New NSW Building Commissioner takes office

Collapsing buildings are being restored and projects are moving forward with confidence as James Sherrard prepares to take office as the new NSW Building Commissioner on December 2.

With the departure of David Chandler, who made it a priority to eliminate “risk takers” from the construction game, there were big construction boots to fill, and he finished in August.

Sherrard was completing his final weeks as Transport NSW’s head of advertising, performance and strategy, where major infrastructure projects were the name of the game.

The new building commissioner said he looked forward to leading the 400-strong team in its latest incarnation, while working with industry, government and the community.

In December 2023, the NSW Building Commission officially became a “fit for purpose” building regulator, bringing a team from the NSW Office of Fair Trading to the table.

Working with governments was nothing new for Sherrard, who had been a project manager for civil, residential and sports infrastructure projects in New South Wales, as well as the UK, Algeria, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.

This included the Sydney and London Olympics, as well as work in his current role with Transport NSW in contracts, property and project acquisitions and analytics.

NSW Housing Minister Anulak Chanthivong this week welcomed the appointment and thanked Matt Press for his work as Acting Commissioner during the recruitment process.

▲ Prior to Transport NSW, James Sherrard was a national lead partner in the infrastructure, urban renewal and capital projects practice group at PwC.

“With his depth and breadth of experience in the public and private sectors and around the world, Mr Sherrard is well positioned to take the Building Commission to the next level of its development,” Anulak said.

“As part of these changes, we launched the NSW Building Commission last year, transforming the 10-person Office of the Building Commissioner into an autonomous regulator employing more than 400 people.

“It’s exciting to enter a new era under James’ leadership, working with stakeholders, industry, consumers and government to continue the work of the Minns Labor Government to restore confidence in the construction industry and ensure the supply of well-built homes around the world. state.”

Chandler retired in August after five years of active involvement in change in the construction industry, including under the watchful eye of the likes of Topplace and Dildam.

Some of Toplas’s projects were halfway through implementation, including the construction of several towers throughout Sydney.

Aland acquired several Toplace properties last month, including 964 apartments opposite Castle Towers Shopping Center and 425 apartments in Parramatta.