IBC Welcomes Three New Directors to Board

Three new Directors were elected to the Illawarra Business Chamber Board following the Annual General Meeting, held last night. The AGM saw half the existing board up for election with a total of nine candidates standing for election. Existing Directors Terry Wetherall, Chris Gandy and Stuart Barnes were re-elected.

IBC President Mr Terry Wetherall welcomed three new directors to the board:

Mike Halloran, CEO of the Illawarra Credit Union
Eddy De Gabriele, Managing Director of the Edmen Group
Mark Wilson, Managing Director of Wisdom Graphics

We look forward to the contributions of the newly elected Directors in making the IBC an even stronger membership organisation.

Mr Wetherall said it was a reflection of the growing stature of the organisation that the elections attracted such a high calibre of people looking to serve on the Board.

On behalf of the IBC we would like to thank all the candidates who nominated.

Mr Wetherall also paid tribute to the contributions of the Directors who stepped down from the board due to retirement or relocation due to work commitments over the last 12 months including Barry Peddle, Bryan Denner, Mark McKenzie, Peter Christopher and Jo McGoldrick.

In his President�s report to the meeting Mr Wetherall highlighted some of the successes of the IBC over the past twelve months.

�Looking back over the past 12 months, 2005/06 was a very successful year for IBC on a range of fronts. In particular our growth in membership, greater member engagement and attendance at events and the improved financial performance were particularly pleasing.

�As a membership organisation, ultimately our fortunes lie in our ability to grow our membership. Membership grew by 10% over the past 12 months, an indication of the value of IBC to the local business community.

As a result, Business after Hours continued to grow in popularity with more than 250 members regularly attending and benefiting from increased exposure and networking opportunities with fellow members.

�As the Illawarra�s leading business organisation, IBC remains committed to representing the interests of members to all levels of government.

�In 2005/06 IBC in conjunction with ABL State Chamber championed a number of issues at a State and National level such as IR reform, Workers Compensation Premiums Savings of 15%, as well as payroll tax relief and OH&S reform.

�At a local level, IBC continued to champion concerns relating to local issues including upgrading the Princes Highway, the launch and establishment of the Wollongong NSX Exchange, the Wollongong CBD revitalisation strategy and the ongoing re-development of The Port of Port Kembla.

Mr Wetherall said none of these results would have been possible without the effort and support of our dedicated Directors and Staff and the many organisations that assist our operations.

�The IBC is a membership-based, not-for-profit organisation, and we would like to take this opportunity to say thankyou to all the businesses who are members for their ongoing support.

For more information contact: Mark Grimson 42294722 or 0409155240