The role of the Board is to set and guide the strategic direction of the organisation and oversee its activities with an appropriate level of governance directed by the Group Board Charter and Corporate Governance policy, and the rules of the SGCH Constitution. SGCH Group has an established Risk Management Framework aligned to ISO 31000:2009, Risk Management – Principles and Guidelines. We have embedded risk management in our corporate governance processes.
The SGCH Group has four Board Governance Committees to assist the Board to carry out its duties in overseeing strategic areas of business operation:
The SGCH Group has four Board Governance Committees that assist with its duties to oversee strategic areas of business operation. This year, the Committee Charters were reviewed and updated to reflect growing areas of focus.
Chair – Lianne Buck (from 25 November 2022)
The Audit and Risk Committee oversees the integrity of the Group’s financial reporting, monitoring the effectiveness of the Group’s systems of internal controls, risk management and compliance, and monitoring the effectiveness and integrity of the internal and external audit functions.
Chair – Simon Shakesheff (from 4 December 2020)
This refreshed committee (formerly Development and Construction) maintains oversight and strategic guidance of resources invested in homes. This includes review and oversight of strategy and systems for investment, review and recommending to the Board investment or development opportunities, monitoring the development pipeline, overseeing and monitoring strategic asset management, and long-term planning of portfolio asset management and investment. The charter includes reviewing safety systems and performance and environmental and sustainability initiatives with respect to development and maintenance activities and assets.
Chair – Barry Mann (from 25 November 2022)
This committee builds upon the former Work Health Safety and Environment Committee with an expanded remit. The Safety and Sustainability monitors and reviews culture relating to safety, environmental and social sustainability. This includes the Group’s approach to promoting and protecting health and safety of our workers, customers and others while pursuing strategic objectives, the environmental impact and strategies and initiatives adopted to improve environmental sustainability and the impact of our activities on customers, stakeholders and communities. The committee considers key risks, compliance and impact of relevant changes in the areas of safety, environmental performance and social impact.
Chair – Philip Fagan-Schmidt
Assists the Board to fulfil its statutory, corporate governance and oversight responsibilities in relation to the people, remuneration and culture of the Group, contribute to the development and review of people and culture strategies, systems and processes and to monitor and ensure the effectiveness and performance of the Board.
SGCH is made up of a parent company (St George Community Housing Limited), and four subsidiary companies, SGCH Portfolio Limited, SGCH Sustainability Limited, SGCH DevCo Limited and SGCH Keys Limited.
SGCH Portfolio Limited has been operational since November 2014 and SGCH Sustainability since July 2015. We established both subsidiaries to hold a selection of SGCH’s Social and Affordable Housing assets, from which we could secure finance deals, now with the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (“NHFIC”).
SGCH DevCo Limited was established in September 2020 and SGCH Keys Limited established in May 2021 to deliver future projects.