The Formus Team
Ben Fairfax MANAGING DIRECTOR
Ben, Co-founder and Managing Director of Formus Property, brings over 33 years of expertise in various aspects of property development. His experience spans land acquisition, civil engineering, town planning, master planning, legal and financial structuring, design and construction, marketing and sales, and overall project development delivery. Ben has successfully managed strategic alliances with financial institutions and joint venture partners in diverse property sectors, including industrial, commercial, mixed-use residential, and retail.
Maintaining a partnership approach has always been a core principle in Ben's business philosophy. His comprehensive understanding of the property process, from concept to completion, has been instrumental in driving growth and success across various property sectors in his previous business endeavors.
In 2009, Ben co-founded Bluestone Property Solutions, which later merged in 2012 to become Capital Bluestone. The vision was to achieve long-term success and sustainability in projects, contributing to positive change in communities through well-planned, integrated developments. This joint venture approach resulted in a development pipeline exceeding $2 billion, with partnerships with clubs, churches, and community groups, including the Cronulla Sutherland Leagues Club at Woolooware Bay Town Centre, Kogarah RSL, Bondi Junction RSL, the Seventh Day Adventist and Hillsong Church prior to the business being acquired by an International Group in 2019.
Recognising an opportunity, Ben established Formus Property to provide a transparent joint venture model for collaboration with landowners in the Club, Community, Corporate, and Private sectors. The goal is to transform and maximise the potential of existing property assets through an integrated development approach, ensuring long-term sustainability and positive community impact.
Ben has a track record of successfully establishing businesses around core values and a partnership model, emphasising collaboration and transparency.
This commitment positions Formus Property the preferred partner in all future dealings.
Adam Lucas CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Adam is Co-founder & Executive Director of Formus Property and has over 20 years of property & development experience. He has a focused on large multi staged mixed use projects and has held senior positions in private and listed development firms, managing complex development projects with a combined end value approaching $6bn AUD. With broad development knowledge and strong 'mixed use' project experience, he brings the critical pieces together and has consistently done this on Australia's largest Urban Regeneration Projects.
From establishing the vision and site master plan & design development through complex planning approvals, marketing, sales/Leasing, funding toconstruction delivery. He challenges every step, identifying and mitigating risks and driving revenue.
Adam has managed some of Australia's largest Urban Regeneration projects in ‘Woolooware Bay’, ‘Darling Square’ and 'One Sydney Harbour' in Sydney's Barangaroo South precinct.
Adam most recently led the Residential Development Team on the 'One Sydney Harbour' project through design development, planning approvals, record setting sales campaign, funding and conversion into construction delivery. Designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect 'Renzo Piano' the project has an end value well in excess of $4bn and consists of three tall towers at up to 250m in height. It is one of the most significant projects of its kind in Australia.
Adam first worked with Co-Founder Ben at 'Bluestone Property Solutions' from its inception in 2009 as its first team member, working closely on the tender, acquisition, design, planning and delivery of several projects including the 'Woolooware Bay Town Centre' in partnership with the 'Cronulla Sharks Leagues Club'. This major mixed-use project with an end value of $950m ensured the survival of the club by delivering a sustainable return.
Andrew Thackray PROJECT DIRECTOR - HEAD OF DELIVERY
Andrew brings over 35 years of construction experience to Formus, with a strong background in managing multi-level mixed-use building projects. He has held senior management positions in private and publicly listed development and building firms in NSW.
Throughout his career, Andrew has overseen the delivery of over 4,000 residential dwellings, including city-shaping master-planned communities in challenging environments. As a Senior Project Manager, he successfully managed the completion of three major multi-level residential apartment projects, comprising a total of 700 apartments in the Ashmore Estate Precinct in Erskineville.
Additionally, Andrew served as the National Construction & Design Manager for Retire Australia in the New Development & Acquisitions department for over four years. In this role, he managed the design development and client-side project delivery of multi-storey Independent Living Units and aged care developments across NSW and Queensland. He was involved from conceptual design to the delivery and onboarding of residents, working closely with operational and executive teams to ensure projects met high-quality standards.
Some notable developments Andrew has delivered include the award-winning Glengara Care Facility on the Central Coast shortlisted for the Best Retirement Living Awards, Stage 1 of Wood Glen 'The Rise' Luxury ILU apartments, Lane Cove ILU Apartments development, Tarragindi Bowling Club Redevelopment, and Foresters Beach Care Facility.
Having worked for principal contractors and developers, Andrew understands the key value drivers in the delivery and development process. His comprehensive knowledge of design, construction, and Independent Living, coupled with his broad management experience, adds depth to Formus's Project leadership team.
Callum Sked SENIOR DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
With more than 23 years of experience overseeing property development, Callum has consistently demonstrated a knack for enhancing project value beyond initial forecasts. He meticulously navigates the development cycle, identifying opportunities and managing risks to secure incremental gains crucial for high-profit projects.
