Our Committee
BSc, DipBus, GradCertHlthInform, GradCertProfAcctg, GAICD
Melanie’s 30-year career has spanned managing a wide range of corporate functions across all tiers of government and the for-purpose sector. She has extensive experience managing business transformation, organisational development, governance, property and risk functions in local government. Previous roles have been managing technology and corporate support functions in community health.
Melanie has over fifteen years’ experience as a Board Director and Chair. She is currently on the Board of Haven Home Safe and chairs its Risk Committee. She is also a trustee of Geelong Cemeteries Trust. She has a passionate commitment to good governance and effective strategic risk management, as well as a strong interest in the impacts of organisational culture on performance and community engagement. She is a Graduate and current member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Melanie is a member of Friends of Edwards Point and the Bellarine Bicycle Users Group and volunteers with the red capped plover monitoring and BeachWatch beach monitoring programs.
BSc, DipBus, GradCertHlthInform, GradCertProfAcc, GAICD
Melanie’s 30-year career has spanned managing a wide range of corporate functions across all tiers of government and the not-for-profit sector. She has managed technology and corporate support functions in community health. She has also managed organisational development, governance, property and risk functions for Mount Alexander Shire Council as well as developing a service review framework for council.
Melanie has over thirteen years’ experience as a Board Director and Chair. She has been a Director of Geelong Cemetery Trust since 2017.
BEng(Hons), GradDipPubAdmin
John is a former senior executive in the Victorian public service. During a career spanning 30 years, John has held senior management roles across government including in the areas of public transport and roads planning, land management and the local government sector. John is an experienced board director. He is currently a director of the board of the Bendigo Kangan Institute and a Sessional Member of Planning Panels Victoria. John now works as a freelance consultant advising clients on public policy, risk and issues management, project governance and organisational change. He lives on a small rural property near Gisborne. John is a passionate cyclist and a member of the Macedon Ranges Cycling Club.
BEng(Hons), GradDipPubAdmin
John is a former senior executive in the Victorian public service. During a career spanning 30 years, John has held senior management roles across government including in the areas of public transport and roads planning, Crown land management, local government and land titles registry.
John is currently a Sessional Memmber of Planning Panels Victoria. He has previously held board and committee appointments including the Bendigo Kangan Institute, the Shrine of Remembrance Trustees, Steampacket Place (Geelong), Transport Ticketing Authority and the Local Government Board.
Holding block
BA(Hons), MEnvLaw, MAppFin, PhD, GAICD
Dr Sandra Brizga has over 30 years’ experience in coastal, river and catchment management, working as an independent consultant since 1995.
She previously pursued a career in academia and was a Lecturer at the University of Melbourne. Sandra has qualifications in geography, geomorphology, environmental law and finance, and is the Vice-President of the Australian and New Zealand Geomorphology Group. Her publications include a book on river management and more than 200 reports and papers.
Current and previous board and committee memberships include the Australian World Heritage Advisory Committee, Fraser Island World Heritage Area Scientific Advisory Committee, Central Coastal Board, Trust for Nature and Victorian Catchment Management Council. She is a Fellow of the Peter Cullen Trust, an Honorary Life Member of the River Basin Management Society and a Sessional Member of Planning Panels Victoria.
Helene is a former children’s wear apparel buyer for Coles Myer and Marketing Manager for Pacific Dunlop and is currently the Owner/Director of UV Raze Pty Ltd, a wholesaler and manufacturer to the surf industry.
Elected to the Borough of Queenscliff council in 2008 and re-elected as both Councillor and Mayor in 2012, Helene was Mayor of the Borough of Queenscliff for four consecutive years until her resignation in 2016. Over the past eight years, her roles have included being on the State Government Ministerial Mayoral Advisory Committee to the Minister, Board Member of the Geelong Regional Library Corporation, Board Member of Women’s Health and Wellbeing, Barwon South West Region and past chair of the Word 4 Word Advisory Committee for the Geelong Regional Library Corporation. Helene is currently a member of the Geelong Cemetery Trust Advisory Committee, Advisory Committee Member of the Word 4 Word Advisory Committee for the Geelong Regional Library Corporation and Events Manager for Queenscliff Harbour.
Helene is a former children’s wear apparel buyer for Coles Myer and Marketing Manager for Pacific Dunlop. She is a past Owner/Director of UV Raze, a wholesaler and manufacturer to the surf industry.
