Master of Property Development, 2010
Design, Architecture and Building Award
In her mid-20s, Belinda Bentley learned philanthropy is about more than money and your background. It’s also about time and talent – using your skills and capacity to help those in need.
Today, Belinda does that in a variety of ways. One avenue is 9Springs, the independent property investment, advisory and project management group she co-founded in 2016. As Director, Belinda uses her extensive knowledge and experience in the built environment sector as a force for good, spending much of her time helping not-for-profits unlock their potential.
This passion for positive change is deeply informed by her family’s experience. Her grandparents lived in social housing in Hong Kong. When her mother first arrived in Australia, she barely spoke English, and both she and Belinda’s father worked blue collar jobs. The support she and her family received from their community drives Belinda to fight for better affordable housing options and wrap-around services for all Australians. She does this in her Non-Executive Director role on the board of Link Wentworth Housing, one of Australia’s largest community housing providers.
Whilst studying at UTS, the theoretical concepts and practical insights she was exposed to helped Belinda understand the power of the built environment and better see the big picture.
Belinda is empowered by the idea of leaving a legacy of positively effecting communities through her projects. But her commitment to the social good goes far beyond that. She is passionate about diverse representation in leadership, and community housing. She fights for these causes as an active member of the Urban Development Institute of Australia NSW Diversity and Inclusion Committee and various roles with the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a global multidisciplinary research and education non-profit. This includes work with the ULI Asia Pacific Housing Council and the Sydney District Council.
Looking at past winners of this award gives me confidence that, if I stay on this trajectory, I can continue making positive change. I want to look back and see that I made a positive contribution on people’s lives. They don’t need to know that I even exist – it’s more just knowing that I helped.