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A different kind of economic development company

Dantia is Lake Macquarie City’s economic development company. We’re unique in the Australian landscape, with base funding from Government and independently and commercially governed and managed. Dantia is the thought leader that drives, represents, and delivers Lake Macquarie City’s bold vision for growth and prosperity in the region. As one of the fastest growing areas in the Hunter with $20.5b annual economic output. Lake Macquarie plays a leadership role within the Hunter region. Our economic strength is built upon our diverse landscape and natural resource base.

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Ready for growth and investment

We’re here and ready to help your development, investment, expansion or relocation idea come to life in Lake Macquarie. We exist to create investment and long-term employment opportunities for our growing city and region. For this reason we provide our services free of charge, working alongside you to develop strategies to ease the burden of every stage of your project.

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Flexible to your needs

We understand that every project is different. Your challenges and risks will be unique to your commercial opportunity, and so is the way we work with you. We will partner with you from inception through to delivery and operations – propelling your initiative forward, mitigating risks and celebrating your wins.

Our aim is to unlock the potential of our city and the broader region for your commercial opportunity, whatever that may take. We take a customised approach to our engagement throughout the life cycle of your business or project needs, with the ultimate aim of delivering an outcome that is mutually beneficial to you and the economic diversity and prosperity of the city.

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Proud of who we are

Dantia was established by Lake Macquarie City Council in 2014, modelled on market-leading economic development entities in New Zealand, Europe and the United States. Common to these highly effective entities was an operating model that was independent and provided a commercial interface for business with state and local government authorities.

Dantia is the thought leader that drives, represents and delivers Lake Macquarie City’s bold vision for growth and prosperity in the region. We benefit from being fully funded by government while also being an independent company with commercial governance and leadership. We are uniquely placed to understand the idiosyncrasies of planning processes while bringing a commercial mindset to everything we do.

Read more about our 20 year vision for shaping the economic future of our city here.

Our team

Katherine O’Regan
Chief Executive Officer

Jill Stewart
Marketing and Communications Manager

Holly Stringer
Dashworks Marketing Coordinator

Rose van der Kloet
Community Coordinator Dashworks Charlestown

Erin Currey
Community Coordinator Warners Bay

Deborah Canias
Executive Assistant to CEO/Team Coordinator

Katherine O’Regan Chief Executive Officer

Former Executive Director of Sydney Business Chamber

Katherine is an internationally experienced executive and commercial Board Director specialising in urban management, finance, and economic development. She has developed and implemented growth strategies for cities, business and government as well as served as Chief of Staff and Advisor to Federal and State Government Ministers and Deputy Mayor, Woollahra Municipal Council.

Katherine founded Cities Leadership Institute, a not for profit dedicated to building the capacity of urban leaders to make cities, towns, and communities great places.

Formerly an athlete, scientist, and coach Katherine, holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Sports Science), Master of Business Administration and a Masters of US Studies (with Merit).

Phone +61 (02) 4905 0088

Email katherine@dantia.com.au

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Our governance

Our independence from government is what sets us apart from other economic development operations in Australia. We are uniquely placed to develop evidence based strategies and operational delivery plans that navigate the nuances of government processes with a truly commercial mindset. Providing the necessary strategic support for our objectives is an experienced Board of non-executive Directors.

Chris Liddell
Chair

Katherine O’Regan
Director

Professor Alex Zelinsky AO
Director

Councillor Kay Fraser
Director

Morven Cameron
Director

Gillian Geraghty
Director

Josh Jeffress
Director

Stephen Barr
Director

Wayne Lowe
Director

Chris Liddell Chair

Cofounder and Director, GoSourcing and Member, Lifeline Australia

Chris is a successful founder, entrepreneur, consultant, and angel investor who is passionate about mental health. He is a strategic thinker with extensive knowledge, experience and a business network established during his successful career in technology, wealth management, superannuation, mental health, and disability services.

Chris has lived and worked in several countries with global teams, introduced new technologies and disrupted industries. He has a strong social conscience, global perspective and enjoys working with individuals to form productive teams, identify opportunities and deliver creative solutions to solve complex problems.

Chris made the wise decision to settle in Lake Macquarie with his family over a decade ago. He joined the Dantia board to support Lake Macquarie Council’s innovative Dantia initiative and its mission to deliver investment and long-term employment to our local communities.

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Our publications

Strategic plan

We’re a forward-thinking and ambitious organisation. That’s why we have a strategic plan that outlines the key actions and targets ahead of us for the next 20 years. Our strategic plan is our roadmap to securing investments that provide long-term employment opportunities for current and future generations of the Lake Macquarie community.

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