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Boards often face diverse perspectives. One elected Gold Coast councillor reflects on how she cultivates self-leadership and channels differing views to drive effective governance outcomes.
For Brooke Patterson GAICD, governance has always sat at the intersection of responsibility, preparation and service. Now in her second four-year term as a councillor on the City of Gold Coast, Patterson brings a career forged in financial markets and private wealth to one of the most complex local governments in the country.
Patterson began her professional life on the Sydney Futures Exchange in the 1990s before moving into financial services following further study. Her career later took her offshore, first to Singapore and then to Hong Kong, where she spent a decade working at senior levels of private banking and wealth management. During that time, she led the first financial advice service for ANZ Private Bank in Hong Kong and later opened Private Clients for Minnett.
While her career was global, her roots were always local.
“My Kiwi husband and I had purchased in Auckland with an intent to move there with our young children, but consistent news of the maturing Gold Coast city made us realise it was a place our children could have a great future. I am third generation Southport, and it was great to return to be near family,” Paterson says.
Her entry into politics was driven by both heritage and circumstance.
“There are two answers to this,” she says of her start in public service. “First, from a very young age it was instilled in me that to be in public office is to follow an honourable life of service.”
Growing up in the shadow of family members who made a profound contribution to public life — including Doc Evatt and former Queensland treasurer David Hamill — shaped her view of leadership early.
“Second, it was the right place at the right time,” she adds. After returning from Hong Kong, Patterson found herself advocating to her local councillor in her role as president of her children’s school P&C.
“Former mayor and councillor Lex Bell said ‘you should do my job’. I took him up on that!”
Today, Paterson’s advocacy instincts play out in a highly structured, public and contested governance environment. The City of Gold Coast is Australia’s largest independent local government, with a budget larger than Tasmania’s and a capital investment program that exceeded $1 billion last year alone. Fifteen independently elected representatives are responsible for stewarding a city undergoing sustained growth and transformation.
“To be responsible for the Governance of the City is an honour and a responsibility I do not take lightly,” Paterson says.
She likens council decision-making to “a rugby game” — physical, competitive and fast-moving, with strategy often reassessed only after the final whistle.
“Council, by legislation, works according to hands in the air — the majority wins. Achieving alignment is not valued in the legislation, which makes for a very challenging environment,” says Patterson. “The value is in what is written as our resolution at the end of the day.”
Most agenda items arrive with recommendations from officers or committees, but that is only the starting point. From there, proposals are tested, reshaped or rejected. “There is a lot of back and forth. Will we accept the officer’s recommendation at all? What do we want to change? That’s the moment for individual councillors to present their voices.”
Preparation, she says, is critical. Councillors proposing amendments are expected to bring redrafted recommendations so changes can be considered in context rather than improvised in the room.
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Time, too, she says, is a governance tool. “When I’m chairing, I take opportune, natural breaks so people can digest dissenting views and redrafts without having their public face on. The issues are quite often very complex, so people need that time,” she says.
Patterson’s governance approach is also shaped by formal training and practical board experience. On the value of the AICD course, she explains: “I originally completed the international version of GAICD around 2012 in Hong Kong. I was on the Board of the Australian Chamber of Commerce at the time and headed up Financial Advisory for ANZ Private Bank, North Asia division.
“As an AICD graduate, I knew how invaluable it would be for all sitting councillors to complete the course. That is why I advocated for it being a standard offering by the City of Gold Coast for any new councillor to complete.”
Beyond frameworks, Patterson places strong emphasis on self-leadership — managing judgement, conduct and temperament under pressure. Her thinking has been shaped in part by Stoic philosophy.
“I’ve started leaning into Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. Jerry Seinfeld, an advocate for the philosophy of Stoicism as pioneered by the Roman emperor, got me reading it. One of the key takeaways is that hand-wringing and wondering what people think of you is a complete waste of energy,” she says.
That self-awareness includes acknowledging personal limitations. “I work on self-regulation. They say most people regret the things in life they didn’t do or say. That’s unlikely to ever be my problem, but there’s a time to express yourself and that’s an area of self leadership that, at the age of 50, I’m still working on and will continue to work on.”
Listening, she adds, remains essential. “I also listen for the gold. It’s easy to come into a meeting with a preformed view or to be put off by personalities you may not gel with. But listening for the gold in what they say is vital. I’ll change my position as I hear the debate and discussion, and take on the good ideas,” she says.
“Often, my position can be tweaked or changed, depending on what’s presented.”
Despite the intensity of the environment in which she operates, Patterson keeps her focus firmly on outcomes and stakeholders — a mindset that can be applied across all boards.
“When I’m considering complex or sensitive matters, I find it helpful to think of individuals,” she says.
“When I’m debating water, waste and energy issues, I think of a pensioner I know who’s lived in his house for 50 years and loves his garden, but who tries not to water it because he can’t afford the water bill. In this and other contexts, I also often think about my future grandchildren and how a resolution will impact the potential and possibilities for them in this city.”
For appointed directors, Patterson’s experience offers a reminder that effective governance is less about eliminating disagreement than about leading through it — with preparation, procedural discipline and self-awareness.
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