New and old will serve on CCI board

They may come from different backgrounds, but a newly formed team of faces fresh and familiar ones share the common goal of driving the local economy over the next two years.

Broome Chamber of Commerce and Industry board elections were held at the organisation’s AGM on November 30, with eight keen candidates throwing their hat in the ring to fill five vacant positions.

Among the strong field of business-driven hopefuls were existing members Natasha Aristei and president Peter Taylor, who were both re-elected to the board.

Peter Athanitis, Sarah Cordiner and Shayne Murray rounded out the list of successful contenders. Mr Taylor was re-elected as president during a meeting days later, with Elisabeth Lucke taking on the deputy role.

Mr Taylor, who has been a board member for five years and president for two, said his vision was to see a cohesive town move forward together to “live, work and engage in business to the greater benefit of everyone in the community”.

“There’s much to be done and the momentum is great if we can continue on this path together,” he said.

Ms Aristei said she was excited to be re-elected and hoped to provide a positive influence while working towards common goals.

“I am optimistic about the future of business in Broome and encourage everyone to embrace change which can lead to new opportunities,” she said. As owner of Life & Soul Health and Fitness Club, Mr Athanitis said his corporate and small business experience would be an asset to the board.

Ms Cordiner is no stranger to success, with her work as owner of MainTraining landing her a spot on the Top 50 must-follow female entrepreneurs for 2017” list in the Huffington Post.

“It’s an honour to represent the business community and I look forward to helping Broome establish a strong future,” she said. Mr Murray, who is chairman of Cruise Broome and runs Broome Transit, said he aimed to “cut through the small stuff and get stuck into the big stuff”.

The newly elected members will serve a two-year term, joining the volunteer board in acting as a voice for businesses in Broome and setting the strategic direction of the chamber, as well as sharing key ideas, policies and overseeing finances.

Stuart Brown, Lynnie Ralston and Clare Smith also put their hands up, but were unsuccessful.

Peter Taylor (president)

Elisabeth Lucke (vice-president)

Natasha Aristei (treasurer)

Gareth Jenkins (secretary)

Charles Kleiman

Susan Bergesen

Craig Kelmar

Gerard Petrov

Sarah Cordiner

Shayne Murray

Peter Athanitis