Jane Clarke
National President
Bed and Breakfast Association

Sonia Webster
Manager – Member Development & Marketing
Association of Mining and Exploration Companies

Sonia Webster is the Marketing and Member Development Manager with The Association of Mining & Exploration Companies.  An Economist by background, she has previously held marketing positions with CPA Australia and SC Johnson (a Fortune 500 company) and worked in international trade with the Government of Western Australia.

The Association of Mining and Exploration Companies Inc. (AMEC) is the peak industry body for junior and mid-size mineral exploration and mining companies within Australia.

It was formed in 1981 by a group of mineral explorers and is now regarded as 'the voice' and most successful advocate for mineral exploration within Australia.

AMEC's primary objective is to secure a political and commercial environment that fosters mineral exploration and mining within Australia.

Steve Balch CPA CPM
Member of the Northern Territory Branch of CPA Australia Council
Consultant Lecturer (VET & Higher Education) Accounting, Marketing and Industrial Relations - School of Law and Business - Charles Darwin University

Steve Balch has a diverse range of career experience which has spanned the Airline and
Travel Industries, Sports Administration, Textile and Clothing Manufacturing, the Lotteries
and Gaming industry, a term as an elected member of the Northern Parliament, the
professional HR sector and Professional Associations.

Steve holds a Bachelor of Business Degree with majors in both Accounting and Marketing.  He is also a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) and also holds the Certified Practising Marketer (CPM) accreditation.  He has spent many years working on Association Boards and Councils and also spent 2 years as the Branch Director, Northern Territory for CPA Australia

Peter Strang
Executive Director of the Bicycle Federation of Australia

The BFA is the peak advocacy group for non-competitive cyclists.  This involves policy
development, lobbying, providing consultancy services and some media work.  Peter has
worked in business and government, including road safety research.

He has a B.Sc. (Hons.) degree from the University of Melbourne and an MBA from the
Australian Graduate School of Management; and is a member of the Australian Institute of Management.

His other interests include cycling, travel, environmental issues and politics.

Waikay Lau
Chief Executive Officer and Company Secretary - QLD

Waikay is the CEO and Company Secretary with Environmental Health Australia.
Prior to joining Environmental Health Australia Waikay was Dow Jones’
Marketing Manager of The Asian Wall Street Journal in Asia-Pacific. Based in
Hong Kong his role included the development of regional and country-specific
marketing programs as well as establishing partnership agreements with
multi-national corporations. Waikay advanced quickly to become The Asian
Wall Street Journal’s Country Manager for Taiwan where he established and
headed the country’s business operations. Soon after he was promoted to
Regional Circulation Manager overseeing the sales and marketing of the
business daily in Greater China; China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In 1999
Waikay joined WSJ.com (Wall Street Journal Online) as the Marketing &
Circulation Director for the Asia-Pacific region, reporting directly to the
Dow Jones headquarters in New York. His responsibility included brand
building, marketing, promotions, and product sales in over 13 Asia-Pacific
countries.

In 2001 Waikay and his family returned home to Australia for a quieter life
to raise their children. Waikay has a BSc. Environmental Studies from
Griffith University and an MBA in International Management. He is the
President of Macgregor State School Parents and Citizen Association and an
adjunct lecturer at Griffith University’s School of Environment.

Barrie Cooper
JP fmanzi

Barrie is the Executive Director of the New Zealand Security Association, based in Auckland. He has held this position for over six years and has been instrumental in the restructuring of the Association into a vibrant and financially sound voluntary member based organisation.

Previously he was the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Property Institute before setting up his own consultancy business in managing and advising not for profit organisations.
Barrie is a founder member of Associations New Zealand and a past president. He co-authored the two Association's manuals on governance and administration. He still holds a Board position as is a Fellow of that organisation.

He is also Chairman of Radio Lollipop New Zealand, an international charity for children in hospitals.

Philippa Taylor
Chief Executive Officer
Family Business Australia

Philippa Taylor has spent most of her working career as a journalist, and then editor of a large community paper with Independent News Limited in South Africa. She held this position for a number of years, and entered the not for profit sector with an internationally renowned South African human rights organization. She assumed a leadership position in the organisation, which was committed to democratic rule through universal franchise.

This experience in a non-governmental organization working with a diverse group of people served her well in her role as Chief Executive Officer of Family Business Australia, a national not for profit membership organization dealing with families in business.

With nearly 80% of business in Australia being family owned, Philippa is committed to providing outstanding support to families in business, ensuring healthy businesses and healthy families.

NSW

Tony Thirlwell
Chief Executive Officer (NSW Division)
NSW Heart Foundation

As Chief Executive Officer of the NSW Division of the Heart Foundation, Tony Thirlwell is responsible for the leadership of the NSW Division including the strategic, financial and operational management of cardiovascular health and fundraising programmes, relationships with research institutions, governments and corporate sector, as well as the public positioning of the Heart Foundation.

In addition he is responsible for the leadership of key national programs of the National Heart Foundation of Australia, being Marketing and Communications, all fundraising programs including direct mail, doorknock and bequests and Jump Rope for Heart in schools. He is also responsible for Human Resources strategy on a national basis.

Mr Thirlwell joined the Heart Foundation in January 2004, bringing extensive experience in stakeholder management and marketing. He was previously the Chief Executive of Tourism New South Wales (1993-2003), the Director of Marketing Services at Qantas Airways (1992-93), Managing Director of the Australian Tourist Commission (1989-1992), and National Marketing Manager for CSR Limited.

Mr Thirlwell is a Member of the Executive Committee, University of Sydney Veterinary Science Foundation. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute and a Certified Practising Marketeer.

Mr Thirlwell holds an Honours Degree in Science and a Masters Degree in Business Administration, and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Mr Thirlwell is married with two children, and his interests include golf, rugby and music.

Mr Thirlwell was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to tourism in 2006.