Elected to the Borough of Queenscliff council in 2008 and re-elected as both Councillor and Mayor in 2012, Helene was Mayor of the Borough of Queenscliff for four consecutive years until her resignation in 2016. During her time as Mayor, her roles have included being on the State Government Ministerial Mayoral Advisory Committee to the Minister of Local Government, Board Member of the Geelong Regional Library Corporation, Chair of the Geelong Regional Library Corporation, Board Member of Women’s Health and Wellbeing, Barwon South West Region and Chair of the Word 4 Word Advisory Committee for the Geelong Regional Library Corporation, Board member of the G21 Health and Wellbeing Committee, MAV Preventing Violence Against Women Board Committee Member and appointed by Lisa Neville to the Bellarine Community Safety Group.
Helene is currently Vice Chair and Director of Queenscliff, Point Lonsdale Community Enterprise and member of the Geelong Cemetery Trust Advisory Committee. Past President of the Queenscliff Historical Museum, Manager of a high end Fashion boutique which she established and Events Manager of Queenscliff Harbour.
Helene is the founder of the 3225 Community Calendar that was established in 2011 and has been the recipient of an Australia Day Award 2019 for “Community Organisation of the Year”. Currently Helene prints 5000 calendars which are delivered to every household in 3225.
Helene is currently the Administration Manager for Whittington Primary
School.
BEng(Civil), GradDipBus, MAICD
Richard’s 40 year career includes public and private roles in the civil construction, electricity and gas energy sectors in Victoria, covering power station, mining and pipeline infrastructure.
He moved into senior executive, Group Management and Chief Operating Officer positions in Victoria’s gas utility sphere, leading the State’s largest gas network business, Multinet Gas, through the privatisation process in 1999.
Richard joined the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee (GORCC) as Commercial Manager in 2008, moving into the Chief Executive role in 2010 and successfully delivering substantial profit growth, improved customer service and important environmental, coastal and leasing outcomes for GORCC under state policy.
As a Bellarine Peninsula resident, Richard is a keen ocean swimmer planning a 20th Lorne Pier to Pub entry coming up in 2020.
BEng(Civil), GradDipBus(Acc)
Richard’s 40 year career includes public and private roles in the civil construction, electricity and gas energy sectors in Victoria, covering power station, mining and pipeline infrastructure.
He moved into senior executive, Group Management and Chief Operating Officer positions in Victoria’s gas utility sphere, leading the State’s largest gas network business, Multinet Gas, through the privatisation process in 1999.
Richard joined the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee (GORCC) as Commercial Manager in 2008, moving into the Chief Executive role in 2010 and successfully delivering substantial profit growth, improved customer service and important environmental, coastal and leasing outcomes for GORCC under state policy.
BEng(Hons), GradDipPubAdmin
John is a former senior executive in the Victorian public service. During a career spanning 30 years, John has held senior management roles across government including in the areas of public transport and roads planning, land management and the local government sector. John is an experienced board director. He is currently a director of the board of the Bendigo Kangan Institute and a Sessional Member of Planning Panels Victoria. John now works as a freelance consultant advising clients on public policy, risk and issues management, project governance and organisational change. He lives on a small rural property near Gisborne. John is a passionate cyclist and a member of the Macedon Ranges Cycling Club.
BEco, M. Tax
Greg was initially raised on the Bellarine Peninsula (being a fourth-generation descendant) before moving to Melbourne to undertake his graduate studies at University prior to beginning his professional career.
Greg is a chartered accountant, chartered tax adviser and registered tax agent. He began his career as a graduate at KPMG before moving to Ernst & Young, where he became a principal in the tax division. After returning to KPMG as a partner, Greg went on to become a consultant in taxation at law firm Minter Ellison.
He has been a company director and chairman of various public and private organisations. He is currently the Chair of a family investment Group Corsair Holdings. He is a Board member of CPA Australia’s professional conduct oversight panel. He still consults with private companies on technical and strategic matters.
Greg and his family are very active in the Victorian sailing community.
Nicole is the Managing Director of The Food Purveyor and acts as a mentor, advisor, consolidator and distributor of premium Victorian produce, within speciality hampers, across the country.
Prior to establishing the Food Purveyor, Nicole worked within food consulting as a Marketing Manager and Operations Coordinator with Nestle for 15 years. During this time she worked with SME Food Manufacturers around Australia, assisting to develop niche products for events such as the Australian Open and the Grand Prix, as well as for restaurants, caterers and airlines on behalf of Nestle.
