Kris Leck
President
Principal, Catalyst Project Consulting
Kris brings over 20 years’ success as a project construction management professional in the Australian commercial construction industry. Kris has been involved in the management of over $1B in projects and lead a team of over 20 design and specialist consultants.
Kris has extensive experience as a Director of Newcastle NOW Limited, Newcastle’s Business Improvement Association, Director and Chairperson of Renew Newcastle and Sergeant at Arms and Past President, Newcastle Business Club.
Kris is a Lake Macquarie resident and a family man and is passionate about the development of Lake Macquarie to ensure his children’s future.
Joanne Jarvie
Vice President
Joanne Jarvie is a senior Finance and Commercial Manager with a passion for helping business owners discover their financial potential and reach their goals.
She believes that all business owners should reap the rewards of their hard work, and enjoy those much-awaited days off, holidays and bonuses. But without the right information, advice and support, these rewards could remain out of reach.
With extensive experience in financial and management accounting, business modelling (focusing on the manufacturing and renewable sectors), as well as a strong track record of generating results for both small and large businesses; Joanne has the skills and knowledge to help you overcome and manage any financial barriers you and your business may be experiencing.
Having owned a business herself, Joanne can identify with the many and varied issues faced by business owners. This insight into the trials and tribulations of owning and operating a business provides her with the valuable experience, including lessons learnt, that can help you succeed.
When Joanne is not crunching the numbers, or helping businesses reach their financial goals, she is at home planning the next holiday to take with her partner and children. Like many working women, Joanne is no stranger to the juggle, but is always willing to donate her time to help organisations of all sorts. She could be the volunteer mum at the sports field canteen, or lending her expertise as part of a board of directors.
Gillian Maxlow
Director
Director & Founder, Maxedout Solutions
Gillian Maxlow has an extensive IT background – from a deep understanding of using a range of social media platforms, to developing strategies for businesses to maximise their online visibility, automating their sales and business work flows.
She also understands many business owners find it hard getting to grips with technology and online marketing. She’s able to analyse, recommend and troubleshoot how a business can utilise and integrate a range of software applications and services, to streamline work processes, automate routine tasks, which provides “holistic” solutions to help businesses evolve with their technology as their business grows.
Gillian founded the digital marketing agency Maxedout Solutions – to assist businesses to automate and drive sales using Facebook Advertising Campaigns, digital marketing and social media platforms – placing their online content, products and services, right where their potential customers are hanging out online.
When not assisting businesses with their online presence, you’ll still find Gillian online, deep into learning, keeping up to date with current trends and practices. She also has a passion to share her knowledge to empower business owners – from presenting at local events through to her online training programs.
Gillian has recently accepted a Director appointment as the local business chambers’ representative on the Hunter Business Chamber Board.
Together with her husband, Gillian loves to travel and immersing herself into new cultures, eventually settling in Lake Macquarie following a five year SE Asia sailing adventure. When she’s not sailing, you’ll probably find Gillian listening to music, at choir practice, attending a “one Song Sing” event or supporting local ukelele musicians.
Simone Le Mesurier
Director
Company Director, Hunter Allied Care & The IV Lounge & Manager Hunter Neurosurgery
Simone Le Mesurier’s 35 year career in small business, business brokering and sales has included general management, consulting and entrepreneurial experience with both small and medium enterprise and larger conglomerates, an international hospitality chain, an international industrial service company, over 100 small enterprises and successful startup businesses.
Simone earned a reputation for providing skilled and professional business guidance as a business broker and became a regionally recognised authority in broking specialising in the sales of newsagencies, preschools and the services to the coal mining industry.
Simone’s career diversified to a management level with Drake International. Simone managed all operations of the Newcastle branch; the business services lines included all Human Resources, Recruitment and Training. Simone then took her skills in management and Human Resources and applied it to the finance field where she worked for Westpac, St George and NAB as a Business Manager. Simone used her knowledge of local business to assist small to medium enterprises finance their growth and acquisitions.
As a visionary and an entrepreneur Simone’s career trajectory was always towards self-management where her well-developed negotiation, persuasion and leadership skills and her knowledge gained through her varied career could be fully utilized. Simone is now a Director in her own firm that operates 2 businesses in the health industry, Hunter Allied Care and The IV Lounge and concentrating on the development of her various ventures, training and up skilling staff and the growth of her enterprises.
Simone is an avid supporter of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and NSW Cancer Council.
Luke Cubis
Director
Councillor, Lake Macquarie City Council
Managing Director, It’sFound
Senior Associate, Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors
Luke is currently an elected Councillor, and former Deputy Mayor, at Lake Macquarie City Council.
He is the Managing Director and co-founder of online company It’sFound, It’sFound provides Software as a Service for lost property departments of large organisations like hotels, shopping centres, airports and universities.
Luke is also a Director of online startup Employs.
He was born and bred in the region. Luke lives in Lake Macquarie with his wife and three children.
Benjamin Connell
Director & Immediate Past President
Director, Emerge Business Advisory – Belmont
Benjamin Connell is a Director and co-owner of Emerge Business Advisory. Benjamin works with local business owners on a constant basis so he has a good understanding of the challenges faced by businesses in the Lake Macquarie area.
Benjamin was the President of Belmont Chamber of Commerce during the setup of Lake Macquarie Business Limited and is a very passionate leader in this area. He has joined the Board of Lake Macquarie Business to assist all businesses in their efforts to promote Lake Macquarie as a provider of world-class services and products.
Benjamin’s experience in local business will be a valued asset to the new Lake Macquarie Business organisation.
Gunther Neumann
Director
Branch Manager, REMONDIS Australia Pty Ltd
Gunther has extensive engineering and business experience in Australia, Asia and Europe. In his current role, he is responsible for the successful construction, commissioning and operation of the first food and garden organics composting facility in the Hunter, located at Awaba.
He served on the advisory board of the Centre for Solid Waste Bioprocessing at the University of Queensland, as an executive member of the Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association of NSW (WCRA), and as a director of Australian Landfill Owners Association (ALOA).
Gunther is the winner of the 2018 Lake Macquarie Business Excellence Awards in the category “Young Business Executive of the Year”, a finalist in the “Kristen Keegan Young Business Executive Award” in the 2018 Hunter Business Awards, the winner of the “Operational Excellence Award” of the WMAA and Inside Waste – Waste and Resource Recovery Excellence Awards 2018 and is awarded with the “Rising Star Award 2018” for outstanding operations and sales by the Australian Organics Recycling Association (AORA).
WCRA awarded the REMONDIS Lake Macquarie Organics Resource Recovery Facility with the President’s Award for the best recycling facility in New South Wales in 2018.
Bob Urry
Director
Director of Rapid Solutions and Business Growth Centre
Bob worked for QBE Insurance for 37 years in various management roles at Adelaide, Wollongong, Port Moresby, Port Vila, Newcastle and Sydney.
Currently a Director of Rapid Solutions and Business Growth Centre, Bob has been involved with other NFP Boards, Newcastle Community Transport, Hunter Community College and Wheeling & Able.
An Honorary member of Newcastle Rotary Club, having served as President on 2 occasions, he is interested in community events.