News

July 2, 2025 | IN Together Magazine | BY AVID | 5 min read 

It isn’t an exaggeration to call AVID’s current Executive General Manager Bruce Harper an industry icon. 

He’s worked in all levels of government, including the Commonwealth level, lived in four Australian states, as well as internationally in New Zealand and the UK, and held leadership roles in highly successful private and publicly listed companies. 

Interestingly, despite all this success, Bruce firmly believes that much of his career came down to luck and being in the right place at the right time.

But as an observer, it’s impossible to deny that his desire to innovate and embrace challenges gave him the career longevity and success he now enjoys. 

As Bruce enters semi-retirement, Together sat down with this industry leader to learn more about his legacy, his views on the sector, and his plans for the future. 

You grew up in New Zealand, why did you move to Australia?

“I studied to be a town planner because I was really interested in the idea of building cities, but at that time the New Zealand economy was quite weak, so I knew I’d need to move overseas to be able to pursue that.”

What is an early career highlight?

“Being involved in the Golden Grove project in the 80s in South Australia was a highlight for me. It was the first ever masterplanned community in the country and I initially worked on it as a planner before moving through the ranks and switching over to the development side. 17 years later I rounded out my work on the project as the CEO of the joint venture partner. We broke new ground on innovation and delivery on that project, achieving the Urban Development Institute of Australia’s Project of the Year Award in 1990. 

The experience gave me the confidence and skill to replicate and build on its success in future projects.” 

Can you talk about your move to AVID (previously Investa)?

“I had moved from Sydney back to Brisbane and took up a CEO role with a developer but unfortunately it was just before the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), so as soon as that hit, that company and many other property developers went under. 

Through some industry connections it was suggested to me that I apply for a position at Investa. It hadn’t been immune to the difficulties that the GFC brought so it was a major challenge to join that team (which was relatively small at the time) and look at how to turn a business—which was struggling in the shadow of the financial downturn—and bring it to a commercial and successful position. I’m proud to say we succeeded in achieving all of those goals.” 

What unique legacy have you left at AVID so far?

“My experience in masterplanned communities. 

When I joined, AVID had done a lot of subdivisions but it hadn’t yet done masterplanning. These communities have their own character and require unique skills so being able to bring my learnings from past projects together has probably been a big one.”

What is a great challenge that you face in your line of work? 

“The challenge is to create really great communities. In this industry you’re creating people’s homes. It’s the most expensive thing they buy, the place they grow up in, the place they build a community in, and the place they create memories. 

It’s a very important job and you have to love what you do to create a legacy you can be proud of.” 

What does the future look like for AVID?

“It’s definitely centred around growth in the urban development space. We haven’t always been operating at this scale but with the addition of our building arm Villaworld Homes and more recently the development of Vantage by AVID, it’s an exciting time of expansion.”

What does the future look like for the development sector?

“Australia is still growing. I’ve been in the industry for over 40 years and I don’t think I could have predicted where we are now, so I think in 40 years it will be completely different again. We’ll see changes in where we live, how we live, how we recreate, and how we communicate with each other and that will change our urban form and how our cities grow. That’s exciting. It’s not to be feared but instead embraced.”

As a father of two what’s your advice for families on work life balance? 

“I grew up on a dairy farm in New Zealand so I’m used to early rises. For me, starting work early meant that at the end of the day I could be home to pick my daughters up from school and enjoy dinner with them. I never wanted to have regrets about not spending that time with my family, especially when they are young.”

What are your plans as you enter semi-retirement?  

“I’d still like to be in the development industry one way or another but beyond that I’ve been taking up painting. I’ve also started back up with learning the piano so exploring musical interests a bit more, and of course some golf. 

Although I’m retiring from corporate life, I’m not disengaging with the industry that I love, so I will be staying involved in the sector in one way or another.”