Sally’s latest Capp: former Lord Mayor joins Hickory

Former Lord Mayor Sally Capp has taken on her latest post-council role, joining Melbourne construction and property company Hickory as its inaugural chief strategy officer.

The appointment was announced as part of a broader executive shake-up at Hickory, which has added five senior leaders to its C-suite and wider leadership team as it looks to grow in digital infrastructure, housing and the New South Wales market. The company says it currently has a secured workbook of $2.5 billion and a workforce of more than 1000 people.

Capp, who had already been serving on Hickory’s advisory board, will now take on an executive role focused on long-term strategy and key stakeholder relationships. According to the company, her brief will include working with government, industry and commercial partners around issues such as housing affordability, workforce development and sovereign capability.

Her move to Hickory comes after her high-profile eight-year tenure as Lord Mayor of Melbourne, during which she became one of the city’s most recognisable civic leaders and a prominent voice on issues ranging from business recovery and city activation to housing, economic development and major precinct renewal.

In a statement released by Hickory, Ms Capp said the company’s integrated model and focus on innovation had drawn her to the role.

“At a time when affordability pressures are being intensified by global uncertainty, the industry needs smarter, more efficient ways of building,” she said.

She said she was looking forward to helping the business scale those capabilities “for the benefit of the construction industry and the communities it supports”.

Hickory Group chief executive Michael Argyrou said the new appointments would strengthen the company’s leadership at a time of growth and change.

“Each of them brings deep knowledge, a cross-section of experience and fresh perspectives that will continue to strengthen our momentum,” he said. “Together, they add real force to the direction Hickory is moving in right now.”

Capp is one of five new executive appointments announced by the company, alongside Michael Curtis as chief financial officer, Persia Gough as chief marketing and communications officer, Pete Howell as chief people officer and Ben Williams as construction director.

For Melbourne, the appointment is another sign of how prominent former civic leaders are continuing to move into influential roles across the private sector, particularly in industries closely tied to the future shape of the city.