ABOUT US

Our Board of Directors

Chairperson

Peter Berger, B.Com., F.C.A

Berger Peipers, Chartered Accountants

Peter has lived in Penrith all his life. He attended St Dominics College, Penrith and gained his Bachelor of Commerce Degree at the University of New South Wales. Peter is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, a registered company auditor, a registered tax agent and a Justice of the Peace. He is also a past member of the executive of the Penrith Chamber of Commerce.Peter was awarded Honorary Membership of the advisory centre in October 2008 for 20 years of service to the Board.

Peter has been on the Board of the Advisory Centre since its inception in 1988. He held the position of Chairperson from 1991 to 1994 and was re-elected as Chairperson in 2002.

Deputy Chairperson

Trevor Hall B.Sc (Eng), M.I.E. Aust.,C.P. (Eng)

Kneebone Beretta & Hall Pty Ltd

Trevor has lived in the Penrith area since 1971. He graduated from the University of New South Wales in Civil Engineering in 1972 and completed a post-graduate short course in management at the University of Melbourne in 1991. Trevor has been a Director of Kneebone, Beretta and Hall since 1983.

Trevor has been involved in community service organisations (Apex and Rotary) since 1973 and is a past Chairperson of the Penrith branch of the Red Cross calling committee.Trevor was awarded Honorary Membership of the advisory centre in October 2008 for his services to the Board.

Trevor has been on the Board of the Advisory Centre since February 1989.

 Honorary Secretary

 Ron Aurelius B.Leg S.

 Bell Lawyers

Ron is a commercial/property law partner at Bell Lawyers and has been with the firm for eight years. Previously, Ron worked with three law firms in Newcastle and, at the same time, was a partner and proprietor of his own law firm.

Bell Lawyers is a modern, progressive legal firm that provides quality legal services to its clients whilst, at the same time, recognises the need to assist those who cannot afford standard legal services. Bell Lawyers has, for many years, provided a free legal clinic to Barnardos Homes at Cranebrook and Ron plays an active role in this service.He is also a Director of Penrith RSL Club.

Bell Lawyers is listed on the Law Society’s register of firms that are prepared to undertake pro bono assignments.

Ron has been on the Board of the Advisory Centre since February 2007.

Honorary Treasurer

Adrian White,Head of Commercial Banking

Westpac Banking Corporation

Adrian lives in Glenbrook with his wife and three children.. Adrian has worked with the Westpac Banking Corporation and the former Bank of New South Wales for 30 years. For the first 18 years of his career, he lived in the Canberra/Queanbeyan area before relocating to Penrith 12 years ago. Adrian has spent the last 15 years working in business and commercial banking and is now the Head of Commercial Banking-Penrith. Adrian has had experience as a Director and Treasurer with a licensed club in Queanbeyan and was involved, in recent years, with a local junior AFL club, as Coach and Secretary.

Adrian has been on the Board of the Advisory Centre since June 2007.

Director

Ian Hicks,

Hix Group Pty Ltd

Ian has lived in Penrith for many years. Ian is a local businessman and a Director of three local businesses that employs 40 people. Ian is a mentor for the Young Achievers Programme and has helped many apprentices and trades people with training and mentoring, some of whom have won awards.

The Hix Group is now one of the largest businesses in the area and includes six distinct divisions providing Electrical,Data & Integrated Services,Plumbing & Hot Water,Carpentry & Maintenance,Solar Installation and Fire Detection Systems.

Ian has been on the Board of the Advisory Centre since May 2004.

Director

Bijai Kumar,Economic Development Programme Manager,Penrith City Council

Development Economics Master

Bijai manages the economic development programme for Penrith City Council. Prior to working on Council, Bijai worked for the Department of Transport & Regional Services and Local Government Shires Association as a Regional Development Manager. Bijai gained his Masters Degree in Development Economics from Bradford University, United Kingdom.

Bijai has been on the Board of the Advisory Centre since February 2003.

 

Director

Simone Cody

Cumberland Newspapers
(Penrith Press)

Simone Cody joined the sales team at Cumberland Newspapers in 1988. Quickly establishing herself as an accomplished team member, she was transferred to the Glebe and Western Weekly newspapers as a Sales Consultant. Increasing her territory base with strong results Simone was promoted to a senior sales role in the respected Retails Sales Division. In the Retail Sales team Simone sold to major retailers and agencies across Sydney the various Cumberland titles, enabling them to either saturate, or pin point selected areas of the marketplace.

An acknowledged, highly successful sales person, Simone brought her skills to the western end of Sydney where it was time to lead various sales teams in areas such as Liverpool, Fairfield, Canterbury, Bankstown, Campbelltown, Mt Druitt and Penrith.

Currently she is applying her sales management, marketing and sales skills in the West Division of Cumberland Newspapers as the Deputy Divisional Manager. In this key role, Simone looks directly after the Penrith Press sales team and Sales Managers of six other products in the West Division which includes 7 local newspapers across western Sydney.

Simone has been on the Board of the Advisory Centre since Feb 2008.

Director

Bronwen Johnston-Programme Leader Economic Development

Blue Mountains City Council

Bronwen is currently the Programme Leader for Economic Development at Blue Mountains City Council and is responsible for the development and implementation

of the 2007 LGMA winning Blue Mountains Business Advantage Programme.This programme is an innovative triple-bottom line programme providing businesses

in the Blue Mountains with accreditation in sustainable business practices.She also instigated and run the inaugural BMBA awards which recognise business

excellence in sustainability.Bronwen has a very wide range of business experience for a number of different multinational companies in the medical industry

achieving senior management roles in Marketing and Sales Management both nationally and internationally.

More recently she was Chair of Blue Mountains Tourism for 5 years,Advisory Committee of Tafe Western Sydney and was the Tourism Representative on the World HeritageAdvisory Committee in 2006..

Bronwen is currently Vice President of Biznet-Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Bronwen has been on the Board of the Advisory Centre since July 2008.

 

Director

Diane Azzopardi B.comm(Acc),CA,FTIA,JP

Direct Accounting

Diane is a Chartered Accountant and has been working in the profession for over 15 years.She is the sole principle of Direct Accounting,a Chartered Accountancy practice that commenced in November 2001 as a result of the purchase of a division of a local Penrith business.The business now employs ten staff.Diane prides herself and her firm on professionalism,efficiency and friendly service.

In 2005 Diane was a finalist in the Sydney Business Women's Awards and in recent years Direct Accounting has been nominated in local Penrith Business Awards organised by both the Penrith Star and the Penrith Press.

Diane is also a Board member of the Nepean Medical Research Foundation and an inaugural member of the Nepean Philanthropists.She is the only female business owner represented out of the 50 businesses initially involved.

Diane has been on the Board of the Advisory Centre since July 2008.