Meet Sam.

I was raised on a mixed farming property east of Tamworth, completed my schooling at TAS and earned my degree at UNE. After twenty years working in Sydney and abroad, I returned to Armidale with my family in 2012. 

My wife Caroline and I chose to raise our children in Armidale so they could enjoy a similar upbringing to our own experiences. Professionally, Caroline is a lawyer who works for a large not-for-profit and serves on an advisory board for a federal government entity. Two of our children, Millie and Harriet, are at school at TAS and our middle daughter, Charlotte, is loving everything the Armidale Secondary College has to offer.

Early in my career, I worked for the international consulting firm Ernst & Young before becoming an owner of the specialist advisory firm FMRC (which has its origins in Armidale) where I work with businesses to improve profitability, identify growth opportunities and build employment. In 2016 I established a large-scale cattle business in North Queensland.

In January 2022 I was elected Mayor of Armidale Regional Council. In this role, I led the turnaround in fortunes of our region, specifically: 

  • the development and adoption of the ‘Toward 50,000’ Local Strategic Planning Statement. This was essential for the State government to change their growth projections for our region;

  • creation of the Coalition of Renewable Energy Mayors which has become a powerful lobbying entity that has positively influenced the rollout of the Renewable Energy Zones in NSW and secured meaningful benefits to flow to the communities hosting renewable projects;

  • input to numerous council documents and policies that are essential for us to realise our potential: the Local Housing Strategy, the acquisition of Oaky Dam and taking the courageous decision to put the council on a secure financial footing; and

  • being a credible representative for our region with the decision makers in the State government through my election to the Executive of Country Mayors and involvement with forums such as Regional Cities NSW.