Odyssey Lifestyle Care Communities has announced Aaron Lavell as full-time CEO, marking a leadership shift for the private aged care operator as it continues to expand its premium care model across Queensland.
Aaron, an accountant and Managing Partner at WMS Tax & Advisory in Robina, has been involved with Odyssey since its inception and will transition into the CEO role full-time while remaining with WMS in the interim. His appointment was confirmed this week by the company, which is backed by the superannuation fund Australian Retirement Trust and operates under Queensland’s Retirement Villages Act.
"Aaron has been part of our journey since day one," Odyssey said in a statement. "Our Founder Phil Usher, will remain closely involved in the community in an active capacity, continuing to help shape Odyssey’s direction and vision. Odyssey was created on the belief that aged care should feel like home, where couples stay together, pets are welcome, grandkids can have sleepovers, and most importantly, the comfort, dignity and independence of our residents come first. Aaron shares this vision wholeheartedly and will help Odyssey continue delivering lifestyle orientated communities that raise the standard of ageing well in Australia."
Phil, a pioneer in private aged care through his Tall Trees brand (later sold to Paul Browne’s Freedom Aged Care), launched Odyssey’s first surfing-inspired eight-storey,153-apartment community at Robina in 2020. The fourth and final tower in that project – Biarritz, featuring Odyssey’s first three-bedroom apartments – is now under construction.
$600 million+ pipeline in six years
Odyssey now has six communities valued at over $600 million, either under construction or in planning, including:
- Hope Island, Gold Coast: O'Neill Architecture-designed 13-storey twin towers that will feature 188 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and a 23-suite aged care floor.
- Chevron Island, Gold Coast: A 19-storey tower, designed by Fred Iezzi of Idea Architecture, with 167 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and nine penthouses priced from $650,000 up to $7.5 million.
- Burleigh Waters, Gold Coast: A two-tower development with one, two- and three-bedroom apartments and penthouses within a proposed $2 billion master-planned project acquired by Gold Coast developer Cru Collective and ASX-listed venture capitalist CVC.
Phil also told SATURDAY digital magazine last April that he had secured land at Palm Beach and Coolangatta on the Gold Coast for future developments.
