David Parfett, former head of airline operator Qantas’s Innovation and Ventures unit, has joined Australia-based shopping centre operator Scentre Group as general manager of strategy and business development.
Parfett had originally joined Qantas in 2011 as a senior manager of group strategy before being promoted to head of strategy and innovation in 2014 and eventually running the corporate’s Innovation and Ventures team from late 2016.
During a two-year stint in the role, Parfett helped Qantas form its innovation and ventures strategy, and set up corporate venturing unit Qantas Ventures in 2017 to make investments in early and growth-stage technology developers.
Qantas since invested in portfolio companies including airline capacity management platform Volantio, data collaboration software provider Data Republic and online pet care services marketplace Mad Paws.
In his new role, Parfett will help Scentre, the owner of shopping centre chain Westfield, establish its own corporate venturing arm. He told Global Corporate Venturing: “[Scentre is] already doing venture investing, but relatively ad hoc at present – my remit includes setting up a venture capability.
“Retail tech will be part of it, but the business is fully vertically integrated so proptech and construction will also be an area of focus.”
Photo of David Parfett courtesy of LinkedIn.
