Profiles
Executive Management Team
Over the last 18 months profiles of all AWTA Ltd's senior managers have been provided in this section. However, in view of the recent restructuring, the profiles of the Executive Management team are provided in this issue. All of these profiles have appeared in past issues.
Michael Jackson - Managing Director
Michael commenced his career as a Research Officer with AWTA Ltd in Sydney in 1987, after graduating with a B.Sc.(Wool Technology) (Honours) from the University of New South Wales. Whilst in this position, he became actively involved in customer contact, managing the day-to-day operations of the TEAM Project and participating in implementation of the related ASMAP research.
In 1990, he was promoted to Technical Manager - WA, based in Fremantle and, in 1994, he was appointed as Regional Manager - Qld for 3 years, during which he completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management at the University of Queensland.
When AWTA Ltd commenced implementation of its Succession Plan in 1997, Michael was promoted to the Regional Manager - Vic/Tas position in Kensington, Victoria, to gain valuable experience in all aspects of the Company's operations, and, during 1999, he participated in the Executive Development Programme at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, Chicago.
Initially appointed as Managing Director (Designate), Michael relocated to the Company's Head Office during February 2001. He took on the full Managing Director accountabilities, when the current Managing Director, Mr David Ward, relinquished that position on 21st May 2001.
While he has direct accountability for all aspects of the AWTA Ltd's performance, including the Company's international activities, Michael provides direct liaison with customers in Italy, France, Mexico, The Netherlands, Spain and USA.
Alex Artomonow - General Manager Corporate Services & Company Secretary
Reporting directly to the Managing Director, Alex is responsible for AWTA Ltd's Information Services, Accounting Services, Industrial & Legal Services and Textile Testing. He commenced service with the former Statutory AWTA in January 1972. Alex's qualifications include a Diploma of Commerce (Footscray Technical Institute), Fellowship Diploma of Commerce (RMIT), Technical Teachers Certificate (Toorak Teachers College), Bachelor of Business (RMIT) and Fellow Certified Practicing Accountant.
As well as being a qualified accountant, Alex also wrote most of the accounting software developed by the Company in its early years, and still retains a strong understanding and association with these systems and all the production systems that have been developed over the last 10 years. Alex is a principal architect of the WOOLINK system, which he initially started simply to demonstrate that "it could be done". Although most of the industry only associates WOOLINK with selling systems, it is much more than that. WOOLINK provides on-line access to AWTA Ltd's Certificate database, and provides a host of services that are used by a number of companies to streamline the handling of their certificate data.
Peter Sommerville - Corporate Development Manager
Peter graduated from Monash University as B.Sc. (Honours) Chemistry in 1972. He worked for the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works as a scientist for eleven years, and was appointed as Laboratory Manager in AWTA Ltd's Melbourne Laboratory in 1981.
In 1986 he was appointed as Regional Manager - NSW, reporting to the Deputy Managing Director. In 1998 he was appointed to the new position of Corporate Development Manager and reports to the Managing Director. He transferred from NSW to AWTA Ltd's Head Office in January 1999.Peter is accountable for AWTA Ltd's Research & Development, and corporate publicity and promotion. He has always maintained a strong interest in research and in computer technology. He has a special interest in measurement of the morphological characteristics of wool fibres, and has published some major reviews of the development of techniques for determining these characteristics as well as some fundamental work on the physics of the Airflow instrument.
Corporate publicity and promotion includes media contact, advertising, creation of the Company's newsletters and informational brochures. Peter is also the major architect of the Company's website.
In addition he is responsible for AWTA Ltd's liaison activities in Russia and other former Eastern European Countries, Germany, UK, Iran and Egypt.
Charles Englander - Manager Industrial & Legal Services
Charles qualified as a Lawyer (LL.B, LL.M) from Melbourne University, one of Australia's premier Universities. He has extensive experience in Industrial Law having worked with the Victorian Chamber of Manufactures for a 10 year period from 1974 to 1984.
He was a councillor with the Australian Industry Group. He joined AWTA Ltd in 1984 and reports directly to the General Manager Corporate Services.
In addition to providing the legal advice and legal services required to manage a medium-size company, such as AWTA Ltd, Charles is also responsible for managing its industrial relations activities, and independently of this role currently he is also the President of the Industrial Relations Society of Victoria Inc.
Georg Beilharz - General Manager Laboratory Operations
Georg graduated with a M.Sc. from Latrobe University and, subsequently, gained his PhD Degree at the University of Sydney.
He joined AWTA Ltd as Technical Manager - NSW in 1986. Prior to his appointment he worked in the pharmaceutical industry. In 1987 he assumed the position of Laboratory Operations Manager - NSW, a position that he held until his appointment as Regional Manager - NSW/Qld in 1998. As a consequence of his tenure as Laboratory Operations Manager, Georg has had extensive experience in managing Laboratory Operations. He has a keen interest in utilising computer modelling tools to improve production and production management processes, and has successfully applied such tools in improving the Sydney Laboratory operations.
During 2000, Georg participated in the Executive Development Programme at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, Chicago.
He took up the new position of General Manager Laboratory Operations on 2nd April 2001, relocating to Melbourne where he is based at the Kensington Laboratory site. Reporting directly to the Managing Director he is accountable for the operation of the Company's Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle laboratories. He is also responsible for AWTA Ltd's liaison activities in Thailand, India, Turkey, South Africa and Indonesia.
Ian Ashman - General Manager Customer Relations
Ian is a graduate of Monash University, and holds a B.Sc. with Chemistry as a major.
Ian joined AWTA Ltd in 1985, as Technical Controller in the Melbourne Laboratory. In 1987 he was promoted to the newly formed position of Additional Measurement Controller, where he was controlling within the laboratory the implementation of AWTA Ltd's then new service for certifying Staple Length & Strength. In 1988 Ian became the Technical Manager - Vic, a position he held until 1997. He was then transferred to Sydney where he became Sampling Operations Manager - NSW. Towards the end of 1998, the former Regional Manager - WA, Ron Connors, retired and Ian assumed his position.
During 1999, he completed a Graduate Diploma in Business (Management) at Monash University, where he was selected as "Best Student" and was awarded the AIM-Victoria prize.
He became General Manager Customer Relations on 2nd April 2001, and is based at AWTA Ltd's Head Office in Kensington, Victoria. Ian is accountable for sampling operations in all states, as well as co-ordinating liaison with AWTA Ltd's customers. He is also responsible for AWTA Ltd's liaison activities in China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Jim Marler - National Technical Advisor
Jim Marler is a familiar figure at the technical forums of the industry. His qualifications include Chemistry Certificate (NSW Department of Technical Education), Diploma of Technology (NSW Institute of Technology), B.App.Sci. (Honours) (NSW Institute of Technology) and M.Sc. (UNSW).
From 1965 to 1968 Jim worked as a chemist with Columbia & Cumberland Pencil Co. Pty. Ltd. The CSIRO Division of Textile Physics in Sydney employed him in 1968 until his appointment as AWTA Ltd's National Technical Manager in 1986. In February 2001 he became National Technical Adviser.
Jim is responsible for monitoring AWTA Ltd's technical performance, providing a technical overview of laboratory and sampling operations and represents the Company at Interwoollabs and IWTO Congresses.
He is a member of Standards Australia TX12 Committee, Interwoollabs Management Committee and Australian Delegate to the Interwoollabs Administrative Council. He is currently Vice Chairman of the IWTO Technology and Standards Committee.