Category: Investor centre

Board of Directors

Posted on by Oldfields Marketing

Jonathan Doy – Independent Non-Executive Director and Interim Chairman

Jonathan is the CEO of Sparke Helmore Consulting, an allied service company of Sparke Helmore Lawyers. He is a recognized specialist in corporate tax and structures as well as in the boarder business implications of transactions particularly in the Construction and Property industry.

He began his career in taxation services at EY (then Ernst & Young) before moving to PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers), where he was a Senior Tax Partner. Prior to Sparke Helmore, Jonathan was a Senior Partner at Crowe Horwath where he oversaw the tax service line and focused on the expansion of the practice amongst national corporates and emerging companies

Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Economics from the Australian National University and is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of CPA Australia.

 

David Baird – Independent Non-Executive Director

David is a highly respected local government, planning and property environmental law specialist. A leading practising Solicitor in NSW, David has personally appeared in over 300 contested hearings and throughout his career has achieved a success rate exceeding 85%. In his career he has established and managed some of Sydney’s most successful local government, planning and governance practices in Band 1 and Band 2 firms – evidenced by clients including multiple NSW councils, industry leading developers, and private clients across the State that continue to be clients to this day.

He began his career in 1981 as a solicitor and by 1991 he became the Partner in Charge of Planning and Local Government Group at Gadens (then Gadens Ridgeway), as well as taking on the same leadership role at Dunhill Madden Butler/Price Waterhouse Coopers Legal and HWL Ebsworth Lawyers. David established his own firm, Baird Lawyers, in 2015 for select property and government clients.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales. He is a member of the Law Society of NSW and a part time lecturer in Local Government and Planning Law at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

 

Joe (Jie) Ma – Non-Executive Director

Mr. Ma has over 32 years of business experience in China, of which 21 years has been in property, construction and cement industries. He has been an investor in multiple Australian construction related businesses since 2015 and holds memberships of construction industry associations in both Australia and China. Formal qualifications held include a Bachelor of Industrial and Civil Engineering and achieving Registered Construction Engineer status in March 2005 and Registered Construction Technical Services Consultant in December 2007.

Mr. Ma joined the company in April 2021 and was appointed a non-executive director. In addition to being a non-executive director, Mr. Ma was designated by the Board of Directors to provide support and guidance on all aspects of Oldfields’ China operations including relocation, new manufacturing facilities during COVID-19 and ongoing management of local supply production chains and supplier relations. Mr Ma’s ability to navigate locally the manufacturing environment in China provides the company with a unique set of oversight in terms of quality assurance and cost-management.

 

Richard Abela – CEO & Executive Director

Richard has spent over 12 years at the highest-level in industrial and manufacturing businesses, building brand equity and exploring new opportunities for growth, and over 25 years in senior finance, Supply Chain and sales and marketing roles.

During this time Richard has honed his skills in some of Australia’s top 200 ASX listed industrial companies as well as leading the AU/NZ operation for a large European multinational.

Richard has also spent time locally in both China and Germany manufacturing facilities, where he worked in as part of the team that adopted the scale of Chinese production and experienced firsthand the lean efficiency of European manufacturing.

Richard’s time at Boral saw him implement national efficiency in its systems and process and while   at the Bonds business Richard oversaw over 350 staff in manufacturing across 3 sites in Australia as well as responsibility for the China Supply and Sourcing operation based in Hong Kong.

At the Hettich business he spearheaded the roll out of over 300 Hettich Endorsed Showrooms across Australia & NZ in conjunction with key clients in the joinery industry and in doing so reshaped the brand perception from being a purely B2B business to having an active B2C relationship with consumers.

At Oldfields, Richard has commenced the turnaround with the rebuilding of the senior team, a reshaping of sales focus and a return to hero product development that has allowed the Paint Tools business to commence its return to its rightful lead position and market share. In Scaffolding, the business has focused on key clients and building operational strength and service capabilities that will allow the building of scale to increase exposure to national size clients

Richard holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Accounting and Finance.  Richard is also a Fellow member of CPA Australia.

 

Alan Lee – Company Secretary

Alan has over 25 years of experience in financial reporting and controls, corporate advisory and governance, business valuation, transaction services across a wide range of industries and sectors in Australasia and Asia.

He has been Chief Financial Officer of both ASX listed companies and a mid-market private equity firm in Australia. Alan has worked in the Financial Advisory division and Assurance division of KPMG, PwC and EY in Sydney and Hong Kong.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment as well as a CPA in Australia and Hong Kong.