Caravan Industry Association of Australia welcomes new Board members

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Following a casual vacancy position created by the resignation of Mark Lindsay to concentrate on CCIA NSW Presidency duties, the National Board considered over 40 potential candidates as suitable replacements.  They are delighted to announce the appointment of Ms Kate Meldrum, Chief Operating Officer of Tourism Holdings Australia to sit on the Board through to the company’s next AGM to be held in November 2021.

At the Annual General Meeting held late in 2020, the Board also welcomed Mr Gerard Waldron, Director of Track Trailer who replaced Mr Nick Hunter from Sunliner Motorhomes who did not contest the election.

Kate Meldrum

Kate has lead Tourism Holdings Australia (thl) since July 2017.  Tourism Holdings Australia operate the Maui, Britz and Mighty RV rental brands, the KEA RV manufacturing and retail business, and are also active in the RV and tourism digital and P2P space.  Prior to arriving in Melbourne to lead the Australian business, Kate held several General Management roles leading group revenue, marketing, sales and CX for the thl group of companies.  Kate is obviously passionate about tourism and the industry, a keen road-tripper herself, and also has a passion for the future of the industry from a sustainability perspective in its broadest sense.  Kate brings her marketing, communication and people leadership skills to the board along with a breadth of experience across the many diverse sectors of our industry.

Association CEO Stuart Lamont welcomed the news, explaining that “Kate brings extensive operational and marketing experience to the National Board, while also covering areas of manufacturing, RV rental, and import / export.  She also has strong exposure to international happenings and trends through the operations of thl.  The Board recognised the critical time that the industry is facing at the moment, and the significant opportunities in market with international travel bans and reluctance to cruise, and specifically sought experience which would assist in carefully navigating the way ahead.”

Gerard Waldron

Gerard has an impressive professional career, starting as a Graduate Engineer with the Gas & Fuel Corporation of Victoria, rising to Divisional GM, a stint with National Consolidated (taken over by Austrim Nylex) where he not only overhauled Australian production for 2 of its companies but also set up and ran the last R&D Syndication approved by the incoming Howard Govt, and over 15 years as the Managing Director of the Australian Road Research Board – Australia’s largest and independent road research organisation covering everything from road design and materials science to road safety engineering and behavioural science.  For the last 20 years as owner and director of Track Trailer, he has supported employee management as it pursues the highest standards of engineering and design innovation in creating its iconic all Australian products.

Kate and Gerard join the following members of the National Board which represent a great geographical and sectorial mix, as well as comprising representatives from both corporate and small independent operations:

  • Grant Wilckens (Chairperson)
  • Dennis Austin (Vice-Chair)
  • Martin Cotterell (Treasurer)
  • Brad Slater
  • Donna Cocking
  • Chris Goddard
  • James Kelly

There will be six positions declared vacant at the 2021 elections to be held in November.

If anyone has any questions, please do not hesitate to contact board@caravanindustry.com.au