the largest pipeline of social and affordable housing developments in the organisation’s history. Most recently Rebecca led BHC’s involvement in the Queensland Government’s Housing Investment Fund, securing partnerships with institutional investors to grow the supply of social and affordable housing by up to 1,200 homes in Queensland.

Rebecca is the inaugural Chair of Australian Community Housing (ACH), the new national peak body for community housing. Rebecca has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Arts, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Jamie Muchall is the Chief Operating Officer at BHC. With over 15 years’ experience in the affordable housing and property development sectors, he is interested in collaborative housing policy solutions, creation of new programs and research for non-profit and residential property applications.

Jamie is passionate about building communities and creating solutions and innovative ideas to solve the problems that beset our communities. Prior to BHC, Jamie held executive and senior management roles at some of Australia’s largest community housing providers in strategic, operational and development roles.

Jamie is a Director of the Australasian Housing Institute and the Community Housing Industry Association Queensland, and a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Pauline Thomson is BHC’s Chief Financial Officer, bringing more than two decades of leadership experience in strategy, finance, and transformation across the infrastructure, utilities, energy and charitable sectors.

Pauline’s career includes senior executive roles where she managed large-scale budgets and complex capital programs. At Unitywater, she served as CFO and Acting CEO, overseeing a $650 million operating budget and a $450 million capital investment program. During her tenure, she delivered over $100 million in cost savings, secured growth funding, and led critical disaster recovery efforts during the 2022 floods. In 2024, Pauline joined Ports North as Transition Project Manager for the $500 million Cairns Marine Precinct, establishing the Project Management Office for this major development. Earlier roles at Energex and Powerlink Queensland strengthened her expertise in financial governance and commercial strategy.

Pauline holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting), is a Fellow CPA, and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Her passion for strong governance and creating positive impact drives her commitment to BHC’s mission of delivering high-quality, affordable housing for Queensland communities.

Greta Egerton is the Projects Director leading BHC’s Development Team.

Greta has over 20 years’ experience in real estate business development including strategy, transactions (acquisitions and disposals), advisory, due diligence, negotiation and risk assessment. She also has experience in town planning, urban design, property development and project management.

Prior to joining BHC, Greta held senior positions providing advice on planning, development and infrastructure and gained extensive experience in project management and transactions in her role with Stockland. She has post graduate qualifications in Project Management and Town Planning and has a Bachelor of Science in Australian Environmental Studies. Greta has been an active member of the Property Council of Australia (QLD Division) with positions on several committees.