Board Members

Alan Mackenzie has been president of Southport Football Club for more than 34 years and has been involved in AFL football as a player, volunteer medical officer, coach, selector and administrator. He was elected Southport president in November 1973 and has overseen the growth of arguably Australia’s No.1 domestic football operation. As President he has seen his club play in 29 senior grand finals for 18 premierships while the licensed club has grown into a much-admired $20 million business.

He served the Brisbane Bears/Lions for six years (1992-98) as club doctor, selector and match committee chairman, and has filled countless similar roles with the Allies State of Origin side, Queensland Open and junior representative teams, and Gold Coast representative teams. A Life Member of AFL Queensland, he received the Australian Sports Medal (2000), the AFL Merit Award (2003) and was the inaugural recipient of the Gold Coast Bulletin Sports Award (2003).

Bob Gordon recently retired as Editor-in-Chief of the Gold Coast Bulletin newspaper. Bob spent 50 years in journalism including 17 years in Canberra where he created and launched the Sunday edition of The Canberra Times and played a significant hand in the re-design, the content and layout of the daily paper. As Editor of the Brisbane Sunday Mail he built circulation from 290,000 to over 629,000, the second largest selling paper in Australia. On the Gold Coast he helped lift the profile and circulation of both The Gold Coast Bulletin and The Sun. The Bulletin is now the fastest growing newspaper in Australia.

Malcolm Blight began his football career at the Woodville Football Club in Adelaide moving to Melbourne in 1974 where he played 179 games for North Melbourne including multi-tasking as player-coach in 1981. At North Melbourne he played in two premierships in 1975 and 1977, won a Brownlow Medal (AFL Best & Fairest Player) in 1978, a Coleman Medal (AFL Leading Goal Kicker) in 1982 and club Best and Fairest in 1978.

In 1989 he moved into full time coaching at the Geelong Football Club and took them to three Grand Finals. After a brief stint at the Seven Network as a commentator in 1995-1996 he returned to coaching with the Adelaide Football Club and coached them in back to back premierships in 1997 and 1998. He plays a key figure in the club’s history with their Best and Fairest award being named after him.

Bob East’s enthusiastic leadership style and vision has seen Mantra Group grow from 50 properties in 2006 to more than 130 properties in Australia and New Zealand.

As CEO, Bob has strengthened the brands of Peppers, Mantra and BreakFree and his strategic business model has developed the group into one of the most impressive accommodation providers and marketers in Australasia.

With more than 3500 Team Members and 15,000 rooms under management, Bob has positioned Mantra Group for future growth and aims to make Mantra Group the favourite provider of hotel, apartment and resort accommodation in Australia and New Zealand.

Under Bob’s leadership, some recent milestones include Mantra Hotels Resorts and Apartments being Australia’s fastest growing apartment brand and Peppers Retreats, Resorts and Hotels opening its first metropolitan Peppers property – the Peppers Broadbeach.

Bob has enjoyed an extensive career in the domestic and international tourism sector. He holds a MBA and sits on a variety of boards including the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC).
 

Janelle Manders is Managing Partner of the Gold Coast office of HLB Mann Judd Accountants and Business Advisors. Janelle provides strategic tax and business advice to a range of Gold Coast businesses. Her areas of expertise are strategic planning, risk management, taxation, global business, governance, and financial reporting.

Janelle is also involved with a variety of professional and community organisations including Chairman of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Gold Coast Committee, Director/Treasurer of Careflight (Qld) Ltd and a Director of the Gold Coast Institute of TAFE. 

Dale Dickson has been CEO of Gold Coast City Council since July 2003. It is the second largest local government in Australia, with an annual budget of around $1 billion, over 3000 employees and serving a resident population of over 500,000.

In 2006 he was awarded the Chartered Secretaries Australia Governance Professional of the Year within a Public Sector Organisation and in 2007 received the Award for Leadership and Management Excellence by the Local Government Managers Association of Australia (Queensland).

He holds a Bachelor of Business, a Graduate Diploma of Management and a Master of Public Policy and Management.

Dale was previously the Chief Executive Officer of Whitsunday Shire Council and also played with the Melbourne Football Club from 1982-1986 and the Brisbane Bears from 1987-1989.