Comprised of high-calibre South Australian business professionals from a range of backgrounds, the Board’s diversity of experience and innovative thought leadership will be integral to the development and achievement of Sarah’s growth and succession strategies.
The Board will provide independent advice and corporate governance oversight, informed by best-practice thinking and collective professional experience. The Board will be empowered to objectively challenge our current systems, processes, and decision-making skills, and will function in a mentorship capacity to our senior leaders.
About Adrian Esplin
Adrian Esplin is the CEO of Sarah Constructions, a family business established in 1961. Adrian has led the organisation since 2014 and in that time, Adrian has grown the Sarah business three-fold to an annual turnover of $0.5bn with Sarah establishing itself as a significant commercial contractor and property owner in South Australia.
Adrian has served on various business and community boards and is currently Director of Youth Inc. He also continues his association with the University of Adelaide as adjunct lecturer for the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and is an immediate past SA Division President of the Property Council and National Board Director of the Property Council.
About James Sarah
James has been involved in business for 30 years and has a Bachelor of Applied Science (Building Studies) from the SA Institute of Technology (now UniSA), and MBA from Bond University and a Dip CDC (Company Directors Course) from the Australian Institute of Company Directors of which he is a Fellow. James is also an Alumnus of the Harvard Business School OPM (Owner/President Management) program.
James and Tim jointly lead the Sarah team to deliver on their values and enrich the relationships with all stakeholders.
Outside of Sarah, James has held several non-executive directorships in the not-for-profit sector. He has also been heavily involved in industry associations having been President of both the Australian Institute of Building of which he is a Fellow, and the Property Council of Australia of which he is an Honorary Life Member.
About Tim Sarah
Tim has been involved in the business for 30 years. A chartered accountant by trade, he has a Bachelor of Economics, and a Master of Business Administration. Tim is an experienced non-executive director, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
With James he instils the values of respects, solutions focus, and long term sustainability throughout Sarah Group
Tim is currently chair of Anglicare SA Ltd, and a division councilor of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has held director positions in the education, financial services, and community service sectors. Tim has been a member of the Master Builders Association of South Australia Inc.’s Committee of Management, and the SA State Government’s Small Business Development Council.
About Matt Woodrow
Matthew Woodrow is a progressive and strategic thinker, with a passion for bringing together and leading great people. Matt holds a unique talent for unlocking and maximizing organisational potential, thriving in situations of complexity with composure and precision.
Matt is currently employed by the Sarah Group, holding dual positions as Chief Operating Officer of Sarah Group Holdings and Chief Financial Officer of Sarah Constructions. Across Matt’s roles he is responsible for the strategic direction and performance of the Sarah Family Office, Property & Investments, Group Corporate Services, and Commercial Operations. Matt is a member of each business unit executive, and co-ordinates all activities of the board.
Matt has a broad set of formal qualifications, including a Master of Business Administration, a Graduate Diploma in Chartered Accounting and a Bachelor of Commerce. Furthermore, Matt is a graduate of the AICD Company Directors Course and has undertaken various relevant subjects within the Construction Law Master’s at Melbourne University. Matt has attended the Harvard Business School in Boston and INSEAD in Singapore completing courses on Innovation and Leadership Impact respectively.
About Kim Cheater
Kim is a retired Partner with PwC and has over 34 years professional experience. He led PwC’s Governance, Risk Management and Cyber Security Consulting practice in Adelaide for over 20 years and was also the Adelaide Managing Partner. Kim provides independent and objective advice to the Sarah Group Advisory Board on governance and risk management. He is a Fellow with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and a Fellow with the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Kim is also the Chair of the South Australian Museum and Chair of Alwyndor Aged Care, a Board member of ReturnToWorkSA (and Chair of their Audit & Risk Committee), a member of the Flinders University Governing Council (and Chair of their Audit & Risk Committee) and Chair of the Warriparinga Advisory Team that supports Southern Cultural Immersion, a Kaurna owned business that manages the Living Kaurna Cultural Centre. He was previously Deputy Chair at UnitingCare Wesley Bowden.
About Julie Cooper
In addition to her role on the Advisory Board of the Sarah Group, Julie is Chair of Defence Technology Company, Nova Systems Pty Ltd.
She is a non-executive director on the Boards of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Credit Union SA, and the Adelaide Crows Foundation. She has also been Chair of the South Australian Film Corporation and a non-executive director on the Boards of ASC Pty Ltd and Helping Hand (Aged Care).
Before embarking on a Board career, Julie spent more than 25 years as a senior leader in the Brewing, Banking, and Defence sectors across Australia, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. She was also a Management Consultant for McKinsey & Company, operating out of the Firm’s London office.
Julie is a member of the International Women’s Forum Australia (IWFA) and a Fellow of the AICD.
About Adrian O’Dea
Adrian is a Partner, current leader of Deloitte South Australia’s Public Sector practice and former Chief Operating Officer of Deloitte Australia’s Financial Advisory business. Adrian has approximately 25 years’ experience in providing financial advisory services to both the public sector and corporate and private markets.
Prior to this, Adrian was the lead partner of Deloitte’s South Australia Financial Advisory team and lead Partner of two separate service offerings within the national Financial Advisory practice.
Adrian has advised the public sector on complex business case development and feasibility studies as well as advised transactions valued in excess of $5bn, leading numerous engagements for public unlisted and privately held companies. These engagements range from strategic and operational reviews to complete M&A lifecycle and infrastructure transactions.
Adrian is a qualified Chartered Accountant, a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA) and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). He has a Bachelor of Accountancy from The University of South Australia and a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Adelaide.
Adrian is a Board Advisor to Sarah Group, and a member of the Capital Committee.
