This is part of a special report produced in partnership with Gleeds
Anne Jolic’s career has been shaped by a commitment to creating places that balance public purpose with commercial reality. As chief executive officer of Development Victoria, she leads one of Australia’s most influential public development organisations from its base in Melbourne.
Development Victoria is the state government’s preferred development partner and adviser, working alongside the private sector to translate policy into built outcomes. With a workforce of 350, it occupies a unique position within the built environment. It is a statutory authority governed by an independent board, responsible for strategic oversight and approving projects before they progress to government.
As a public non-financial corporation, Development Victoria is required to fund its own operating and financing costs through its business activities, so every project must balance policy objectives with financial discipline and market awareness. Jolic describes the organisation’s role as translating “government policy into places for people, homes, infrastructure and precincts, while remaining commercially viable for our partners”.
Her own role spans strategy, governance, partnerships and delivery, ensuring government objectives are translated into projects the market can confidently deliver. It is a position that requires clarity of direction, strong commercial acumen and the ability to work across government, industry and community.
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Jolic’s pathway into the built environment began with a degree in urban planning at RMIT University in Melbourne. In her final year, she undertook a work experience placement at the Urban and Regional Land Corporation, the predecessor to Development Victoria, and was offered a role shortly afterwards. She was drawn to how the sector brings together geography, commerce and design, and to the challenge of “working through complexity and then actually seeing something tangible on the ground”.
Over 25 years in the industry, Jolic has worked with several key development organisations, contributing to some of the most high-profile projects in Australia. Before returning to Development Victoria as CEO, she held senior leadership roles including head of operations at Lendlease, where she oversaw the global operations of its development business across complex mixed-use, commercial, residential, retail and build-to-rent projects.
Day to day, her focus is on leading teams, setting strategic direction, working closely with partners and government, and ensuring the delivery of critical housing supply and high-quality places for Victorians. Outside of work, family remains a priority, alongside making time for health and wellbeing.
Jolic credits much of her career progression to the people she worked with early on. Her first manager was a female project director who trusted her, as a graduate, with responsibility for whole parts of a project. That inclusive approach, combined with being pushed into challenging situations early, helped build confidence quickly. Having leaders who could see her potential before she fully recognised it herself made a lasting impression, and it is something she consciously tries to pay forward.
One challenge has been how to balance ambition with sustainability, particularly as responsibilities grew alongside family commitments. Over time, she has learnt that being deliberate about priorities and boundaries is essential.
A defining moment came when she missed out on a role that felt like a natural next step. While disappointing at the time, the experience taught her that careers do not always move in a straight line, and that openness to opportunity can lead to better outcomes.
Another formative career experience was stepping into her first head of operations role. It marked a deliberate shift from project delivery to business leadership, requiring her to think beyond individual outcomes and focus on strategy, people and culture. She describes it as the moment she learned that “running a business is ultimately about people, culture and long-term decisions, not just delivery”.
Under Jolic’s leadership, Development Victoria has made notable progress on gender equity. It now has gender balance across its workforce and senior leadership, has reduced its gender pay gap from 16% in 2021 to 1%, and has increased female representation at senior director level from 15% to 55% in under four years. This progress has been driven by a focus on culture and flexible work.
Leadership visibility, she believes, matters. Her advice to women entering the built environment is grounded and practical: prioritise wellbeing alongside ambition, be clear about personal values, and recognise that success does not depend on following a single, linear path.
