The Sydney-based Owners Corporation Network’s inaugural chief executive officer Shari Driver is set to lead the organisation into a period of national expansion.
It’s been a period of exponential growth for the organisation, both in membership and industry clout over the past decade as more people opt for an apartment lifestyle and discover that strata living comes with challenges including complex regulations, construction defects and navigating formal community governance processes.
Driver told The Fifth Estate she values the opportunity to represent the consumer voice of more than three million people living in apartments across Australia.
“OCN is extremely well placed as an independent not-for-profit organisation to provide guidance and support to government about consumer needs and concerns. OCN, as a member-based organisation for strata owners, has no self-interest or financial motivation other than for the legitimate rights and expectations of consumers, which sets them apart from many other groups in the ‘strata-sphere’.”
Under the leadership of founder Karen Stiles, OCN has worked with both governments and strata sector stakeholders to develop solutions for key issues including defects, flammable cladding, insurance, EV charging retrofits and owners corporation processes and protocols.
Driver is an urban and regional planner, with experience in major projects such as the Thornton Estate, one of the first transit-oriented, master planned developments at Penrith in Western Sydney. She initially joined OCN as chief operations officer in September 2024 after holding senior roles in private industry, government and the not-for-profit sector.