As a senior development manager, Callum has successfully led various projects, including:
Kogarah RSL. Project: 220 apartments + commercial and club stratum with 3 basement car parks.
Channel 9 Willoughby Project: Increased concept plan from 400 to 460 dwellings, managing design competition, community consultation, legal cases, and project staging.
Achieved an 18% GA yield increase, surpassing initial assessments.
Rural Land Subdivision: Identified, syndicated, funded, and rezoned for a 600-lot subdivision + 20 Ha of industrial land. Sold 50% to JV partner for an 80% profit, with 50% retained
Managed the establishment of a new Responsible Entity in compliance with ASIC regulations, conducted due diligence, and acquired 2 x 150 lot subdivisions in QLD and VIC.
Office Expansion: Managed end-to-end delivery of a 4,000m2 office addition to an existing 28,000m2 office/warehouse on a 4.5Ha site, exceeding initial investment forecasts.
Super Amart Project: Acquired, planned, pre-leased, tendered, constructed, and occupied the site for the 1st Super Amart in NSW, maintaining delivery budgets and returns above forecasts despite site contamination.
Callum's expertise spans industrial, bulky goods, mixed-use, and residential sectors, with a primary focus on delivering profitable residential and mixed-use projects.
Wayne Moodie SENIOR DEVELOPMENT MANAGER & CAPITAL TRANSACTIONS
Wayne brings over three decades of property industry experience, with a hands-on and diligent approach that has led him into Senior Asset Management, Investment Management, and more recently, Development Management roles. His professional journey involves collaboration with both International and Local Investors, working with listed and private landowners. Wayne has actively engaged with various stakeholders in strategically repositioning and redeveloping some of Australia's foremost Real Estate Assets.
Over the course of his career, Wayne has taken on leadership responsibilities for real estate portfolios across multiple Australian States and Territories, as well as in New Zealand. He’s held senior leadership roles, managing portfolios for institutional investors such as AMP Capital, Colonial First State Global Asset Management (CFSGAM), Commonwealth Bank Australia (CBA), Nortel Networks, and Queensland Investment Management (QIC).
Wayne's expertise extends across a diverse spectrum of property sectors, including Clubs, Commercial, Education, Entertainment, Industrial, Residential Mixed Use & Land Subdivisions, Seniors Living and Retail Shopping Centres.
He’s played a role in the success of some of Australia's iconic Real Estate Assets, including Castle Towers Castle Hill (NSW), Centrepoint Tower Sydney (NSW), Chatswood Chase (NSW), DFO Homebush (NSW), Garden City Booragoon (WA), Karrinyup (WA), Macquarie Centre (NSW), The Entertainment Quarter (NSW), Tuggeranong (ACT), Warringah Mall (NSW), and Westpoint Blacktown (NSW).
Wayne joined Formus in 2022, aligning with Ben and Adam, to pursue his passion for collaborating with landowners. His focus is on identifying and implementing the most beneficial and optimal use of land in the best interest of the landowner
David Read DESIGN MANAGER
David brings over 20 years of international architecture and design management experience between Australia the UK and Dubai through pre and post-contract stages across a range of building and construction types from small boutique to large mega-scale multi-phase Residential, Commercial, Hotel and Retail mixed-use developments.
Internationally David has been the lead design consultant on a range of projects including the Al Ain 25,000m2 football stadium and surrounding 1000 key mixed-use development in the UAE + various healthcare, education and sustainable IT start-up facilities in the UK.
More recent local project design management roles include a 35,000m2 Residential, Hotel, Retail mixed-use development in Hurstville + a 28,000m2 commercial mixed-use development in at Norwest Business Park at Bella Vista.
As a highly pragmatic and collaborative operator, David is motivated by a focus on efficiency in design and construction with a view to working with design & engineering consultants and contractors to deliver considered products into the market for maximised revenue.
Cassie Staples ASSISTANT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Assisting in establishing project briefs and strategies, timelines, market analysis, proposals and submissions, Cassie provides reliable and ongoing support in achieving project objectives.
Cassie first worked with the Founders of Formus property on the Woolooware Bay Town Centre project. On this project Cassie was heavily involved in the sales and marketing function, delivering outstanding results, selling out entire stages of apartments in a matter of hours. Cassie also went on to be a critical part of the community engagement process, dealing with the many and varied stakeholders of the project, delivering a cohesive and integrated community.
Cassie went on from her position on Woolooware Bay to enjoy a celebrated career as a professional athlete, representing Australia in the Women’s Rugby 7’s team. This level of commitment and focus now flows into her work at Formus Property.
Working closely with the executive team, Cassie’s role continues to expand, proving her to be an integral part of the future of Formus.