AMA VICDOC_Spring 2026_09.09.2026 - Flipbook - Page 15
I’ve experienced outstanding boards and
I’d point out there's a difference between
directors at AMA Victoria; people who
being a CEO and being a lead advocate.
understand the issues, understand the
At AMA Victoria, that advocacy job is
problems, inform themselves and absorb
admirably done, and will likely continue
the analysis. They approached my proposals
to be admirably done by our presidents,
with suitable skepticism. They tested
supported by directors and board and other
my arguments; they asked sensible and
leading members, and by a strong policy
intelligent questions. It's not an easy task at
and advocacy and communications team.
times, but you can only do it if you have the
So, they’ve also got to support the President.
quality of board and quality of director that
I've been fortunate enough to have.
I've enjoyed working with my team, the
executive team, and the staff. They're a
Lastly, how do you plan to enjoy
your retirement?
good bunch of people and I've managed
to build and to keep a very strong team.
You can't do this job by yourself; you need
to rely on the expertise, dedication, and
hard work of the people around you to
deliver. I think it's fair to say we have had
a bit of fun over the years.
I live on a reasonably large property in
Beechworth, so there's plenty of work to do
around here in the garden and elsewhere.
My wife and I travel quite a bit, we’ve got
a trip to the UK and Ireland coming up, and
I imagine we’ll do more travel before we get
too old and infirm to do it.
What’s your advice to the
incoming CEO?
I also enjoy music; I've got an extensive
record collection, and in my younger days
I played in a couple of punk bands. So, I'll
I think we've built a strong foundation, and
we've done a lot of investment, particularly
in recent years, in getting the organisation’s
finances well under control. We’re in the
final stages of a big revamp of our IT:
our member databases, CRM [customer
relationship management] portal, website
probably be playing my guitar a bit more
than I’ve been able to recently. I play the
bass and I badly play the six-string guitar –
hopefully I'll improve with a bit more practice.
I was an avid road cyclist for many years
and reckon I’ll get back into that a bit more
than I've been able to lately.
and our approach to online marketing.
And then, I've got a whole range of
That's important stuff to get right for the
intellectual interests, including politics
future, but you can only afford to invest in
and history, and imagine I might do some
it if you have the wherewithal to invest.
thinking and writing. I also need to do
I hope and trust that my successor
continues the discipline I’ve put in place
a stock take on my wine collection – it’s
long overdue.
and maintains and improves on delivering
value to members.
15
