About Alex O’Mara

Alex O’Mara — Founder & Director

Starting out her career as a planning and environmental lawyer with Mallesons Stephen Jaques, Alex has since led transformation across the public and private sectors, managing multi-million-dollar budgets, large teams and projects in land use planning, precincts, natural resources, infrastructure, energy, the built environment and the cultural and creative industries.

Senior Executive roles

As Group Deputy Secretary for Place, Design and Public Spaces with the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Alex led high-performing team of 1300 staff with an annual budget of $1.5b and responsibility for the land use planning system in Greater Sydney. 

She led the delivery of the key state priorities, driving a place-based approach to planning and infrastructure and leading complex stakeholder engagement to deliver key place strategies and rezonings, together with significant program, system and policy reform to provide certainty and strong place outcomes for business and communities. 

Alex oversaw a $2.5b program of growth infrastructure and an annual investment of $400m across 15 community programs. She delivered the Movement and Place Framework as Chair of the NSW Government Steering Committee and high-profile place strategies that enabled transport-oriented density with public benefit, such as Pyrmont and Bays West and the Aerotropolis plan.

As Deputy Secretary of Create NSW, Alex led a high-performing team of 200 to deliver a vibrant and thriving arts, screen and cultural sector in NSW, working with an annual budget of $635m. She oversaw the planning and delivery of over $2 billion in cultural infrastructure projects, including the Sydney Modern upgrade to the NSW Art Gallery, the renewal of the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct and the extension to the Australian Museum which won the 2021 NSW Architecture Medallion.

As Executive Director, Resources and Industry Policy with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, Alex led complex stakeholder engagement and legislative and policy reform to enable climate adaptation and transition in relation to wind, solar, mining, coal seam gas, flooding and coastal erosion, generating solutions that mitigated business risk and improved social licence.

Board, Committee and Advisory roles

Alex is a Non-Executive Director for Place Management NSW, St George Community Housing, Sydney Harbour Federation Trust and Tracey Brunstrom and Hammond Australia. Alex’s previous board roles include roles as Board Member, Australian Building Codes Board, Board Member of  Sydney Olympic Park Board and Place Management Board, Member of the City of Sydney Central Sydney Planning Committee, Board Member of the NSW State Records and Archives Authority and member of the Resilient Sydney Steering Committee.

Alex is currently member of the Advisory Council of the Science Faculty of the University of NSW.

Alex is a currently Strategic Independent Adviser to the Urban Transformation Centre of Western Sydney University on the green space-oriented housing development project. Alex was the Chief Advisor to the Urban Transformations Centre from 2022-3 to assist in their establishment. Western Sydney University has been ranked 1st in global sustainability rankings in 2022-3.  Alex was a Senior ESG and Sustainability Advisor to BDO in 2022-3. Alex is also an Expert Panel Member: Power of Public Spaces to Connect Communities and Places for Resilient Futures: Macquarie University and Transport for NSW.

Qualifications

Alex is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Alex has a current legal practicing certificate which she has held since 1999. Alex has a Bachelor of Arts / Law (Hons 1) and a Masters of Administrative Law and Policy from the University of Sydney. Alex is a Certified Organisational Coach (Level One) with the Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership. Alex completed the Prince of Wales’s Business and Sustainability Programme with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.