John Winter, CAE

AuSAE President

John took on the role of CEO of the Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association (formerly the Insolvency Practitioners Association) in February 2014. He became a Director of AuSAE in May 2022 and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE)
He was previously the Head of ACCA Australia and New Zealand. ACCA, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, is the global body for professional accountants with close to 600,000 members and students throughout 183 countries.
Prior to taking on the role as Head of ACCA ANZ, John worked as a senior marketing and communications professional across the recruitment industry, membership organisations and the banking and finance sector.
His past roles include Chief Marketing Officer ANZ for leading listed international recruitment firm, Hudson. He has also worked for a major division of insurance firm QBE and was previously Director of Communications for the NSW Rural Fire Service – an organisation with 69,000 volunteer members.
John has an extensive background in media including having been a weekly columnist in major metropolitan newspapers and, for several years, regularly appeared on the news review program The Paul Murray Show on Sky News.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of NSW, majoring in Economics and Finance and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors 

John can be contacted on jwinter@arita.com.au

Elise Adams 

Vice president

Elise is the current CEO of the NZ School Trustees Association.  Prior to this role she was interim CEO for the NZ Veterinary Association.   Her career spans 30 years in the public and private sector including five years in Association leadership roles.  Past roles have included project management, corporate and operations management at both a regional and national level.  

Elise holds qualifications in project and programme management, strategic human resources as well as a Masters in Business Administration. 

 Elise can be contacted on eadams@nzsta.org.nz

Alan McDonald

Alan McDonald is the Head of Advocacy, Strategy and Finance for the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA), New Zealand’s largest business association.

The EMA has around 7,000 members employing around 25% of New Zealand’s workforce with it’s membership concentrated in the Upper North Island, the economic powerhouse of the country. Our members range from the from the smallest enterprises to New Zealand’s largest businesses.

Alan has an extensive background in in corporate and public affairs especially in developing and implementing large scale campaigns to effect significant industry change or achieve critical business goals. He leads policy development and advocacy for the EMA in critical areas such as resource management reform, infrastructure, Central and Local Government advocacy and supports his team in other keys areas such support for exporters, immigration and education, health and safety and other policy areas supporting the business community.

He was an AuSAE Influencer of the Year in 2022, is a former award-winning journalist and is also a Board Member of Transparency International New Zealand (TINZ).

Craig Young, CAE

Craig is passionate about the digital technology and communications industry because of the opportunity it offers for improving business and personal lives in New Zealand.  He is currently the Chief Executive of TUANZ (the Technology Users Association) which is helping New Zealand make the most of the digitally connected world.  TUANZ is an independent member based organisation representing users of tech which educates and advocates for the uptake of digital technology and the improvement of communication services across NZ including rural and regional areas.  Over more than 35 years TUANZ has a proud reputation of providing leadership in representing the views and needs of the people and businesses that rely on technology every day.  In 2021 TUANZ partnered with MBIE in developing the Digital Boost Alliance, and in his role as CEO, Craig is responsible for leading the work that promotes and manages the operations of the Alliance.  

Craig is an advocate for inclusivity, and equity especially in the digital technology sector in Aotearoa New Zealand.  He was instrumental in the launch of TUANZ’s future leaders programme, FLINT, in 2016.  He is the joint Chair of the Affordable Connectivity Constellation with the Digital Equity Coalition Aotearoa, and a trustee at the 2020 Trust.

Craig can be contacted on craig.young@tuanz.org.nz

As General Manager for the Association of Consulting and Engineering New Zealand, Holly oversees operations of the Association along with a few key areas of focus including conferencing, events, website, communications and strategic partnerships. As a graduate of Texas A&M University and Victoria University of Wellington, Holly arrived in New Zealand in 2012 as a part of the Rotary Ambassadorial Programme and has been working with ACENZ since 2012.

Actively involved in AuSAE New Zealand and the LINC conference committee, Holly enjoys learning from other associations in the membership throughout New Zealand and Australia.

Holly can be contacted on hmorchat@acenz.org.nz

Lindsay McGrath CAE, MBA, GAICD, FGIA, FIML

Lindsay is speaker, coach and the CEO of the Swimming Pool and Spa Association of Australia and New Zealand. Known for a positive start-up styled culture and a courageous attitude Lindsay has a wide range of experiences and leadership roles across various trades, global corporations, and the non-for-profit sector.

Obsessed with helping organisations develop a culture that is purposeful, profitable through positive experiences. A founding Director of several not-for profit trade associations and one global alliance. A lover of education Lindsay is most proud of his role in the creation of several new trade qualifications across Australasia.

Lindsay is well known for his advocacy and influence on the importance of associations.

Nick Pilavidis, FICM CCE

Nick is the CEO of the Australian Institute of Credit Management (AICM), representing over 2,800 credit professionals who are responsible for managing credit risk in all sectors and ensuring cash flow. Since 2014, Nick has led the organization to restore its financial position, record membership levels and increase member engagement.

Prior to this role he held various senior roles as a credit professional in Australia and the UK. He was the AICM’s Australian Young Credit Professional of the Year in 2005 and was acknowledged as a Fellow of the AICM for his service as a volunteer on the NSW Council and National Board. He is also a Certified Credit Executive, a Fellow of CPA Australia, a member of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) Business Leaders Council and a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

He represents AICM members and the credit profession as a member of several other government and industry forums and leads AICM’s advocacy with federal government on matters related to cash flow and credit management.

Paul Nicolaou

Paul commenced his role as Executive Director for Business Sydney in September 2021. Prior to Business Sydney, Paul was Director for the Business Leaders Council, Membership and Events for the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) for seven years.
Paul sits on the Board of The Gut Foundation, The Estia Foundation, Australian Marketing Institute and as a Non-Executive Board Member of Group Colleges Australia. In addition, Paul is an ambassador of Start Up Australia and is a Member of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW Institute. Further Paul is a Non-Executive Director of Dymocks Children’s Charities.
Paul is an Adjunct Professor at UBSS Australia and was awarded the Centenary Medal of Australia in 2001.
Paul was the former Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Hotels Association of NSW (AHA). The AHA is one of the largest industry associations in Australia representing 1,700 pubs and 100 accommodation hotels in NSW.
Prior to the AHA, Paul was the Executive Chairman of the Millennium Forum, which was the fundraising and business engagement arm of the Liberal Party of Australia NSW Division.
Paul was also the former NSW President of the Marketing Institute of Australia for 4 years, a member of the Council for ten years and is currently an Associate Fellow and Certified Practicing Marketer of the Marketing Institute of Australia.
In the early years, Paul was the former Chief Executive Officer of the UNSW Foundation. At the same time he was the Director of Public Affairs & Development at the University. Paul served as the Deputy Director of Public Affairs and Development at UNSW as well.
Prior to his senior roles at the University, Paul was Marketing Manager at the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife and Manager of Fundraising at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Camperdown. 

Paul can be contacted on paul.nicolaou@businesssydney.com

AuSAE Constitution

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