Supporting Partners

In a world and industry facing constant change and challenges,  it is critical that AfMA provides education , relevance and value to our members Central to the ability of AfMA achieving this , is the division of the Association into geographic Chapter Committees. Every state or region is different, both in terms of the number of active members, industry challenges and the way in which fleets go about their operations. It is the role of our Chapter Committees to keep informed of unique issues, developments and changes that can affect their members and the industry in their states and ensure that these are reflected in AfMA’s national strategy.

Much of AfMA’s success is borne on the commitment , expertise and enthusiasm of these committee members. Attending our professional development forums in your state is a great way to get to know your committee members ,  connect with other fleet professionals that live and breathe the same issues that you face every day and understand the key issues affecting our industry .

Meet your state committee members below or click through to find out how you can contribute even more to your industry by becoming a committee member.

Chair

Sharon O’Neill – Ventia

With 40+ years in the automotive industry, Sharon has almost done it all (spray painting, parts interpretation, service reception, warranty claims management, finance, stock control, FMO, remarketing, procurement) and was the National Fleet Manager for Transfield, the University of Sydney, Insurance Australia Group (IAG) and now Category Manager at Ventia.

Sharon is passionate about fleet, the impact it has on the environment, and strives to stay ahead of the continuous changing landscape. Sharon has been a member of AfMA since its inception and currently chairs AfMA NSW Chapter Committee.

Trevor Paterson – Australian Automotive Group

Bio coming soon.

Mark Mastrippolito – Life Without Barriers

Mark has worked within the Financial Services sector for almost 15 years, mainly in senior or management roles within Collections & Customer Service then moving into the Fleet space over for the past 7 years.

His current role is Fleet Manager at Life Without Barriers, a not-for-profit organisation with a fleet of in excess of 1,100 vehicles across the country.

Meryl Connolly

Mez has worked in the fleet management industry for 18 years, working within fleet management organisations until moving to Sydney University as Fleet Manager. Mez then joined Sydney Water as Fleet Manager and the National Fleet Manager at Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

Mez has a passion for the automotive industry and emerging technologies which has her championing other companies to support their transition into electric vehicles and beyond. CSIRO fleet has several electric vehicles along with our interest in introducing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, in the not-too-distant future. It is an exciting time to be part of this industry.

Breehan Allen – Summit Fleet Leasing and Management

Bio coming soon

Chair

Ken Goldberg – Modus Management

Ken Goldberg has significant fleet industry involvement currently serving as AfMA Queensland Chapter Committee Chair and as a fleet consultant for the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia. He draws on a wealth of industry and technical knowledge having previously been General Manager in Asia-Pacific for a prominent UK-based software company specialising in enterprise-level fleet and asset management solutions.

Ken is also Managing Director of Modus Management, a specialised management consultancy that helps aspiring managers and leaders maximise organisational competence and business potential. He combines a strategic analytical approach with focus on practical implementation to achieve substantive results. Ken has also been both Regional VP and GM in Asia-Pacific for a leading US-based Software-as-a-Service provider who pioneered on-line business-information sharing, collaboration and workflow solutions. Prior to this, Ken has built a successful business partnering with companies specialising in electronic data interchange and data storage/retrieval solutions.

Ken holds a Master of Management degree, a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Certified Advisory Board Chair.

Richard Schuster – Fleet Management Consultant

Richard has broad ranging experience which includes fleet management, procurement, contract/supplier management, project consultancy and mechanical engineering gained across telecommunication, council, private enterprise and not-for-profit segments. He has nearly 40 years’ experience in managing fleets, including large and complex fleet functions at a state and national level, encompassing fleets from 600 to 25,000 units.

He won the AfMA Fleet Safety Award in 2003, was awarded the AfMA Fleet Manager of the Year Award in 2008, and more recently won the AfMA Fleet Environment Award in 2017. Richard has implemented fleet systems, run national fleet tenders, as well as initiating cost savings and fleet safety systems. He is currently focused on new technologies, reducing risk through a strong focus on driver safety, and exploring alternatives to fossil fuel powered vehicles.

Tom Leggett

Tom has been a part of the automotive industry from starting a school based apprenticeship through to being a Marine Technician in the Navy. He has been involved with the previous Queensland Community Transport Industry Association before it merged with TDSA, and since becoming the Fleet Manager with Able Australia I have become more involved with AfMA by being part of the state chapter committee. Tom is passionate about his role and in this ever changing legislations environment he has a clear focus across all areas of his fleet operations.

John Stark

John has over 20 years experience from global FMCG companies such as Coca Cola Amatil, Pepsico & Parmalat, holding sales and people management positions. John most recently worked for RACQ managing the fleet and commercial roadside program covering over 9,000 companies. During his time with RACQ John performed several secondments including Fleet Operations Manager where he gained a wealth of fleet knowledge including procurement of vehicles and design of new generation tow trucks. John also spent time at the Mobility Centre supporting the major renovation program, designing and delivering driver training programs and securing important government contracts. John has been part of several projects including EV, hydrogen and other emerging  trends impacting the fleet industry.

John is a qualified driving instructor and volunteers his spare time assisting youth to gain their license.

Emma Craft – Thiess

Bio coming soon

Charlie Silk – QFleet

Charlie has 20-years of experience in the fleet industry, specifically with fleet leasing and fleet management for QFleet and the Queensland Government. As the Fleet Services Manager she oversees the fleet operations team managing over 10,000 vehicles across Queensland. Throughout her career, she has shown an exceptional ability to navigate the unique challenges of the public sector, implementing government strategies and initiatives including the current transition of all eligible fleet vehicles to zero emission by 2026. She has also played a pivotal role in developing fleet management policies and procedures, ensuring compliance, risk mitigation, and cost optimisation.

