BIA Victoria - Meet the Team

Meet the Team

The Boating Industry Association of Victoria Board of Management is made up of ten directors, representing the four divisions of the BIA.

The four divisions of the BIA include

Gordon Howlett (BIA President) - Corporate Fishing Charters - Representing Clubs, Services and Associations gordon@corporatefishingcharters.com.au

The founder and managing director of Corporate Fishing Charters since 1994, Gordon has been actively involved in promoting charter boat fishing to corporations, families, social groups and individuals. He firmly believes that this is a great introduction point to the joys of boating and has seen many of his clients take the next step up and purchase a boat.

Gordon holds a Bachelor of Business Studies (Accounting) and has operated an accounting practice for over thirty years. It is this expertise that first saw him nominate for the Finance Committee on which he has served a number of years before nomination to be on the board in 2005. Currently he is also on the promotion committee and represents the BIA as a delegate of VRFish.

A proud father of three he gets much joy out of combining work with family and watching his children catching fish even if they are the humble Port Phillip flathead.

Chris Warner – Anchor Marine  Representing Chandleries, Accessories and Equipment info@anchor-marine.com.au  
 

Chris has been a Director of Anchor Marine since 1988 and Managing Director since 1993. Past Director of Neotrodyn Ltd and Past Alternate Director to South East Telecasters Ltd. He is also a member of the Australian Society of Accountants and has been working full time in the Marine Industry since 1979.

David Peter Heyes - B.R P Australia Pty.Ltd.
Representing Wholesalers, Manufacturers and Distributors david.heyes@brp.com   

David Heyes joined Heytrack (Australia) Pty. Ltd. in 1972. He has over 30 years experience in Industrial Machinery and Certification in Recreational Product and Small Engine Technology. Heytrack began operations in 1960 as the exclusive distributor of the Canadian Company Bombardier Inc. Mr. Heyes as General Manager and CEO of Heytrack headed up the Company for the distribution of Bombardier Seadoo Personal Watercraft in 1991, which soon became a mainstream player and market leader in this segment of the marine business.

Irene Hoe - Westernport Marina
Representing Clubs, Services and Associations irene@westernportmarina.com.au

Irene Hoe has been the Manager at Western Port Marina in Hastings for approximately ten years and has a background in accountancy.  She has a strong interest in environmental issues involving boating and the marine industry.

Irene has attended the Intermediate and Advanced Marina Management courses plus various other courses.  She has completed the Macquarie Graduate School of Management Marketing course and has attended numerous Marina Conferences which culminated in her giving a presentation at the International Marina Conference in Auckland early last year.

Rod Smith - C H Smith Marine, Representing Chandleries, Accessories and Equipment,  rod@chsmith.com.au

Rod is the fourth generation and Managing Director of his family's business C H Smith Marine Pty Ltd since 1977, specializing in commercial boating and fishing industry. He is a graduate of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, an associate member of the Australian Society of certified Practicing Accountants, a foundation fellow of the Australian Instituteof Company Directors and a director of Glenorchy Plaza Pty Ltd. He is also a consultant in information technology systems, systems management and website development and integration.

Darren Finkelstein - St Kilda Boat Sales,Representing Boat Dealers, darren@stkildaboatsales.com.au

Darren is a relative newcomer to the boating industry, following his 2002 acquisition of Steve Gow Marine at the famous St Kilda Marina.

Darren is one of the Directors of St Kilda Boat Sales and is the exclusive Victorian & Tasmanian Caribbean - Bertram big boat dealer and premier used boat broker.

Darren hails from a strong corporate background in Information Technology and eCommerce, as an executive for such prominent international companies as Fujitsu/ICL and Apple Computer over a 15-year period.

During the late nineties, Darren advised former Premier Jeff Kennett on IT and Multimedia issues, culminating in the Premiers personal appointment of Darren as founding Board member of Interact Events Limited as part of the Victorian Government’s Multimedia Task Force. The Interact Multimedia Festival is still running today.

Darren is married with two boys and loves boating, golf and surfing.

Keith Corr - New World Honda, Representing Boat Dealers, kcorr@pattersoncheney.com.au

Keith Corr is a key player in marine retailing and is in the forefront of retailing boats and motors from the same premises as cars and motorcycles. A director of the Patterson Cheney Organisation, he is dealer principal of Patterson Cheney Ringwood, New World Honda Berwick and Furntree Gully Honda.

Keith joined the marine industry four years ago when he created the Honda cncept store, New World Honda, which retails boats, motors, bikes and cars from one imposing outlet at Berwick. He also sits on the Holden Retailer Advertising Board.

As if running three dealerships is not enough, Keith also owns a farm with 700 acres near Alexandra in North East Victoria. Married with six kids, he and his wife spend almost every weekend up on the farm. They love boating and often take the family boat out on Patterson River.

Mark Bradley - Club Marine Limited, Representing Clubs, Services and Associations, mark.bradley@clubmarine.com.au

As Managing Director of Club Marine, Mark runs Australia's largest marine insurance company, representing a community of more than 150,000 boat owners.

Mark is also Publisher of Australia's highest circulation marine lifestyle magazine (Club Marine Magazine), is a member of the Insurance Council of Australia's Marine Committee and the National Marine Safety Committee's Industry Advisory Council.

Tertiary qualified in Economics and Law, Workplace Assessment and Training, Mark has a broad range of sales, marketing, training and general management experience in the insurance, finance and automotive industries.

Having grown up around boats, today Mark enjoys fishing, sailing and boating with his wife and three young children in his spare time, and is committed to working with the industry, government and media to promote safe and accessible boating for all Victorians.

Peter Cleland - Bar Crusher Boats, Representing Wholesalers, Manufacturers and Distributors, peter@barcrusher.com.au

Peter Cleland is Managing Director and owner of Rockbank (Aust) P/L which owns Bar Crusher Boats, one of Australia’s fastest growing and most innovative aluminium trailer boat manufacturers. (Awarded Growth Award 2006) Peter has been active in the marine industry since 2000 and is a passionate advocate for families to enjoy a healthy boating lifestyle. His involvement in 2004 on a ministerial task force to facilitate growth in Victoria’s marine manufacturing sector, has inspired a vision for the marine industry and a firm belief that Victoria is poised for rapid growth in marine infrastructure and marine industry activity over the next decade.

Peter has developed a depth of experience in manufacturing operations, marketing and promotion, finance and business administration. Peter studied applied science at tertiary level and also completed post graduate study in business (Entrepreneurship and Innovation) He has developed property and spent over twenty years working in his own companies manufacturing both in Australia and in Asia.

Peter and his wife have three children and enjoy splitting their leisure time between weekends away at their country property or on the water in one of their boats.

BIA Staff

Robert Coco
General Manager
robert@biavic.com.au

Mary Papantoniou
Administration Manager
mary@biavic.com.au

Christopher Keegan
Projects Manager
ck@biavic.com.au

Kim Mastrowicz
Event Coordinator
kim@biavic.com.au

Karen Bennett                                      Project Officer - Marine Pests karen@biavic.com.au

Michelle Wilson                                                         Administration Assistant                            info@biavic.com.au

Travis Brown                                                              Membership Development Officer                        travis@biavic.com.au