Tattersalls Club Brisbane is looking for a new CEO after the departure of Simon Proctor

He navigated Covid and a contentious vote to admit women, now Tattersall’s chief executive Simon Proctor is riding into the sunset, with the search for his replacement under way.

The Tattersalls Club building in the Brisbane CBD.

Tattersall’s chief executive Simon Proctor is riding into the sunset after four years at the helm of the up-market CBD club.

Proctor has helped steer Tatts, also known in some circles as the Queen St Workers Club, through a tumultuous period in its history including Covid-19 and the momentous decision to admit women to the formerly all-male enclave.

Tatts president Paul Williams says Proctor will be leaving the club with its sincere thanks for his exceptional contributions. “Simon was at the helm through the onset of the Covid pandemic and over the challenging months that followed,” says Williams.

“He has helped drive fantastic results across a number of key metrics, delivering financial stability and year-on-year growth.” Williams says Proctor also oversaw the development of a new contemporary dining room known as The Conservatory, along with refurbishments of the Members’ Bar, and the soon to be revealed new Health & Wellness Centre.

“We will now begin a recruitment process for a new CEO and expect that the position will attract strong interest given the club’s current position,” says Williams.

Tattersalls CEO Simon Proctor.

Big beef

Fresh out of Rockhampton, there’s a new herd of Queen Street cowboys hitting the inner city this week. Leading the charge is Brighter Super CEO Kate Farrar who is back from four days at Beef 2024. The Brighter Super team was spotted stocking up on RM Williams gear at the clothier’s “Hut”, which was one of the most popular stops on the itinerary for many business bigwigs who travelled north for the event.

Farrar, an economist and former bond trader, also took a crash-course in live cattle trading with Brett Freer, boss of the Regional Livestock Exchange. The local exchange is one of Brighter Super’s long-held Queensland investments and sees the movement of hundreds of thousands-head of stock every year.

At a formal reception hosted by Premier Steven Miles, Farrar was spruiking the fund’s $1 billion in Queensland investments. She hinted that as the state’s largest Queensland-dedicated, homegrown and headquartered super fund, a program to grow this number significantly is in the works. Watch this space.

Kate Farrar and Brett Freer at Beef Week in Rockhampton

Maha’s big heart

We hear Springfield City Group chairman Maha Sinnathamby enticed Heart Foundation CEO David Lloyd to town last week to discuss a partnership that could have benefits for the nation. The meeting, held during national Heart Week, was the first step in a long-term vision to provide Australia with a longtidunal study aimed at reducing the rate of heart disease.

Springfield continues to develop its Health City, including the Mater hospital precinct, in a region that has welcomed more than 53,000 residents since construction began 32 years ago.

Sinnathamby and the Melbourne-based Lloyd will continue their discussions on engaging with the thriving Springfield community for learnings that can be shared across the nation.

“With the help of the Heart Foundation, we’re discussing a long-term, ongoing initiative that we hope can influence the health of future generations in Springfield city and beyond,” Sinnathamby said. “Our city has always focused on the pillars of health, education and IT. Those focuses have underpinned all that we have done including the development of our Health City which provides world-class services for our residents.”

The Heart Foundation says more than 40,000 Australians die from cardiovascular disease each year with nearly 600,000 hospitalised for it.

Springfield City Group chairman Maha Sinnathamby.