Anne-Maree Coyne – Modus Management

Anne-Maree is a Chain of Responsibility (CoR) Specialist, helping organisations embed heavy vehicle compliance into their operations. This includes identifying heavy vehicle risk areas and educating leaders and fleet practitioners about their CoR obligations.

Anne-Maree works with a diverse range of organisations including statutory bodies, government-owned corporations, private companies, and professional bodies. She has background in legal compliance and operational consulting. She leverages 10 years’ experience as a lawyer and partner in a successful law firm. Her work included advising businesses on legal compliance and acting as a local government prosecutor. These experiences, along with 20 years as an operational consultant, have given her a practical and results-driven approach to implementation.

Chair

Lee Sauerwald – Uniting Communities

With thirty years’ experience across corporate and fleet management and twenty years in the Profit For Purpose Sector, Lee has a strategic focus on social, financial and environmental sustainability. After accepting AfMA’s Fleet Environment Award in 2010 on behalf of Uniting Communities, Lee joined AfMA’s South Australian Committee and then soon became its Chair. Lee joined AfMAs National Board in 2013 and has previously served as both Vice President and President of AfMA.

Lee chairs and presents at State, National and Global Fleet conferences as well as writes articles on a number of fleet related topics including reducing fleet carbon emissions and operating costs and as well as managing your grey fleet.

Adam van Dommele – Centacare Catholic Family Services

Bio coming soon.

Nina Abbey – Elders

Through a diverse career, Nina has developed a practical and balanced approach to procurement and strategic sourcing, including for large fleets, and is looking forward to contributing as a member of the AfMA South Australia Committee Chapter.

Nina began her career as a Maritime Warfare Officer in the Royal Australian Navy, serving for 12 years before transitioning to enterprise risk management with Australian Railway Track Corp in Adelaide, and then taking up a role at Elders Rural Services.

Nina has been with Elders for the past 13 years and has more recently been appointed as the manager of procurement and sourcing. As part of this role, Nina is the fleet sourcing and procurement lead and has developed an interest in all things fleet with a special focus on sustainability, strategic sourcing and cost management. Nina was also a non-executive Director on the Board of not-for-profit industry organisation AgSafe for 7 years.

Sonja Fleming – Thyme Group

Bio coming soon.

Lucy Manual – (secretary) Uniting Communities

Bio coming soon.

Nick Stowe – Hydro Tasmania

Bio coming soon.

Chair

Paul Sor – Red Cross Australia

Paul joined the Australian Red Cross Society in 2014 after a stint at LifeBlood. Managing Fleet, Property, Travel and Procurement, his goal was to improve the operational, safety and environmental objectives of the areas he managed withing the organisation.

As a “specialist Generalist” he achieved these improvements through his collaborative management style.

Dave Allen – Parks Victoria

Bio coming soon.

Allan Coulter

Allan Coulter has committed his working life to the automotive industry.

From humble beginnings as a mechanic in both civilian and military application, to leading roles with global companies as a Fleet Sales Manager in supply to the Fleet industry; largely focused on the Australian, New Zealand market.

Allan’s goal continues to be, to collaboratively work closely with fleet, proactively assisting the industry where possible to grow and improve.

Cailin Hancock – Airmaster Australia

Bio coming soon.

Chair

David Robinson – Western Power Corporation

Bio coming soon

Hellen Mcmaster – Silverchain/ RDNS

Hellen is currently the Fleet manager for Silverchain/ RDNS. They operate 1500 health and aged care vehicles in all states. She has an interesting background having worked in the logistics and automotive sectors for the last 10 years with experience in international markets. Her colourful career has encompassed hands on tasks like interpreting BOM’s, stock control, warehouse reorganisation , purchasing and procurement. The environmental impact in the automotive industry is a special interest and she is passionate about find ways to reuse or re-purpose items when they have served their intended purpose to minimise waste.

Sam Kulenovic – Custom Fleet

Sam is a qualified operation executive highly experienced in the transport and fleet management industry and performed for nearly over two decades in the senior roles within, non for profit, private and state government sectors.

In the last 18 years his fleet experience saw him transparently sharing his knowledge and expertise with his peers. Sam is passionate about anything fleet but particularly about ‘Grey Fleet’ and ‘Chain of Responsibility (CoR)’. He has extensive knowledge of fleet operations and management, the automotive industry and dealership operations. As a people manager he has a strong focus on leadership, mentoring and coaching high functioning teams to deliver outstanding customer service and meet business objectives.

Tanwir Dadarkar – Drivetec Solutions

Tanwir is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years’ experience in Finance, Governance, Business Improvement, Business Transformation and recently over the last 8 years large scale implementations and management of Telematics and other Fleet Technology in organisations like Western Power, Water Corporation, Veolia, Toll Logistics, Toll Global Express to name a few.

Tanwir is passionate about safety and his ‘why’ is to improve driver and vehicle safety in corporate fleets. Combined with his passion for safety, he takes a keen interest in human behaviour, which plays a pivotal part in safety outcomes in driving. He is currently completing Graduate Certificate in Road Safety from Monash University and hopes to continue making a contribution towards reducing road trauma and helping organisations achieve benefits of implementing technology in fleet.

In his personal time, he has a big passion for scuba diving and is a cricket tragic.

The New Zealand chapter is currently vacant. Interested? Lodge your Expression of Interest.

Supporting Partners