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PAGE 12 From a school in Daisy Hill to a seat at the table of many prestigious boardrooms, Christopher Mountford has charted a successful business career path and there are no signs of him slowing down. A graduate from the Class of 1999, Christopher started at the College as a Year Eight student from a local state Primary School. The contrast was quite different, especially the scale of JPC, which at the time was at the peak of development and growth before the upcoming 20th Anniversary in 2002. ‘There were certainly clear expectations about behaviour and presentation that were core to the overall JPC experience. The school was expanding and, in parallel, the opportunities for students were expanding. Each year as the school grew, it created a great sense of opportunity and optimism about our futures,’ Christopher says. Christopher was also part of the famous ‘notebook’ era, a new area of innovation for the College. He distinctly remembers lugging around a heavy notebook, but appreciates the part it played in the pioneering education he received at JPC. The Senior Prefect and technology studies award winner, described himself as an academic ‘all-rounder’, as he studied a cross-section of subjects like maths, science, humanities and technology in his senior years. He wasn’t outstanding at anything in particular but credits the breadth of subjects he studied as a helpful way to understand what he enjoyed and what he was good at. Thankfully, he found economics at school, which over time he grew to love and this eventually became his talent! Upon graduating, Christopher studied a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) and Bachelor of Economics at the University of Queensland. During this time, he found a real passion for government and the role of industry and representative bodies in society. To date, Christopher has held numerous titles and worked across a variety of industries. As a well-rounded businessman, he has rubbed shoulders with leaders across politics, government, industry and community, from premiers and mayors and government department heads to ASX listed CEOs, self-made business owners, leaders in the not-for-profit space, to name a few. For the past seven years, he has been the Queensland Executive Director at the Property Council of Australia (Queensland Division) – the peak body for Australia’s major property owners and developers. In this role, he led the Property Council’s policy, government advocacy and commercial activities in Queensland. In 2018, Christopher was listed by the Courier Mail as one of the Top 100 influential people in Queensland for his impact and achievements in his career to date. In June 2021, Christopher took on a new challenge and industry when he became CEO of Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ), the peak body responsible for championing the interests of independent schools across the state, in conjunction with current JPC Principal Karen Spiller OAM CF , who is the Board Chair of ISQ. It’s remarkable how the JPC connections continue to run deep and wide. Aside from his success as a businessman, Christopher also takes time out to volunteer for local charities and communities. He and his wife Gemma are volunteer parent ambassadors for Act for Kids, an Australian charity focussed on treating and preventing child abuse. Class of 1999 CEO of Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) Christopher Mountford