MAKE is led by Managing Director, Matt Ablethorpe, a highly experienced real estate executive with over 18 years working across the residential, commercial, retail and industrial sectors. An experienced leader, Matt has a demonstrated ability of building and developing cross-functional, resilient, high performing management teams spanning finance, investment, portfolio and development and marketing.

Matt’s property experience spans a range of sectors and disciplines which is applied at MAKE’s communities comprising a portfolio of projects with a combined end value of over $1.8b comprising 2,400 apartments and over 20,000sqm of non-residential programming with key responsibility of business strategy, site acquisition assessment, capital management, feasibility and risk analysis, due diligence and project strategy implementation including design, planning, stakeholder engagement.

Most recently, Matt lead a multi-disciplined team as Director, Development and Director, Portfolio in areas of transaction, development and portfolio management at Assemble Communities, an end-to-end build-to-rent development, investment and community manager, with an objective to affordably house moderate- and low-income Australians in response to the rise of housing affordability issues across Australian capital cities.

Matt played a key management role in scaling and structuring the Assemble business to facilitate institutional investment into affordable housing, with AustralianSuper owning a 25 per cent share in Assemble with an equity commitment of $500m for the investment into institutionally owned residential housing. Previously a subsidiary to the MAKE Group, Assemble is now a key investment and housing partner to MAKE following further investment into Assemble by AustralianSuper and Hesta in 2024.

Matt has a Bachelor of Planning & Design and a Bachelor of Property & Construction (Hons) from the University of Melbourne and is also a qualified valuer and Associate at the Australian Property Institute.

MAKE’s projects are managed by Development Director, Jason Wood, a senior property professional with 25 years’ experience in property development and urban planning. With expertise spanning across the delivery and development phases, Jason brings a demonstrated track record in leading multi-disciplinary teams of design, development, construction, marketing and sales professionals to deliver on project objectives. 

Jason has worked across most asset classes for leading listed and private companies in Australia and the United Kingdom.  His project portfolio comprises industrial estates, strata offices, apartments, residential communities, townhouses and mixed-use communities.

A collaborative and hands on leader, Jason has developed a unique ability to manage the complete property development process from site acquisition through to practical completion. This skillset, combined with his strategic and analytical mind, passion for design and exceptional eye for detail, enables Jason to remain intrinsically connected to his teams and projects to deliver high quality market-facing projects. 

Jason provides advice and reports to the Managing Director and Board and is responsible for MAKE’s development pipeline, including strategy formulation, implementation and delivery planning, to ensure alignment to both company and project strategy. 

Jason holds a Graduate Diploma in Management from the Melbourne Business School in addition to a Graduate Diploma in Property and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Planning, both from RMIT University.

Tom has more than 20 years’ experience in the environmental services industry, both as a consultant and client. He is an experienced project manager with a strong technical background spanning a broad range of environmental assessment and remediation activities. 

Tom assists MAKE with the environmental management of its portfolio projects, including strategic project management across numerous assessment and remediation projects. Tom is conversant in State and National environmental legislation, guidelines and policies regarding land, water and groundwater management.

Tom has held a variety of roles including director, environmental consultant, project manager, senior environmental adviser and client manager. 

Tom holds a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering and Science from the University of Melbourne.

Stuart is an Associate at MAKE and supports the financial and investment management of our existing portfolio of projects, including input into and execution of strategy. Stuart also works closely with the directors to assist with the analysis, endorsement and execution of new property acquisitions and debt/equity proposals.

With 8 years prior experience working on complex commercial advisory and financial transactions across the infrastructure and property sectors at organisations including Deloitte, KPMG and Westbourne Capital, Stuart brings expertise in investment analysis and business case development, including the execution and management of specialised funding solutions within the infrastructure asset class, specifically energy, digital infrastructure, water, utilities, ports, toll roads, social housing and infrastructure, property, defence, and telecommunications sectors. 

Stuart has a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance and Management) from Monash University.