Greg Haywood by John Coleman

It is with great sadness that we at Express Glass acknowledge the passing of former President and Life Member of SCA(NSW), Gregory Murray Haywood, who passed away last Sunday 21st August, after bravely battling illness for some years. Greg was a much loved friend and colleague and he will be sadly missed by all those with whom he crossed paths during his illustrious career in the strata industry.

   Greg Haywood was born in 1947 in the Sydney suburb of Bankstown. His father, a practising architect, was drawn to the land and, so, at age twelve, Greg left Sydney with his family and moved to Tamworth in the New England region of New South Wales. Greg was enrolled at Farrer Agricultural College and became a keen show rider, mainly in dressage and sporting events, such as barrel races and zigzags. At the end of 1963 the Haywood family moved back to Sydney and settled in Menangle Park, near Camden, where his father purchased a 20 acre hobby farm for his horses, whilst still being able to practise as an architect.

    Greg completed the final two years of secondary school at the selective Hurlstone Agricultural High School, in the Sydney suburb of Glenfield. During the school holidays Greg worked on the nearby Macarthur Onslow estate at Menangle, helping with its large dairy herd. It was this love of farming and horses, which led to Greg’s ambition to become a veterinarian, but after gaining his Leaving Certificate and with Vet Science just out of reach, Greg enrolled in an Accountancy course at TAFE, which was the usual pathway at this time for accountants. At the same time, in 1966, he got a job as a Cost Accountant at one of Australia’s largest companies, Standard Telephone and Cables (STC) at Liverpool, working there during the day and studying three nights a week for three hours each night for four years to gain his Accountancy qualification.   

    After qualifying as an accountant, Greg became a Financial Accountant at Tegel, one of Australia’s largest poultry producers and, whilst there, he continued to study part-time to further enhance his management and accounting skills. It was during his time at Tegel that Greg married his wife, Nalda, and the couple went on to have two children, Branden and Nicole. After three years with Tegel, Greg began work with Mirotone Pty Ltd, the market leader in industrial surface and timber coatings. Greg spent 22 years at Mirotone, beginning as Group Accountant and finishing as Company Secretary and Finance Director.

   In 1995 Greg left Mirotone and became a contract accountant working with such companies as Mayne Nickless and, so it was that in 2001 Greg was recruited as a contract accountant by Prudential Investment Company of Australia (PICA), a publicly listed company. His temporary role was as head of finance and company secretary for PICA’s subsidiary company, Body Corporate Services (BCS). Within six months the company offered Greg the role on a permanent basis. After 18 months in this role, Greg was promoted to the position of CEO of BCS, whilst retaining the roles of Company Secretary and Chief Financial Officer. Greg served as CEO until 2015, at which time he stepped down into a part-time position as Executive Director and strategic advisor, heavily involved in planning and acquisitions.

    Greg was a great supporter of the strata industry and SCA(NSW). He ensured that BCS became one of the major sponsors of SCA and, in 2007, Greg was elected as a director on the board of the Institute of Strata Title Management (ISTM), as SCA(NSW) was then known. He served on the board for the next eleven years, stepping down in 2018. At first Greg was a representative of the Associates Chapter, but in 2012, he gained his Certificate IV and his strata licence, allowing him to change membership to the Licenced Managers’ Chapter. This paved the way for Greg’s appointment as President of SCA(NSW) in 2013. He continued as President until stepping down in 2016, but remained on the board until 2018.

    Concurrently with these roles on the New South Wales board, Greg held the position of National President of SCA from 2012 until 2018. In addition, Greg was the recipient of the National President’s Award in 2011 and was awarded Life Membership of SCA(NSW) in 2019 for services to the strata industry. Greg was also a Fellow of the Institute of Public Accountants and had been awarded certified CEO recognition from the Institute of Chief Executive Officers.

   Former SCA(NSW) President and, now National President, Chris Duggan had this to say about Greg Haywood, “Greg was widely regarded as one of the most significant contributors to the strata industry in this country. Greg was the inspiration behind the collegiate attitude of managers for sharing and growing together. He epitomised the friendship and foundation of knowledge sharing that has shaped this industry. He was a man who was both kind and truly impactful. Most importantly he was generous with his time and friendship.”      

   Another former President of SCA(NSW), Robert Anderson, who also served as Chief Operating Officer with Greg at BCS in 2004, made this very moving assessment of Greg, “It’s hard to encapsulate a person’s qualities with one word, but in Greg’s case the word ‘belief’ comes to mind. The PICA Board had belief in Greg and trusted him completely. In turn, Greg believed in his staff. He wanted to see everyone grow in the job and he entrusted them. He provided support by being the first to run middle management training programs. If someone was ill, they were not left without support, once their entitlements expired. Greg believed in the SCA and he believed in the strata industry. Greg believed in supporting others, especially the Starlight Foundation. Finally, and most significantly, Greg had belief in himself.”

    And David Edgerton, a longtime friend, paid this tribute to Greg,” Greg had many wonderful attributes and I loved him as a great and dear friend. His greatest attribute, to my mind, was that he always had time to stop and speak to all those many people who wanted to engage with him, wherever he went. Even when he was not well, he would make time for people and it didn’t matter who they were. Their status in life made no difference to Greg. He treated everyone in the same friendly manner and was always interested in what they had to say. A great man and a wonderful friend.”   

    All of us at SCA(NSW) extend our heartfelt condolences to Greg’s wife, Nalda; his children Branden and Nicole and their partners, Jacki and Mathew; his seven grandchildren; and all the extended Haywood family. Greg Haywood was not only a giant of the strata industry, but he was a man of great humility, compassion and generosity of spirit.

                                  VALE GREG HAYWOOD 1947-2022