This extensive knowledge of food production, branding, supply chain, sales and the hospitality industry has assisted Nicole and her clients to recognise and navigate complexities in the Agri-Food Sector.
Nicole is also an active member of the board of the G21 AgriBusiness Forum – the peak body for Agriculture and Agribusiness in the G21 Region.
Nicole has over 25 years of experience in the agriculture and food industry, developing brands, creating businesses, and encouraging others to leverage their abilities. Nicole’s leadership style is collaborative and inclusive, always seeking input from her team to drive innovation. She believes in empowering her colleagues, fostering a culture of trust and mutual respect. Nicole’s approach emphasizes the importance of mentorship and continuous learning.
Nicole has a rare combination of long-established skills and involvement in consulting to the food and agriculture sector as well as practical delivery and management of genuine commercial projects among food and beverage enterprises (such as coordinator events, establishing new collaborative entities, creating markets and retail sales platforms, diversified product offerings etc.).
Throughout her career, Nicole has worked extensively with the local, state and federal governments, on the development of policies and programs. Nicole’s approach to fostering collaboration involves creating inclusive environments where stakeholders can share their diverse perspectives. She
emphasizes the importance of open communication and mutual respect to build strong partnerships. By facilitating workshops and roundtable
discussions, Nicole ensures that all voices are heard and integrated into the decision-making process.
BEd(Sec)(Environmental Studies), BSc(Hons), GradDipAppSc(Environmental Management), DipBus(Frontline Management), DipSust, Cert IV Training and Assessment, GAICD
Cam is passionate about education, governance, business and the natural environment. Initially trained as a science and environmental studies teacher, he completed post graduate studies in Environmental Management before taking up a position at Deakin University providing welfare support and teaching ecology.
Cam then worked as an Apprenticeships and Traineeships consultant with Victoria University, before starting at The Gordon TAFE in Business Development and Engagement roles. Cam was later appointed as Manager of the Building and Construction Enterprise (Division).
Cam is currently employed as GM Commercial Operations at Gforce Employment Solutions, where he began in 2017 in a Strategy and Growth role.
Cam has over fifteen years’ experience as a Board Director and Chair, having previously sat on the YHA Victoria Board and as a staff representative on the Board of the Gordon TAFE.
BEd(Sec)(Environmental Studies), BSc(Hons), GradDipAppSc(Environmental Management), DipBus(Frontline Management), DipSust, Cert IV Training and Assessment, GAICD
Cam has a passion for education, corporate governance, community engagement and the natural environment. Starting his career as a science and environmental studies teacher, he completed post-graduate studies in Environmental Management teaching ecology at Deakin University and working across a number of welfare related roles.
Cam later worked in a number of engagement and management roles in the vocational education sector including with Apprenticeship and Traineeships at Victoria University, and at the Gordon TAFE where he was responsible for teaching programs in the building and construction sector.
Most recently, Cam was employed in the profit-for-purpose sector as Partnerships and Growth General Manager at gforce employment +recruitment, responsible for Group Training and Recruitment, and leading marketing, business development and community engagement across the
organisation. He is currently working with genU Training, responsible for coordinating training programs in community services.
Cam has twenty years’ experience as a Board Director and Chair, having
previously sat on the YHA Victoria and YHA Australia Boards of Management and as staff representative on the Board of the Gordon TAFE. He is also currently Chair of the Barwon Water Environmental Advisory
Committee and is a member of the Adult Community and Further Education Barwon Regional Council.
BBus, PostGradDipAuslEngInt, GradCertNFPMgt
Sheena currently works as an executive in the public sector and has strong skills in strategy, risk and community engagement. She previously worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 15 years in various management roles.
Sheena began with a career in sign language interpreting across Australia and overseas. She has worked internationally in over 12 countries to improve the human rights of deaf people as a sign language interpreter, trainer and project worker.
Sheena has previously served on the Australian Sign Language Interpreters Association NSW Committee and as the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters regional representative for Australasia & Oceania.
BBus, PostGradDipAuslEngInt, GradCertNFPMgt
Sheena currently works as an executive in the public sector and has strong skills in strategy, risk and community engagement. She previously worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 15 years in various management roles.
Sheena began with a career in sign language interpreting across Australia and overseas. She has worked internationally in over 12 countries to improve the human rights of deaf people as a sign language interpreter, trainer and project worker.
Sheena has previously served on the Australian Sign Language Interpreters Association NSW Committee and as the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters regional representative for Australasia & Oceania.
