Frances Cayley has previously held roles as Head of Property at the Sunshine Coast Council, and Project Director at the Sunshine Coast City Hall.
The move to appoint Francis Cayley comes after the Turbine Project, located at the Sunshine Coast Airport, secured $8.78 million in Federal Government funding.
Cayley brings significant experience as a project manager to this role, having previously held a $1bn portfolio at the Sunshine Coast Council. In all, she has worked in senior property industry roles for more than 20 years, across a range of initiatives and operations.
“Turbine presents an opportunity to establish an important asset that will contribute significantly to the Sunshine Coast’s future,” Cayley said.
Emma Greenhatch, the Director of the Turbine project, and CEO of the Sunshine Coast’s Food and Agribusiness Network (FAN, heralded the recruitment of Cayley: “Turbine’s Board are delighted that Frances will be leading the project.”
“Frances’s values parallel those of Turbine and this, coupled with her skills in property and her ability to engage with key stakeholders, made her the ideal person for the role,” she added.
When completed, the Turbine Precinct will contain a research and development facility, warehousing, logistics, manufacturing services, and a training facility specific to the food and beverage industry. The project is thought to be the first purpose-built manufacturing precinct of its kind in Australia.
The project’s ambition is to create a precinct where local manufacturing businesses can collaborate and increase their productivity. The first stage of the project will be focussed upon the beverage industry, with the Turbine’s team hoping to attract both local business and global brands.
“This precinct will shine a light on the importance of manufacturing in the food and beverage sector and will offer so many opportunities to those smaller businesses who really need the support to help them scale, break into new markets and increase their market share,” Cayley said.
Cayley’s sentiments were echoed by Greenhatch: “Over the past six years FAN has created a unique, collaborative ecosystem to support the growth of the food and agribusiness industry across the Greater Sunshine Coast region.”
“Turbine will take this to the next level, providing advanced manufacturing capability, critical services and education and training to turbocharge industry growth.”
“Turbine is a project that started on the premise that collaboration is the key to future success and with a vision to create a blueprint for the future of Australian food and beverage manufacturing,” Greenhatch explained.
The Turbine Precinct is currently in the planning stage, with operations due to commence in late 2023.