Experience where it counts
Our Story
Benstead Holdaway provides real estate advisory and investment management services to our clients. For us, the business is the continuation of a legacy of service and commitment decades in the making. We look forward to continuing the story in partnership with you.
Mike is passionate about property, having spent in excess of 30 years successfully operating construction, development and asset management businesses. After many years in the industry, he brings a unique offering to clients, with a detailed perspective on the market and a deep understanding of what drives asset performance.
As a long-time investor and business owner, Mike understands the needs and aspirations of investors and tenants, and co-founded Benstead Holdaway with the mission to exceed those expectations. He believes success in business comes from upholding ‘traditional’ values, and has a proven track-record of delivering on those values for a range of private and institutional clients in the property sector.
Mike is responsible for the strategic direction of the business, including key relationships as well as acquisition and divestment strategies.
Nick has extensive experience in the real estate and funds management industries. Prior to co-founding Benstead Holdaway, Nick was a partner of McMahon Clarke, a commercial law firm consistently ranked by Chambers & Partners as leading advisors in real estate and investment funds. There he provided strategic and technical advice to institutional and private clients on a number of significant transactions.
Nick combines his solid legal background with practical experience structuring and executing investment opportunities to unlock value and drive performance. Nick prides himself on building long-lasting relationships based on the foundations of trust, integrity and a strong dedication to his clients.
Nick is responsible for the operations of the business including acquisitions, disposals, fund raisings and strategic advice. He also oversees its risk management functions.
Nick holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Business (Applied Finance) from the Queensland University of Technology.
As Chief Financial Officer at Benstead Holdaway, Anna leads the financial operations of the business, including structuring, cash flow management and strategic planning.
Anna is a qualified Certified Practicing Accountant with over 17 years’ experience in the industry, working closely with various stakeholders, including clients, their funders, surety bond providers, bankers and other finance professionals to ensure investments are structured correctly and funded efficiently.
With an extensive knowledge of property and construction gained from private practice and executive roles in some of Queensland’s largest accounting firms and construction companies, Anna provides invaluable leadership in the areas of governance, risk management and systems improvement.
Anna holds a Bachelor of Business (Banking and Finance) from the Queensland University of Technology and a Certified Practicing Accounting Accreditation from CPA Australia.
As Senior Development Manager at Benstead Holdaway, Scott is responsible for leading the development and transaction operations of our investments funds. Scott oversees all project development from acquisition to project delivery, and maintains a hands-on role in the investment management of fund assets.
Scott has extensive knowledge in the property industry, having been involved in both development and investment roles across commercial, residential and industrial projects and transactions. Scott’s experience spans small scale commercial projects to institutional grade investments with a combined value of over $1billion.
Prior to joining Benstead Holdaway, Scott worked for one of Australia’s largest private property and investment companies, Seymour Group. In this role Scott was involved extensively in property development, investment management, asset management, debt advisory and various joint venture and alternative investments. Scott’s detailed market and feasibility approach provides strong risk-adjusted returns for investors, with a focus on finding new development opportunities, undervalued property investments and undertaking expansions or repositioning strategies to increase investment returns.
Scott holds a Bachelor of Urban Development (Property Economics) from the Queensland University of Technology.
Values past, lived today
At the heart of our culture is our family history and the traditional values espoused by earlier generations.
Edward ‘Ted’ Benstead, Mike’s grandfather, served in Australian Army during WWII from the young age of 18, spending the majority of his service in Borneo and Japan. His service saw him be the recipient of the Pacific Star Medal and discharged as Acting Sargent. After the war he married Gloria, his wife of 70 years, and took over the family dairy farm at Tabooba Queensland which he and Gloria ran for many years.
Colin Holdaway, Nick’s grandfather, was the son of a fourth-generation farmer who served as a pilot flying Mosquitoes for the RAF in England during WWII. At the end of the war, he embarked on a career outside the family business and started his practice as a lawyer, where he eventually made partner in a prominent New Zealand firm before retiring from the profession.
The family tenets of service, integrity and humility are honored by our chosen name and give a subtle tribute to their stories. We are reminded everyday of these qualities as the ethos to how we do business with our clients and our partners.
