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People

Board of Directors

Roland Jabbour Esq. J.P. -- National Chairman & Victoria State Chair

Roland Jabbour has been elected as National Chairman of the Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Roland is the Chairman of the Jabbour Holding Group of Companies, Chairman of the Australian Agency for Education & Training and Managing Director of the Cedar Jet Travel Group. He chairs the Australian Arabic Council and is a founding and current director of both the Australia Lebanon Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ALCCI) and the Australia Oman Business Council (AOBC).

Roland has extensive business and international trade relations experience. His business interests include property development and investments, traffic management, travel and tourism, international education and training. The Jabbour Holding Group is based in Melbourne and has offices across the Middle East region. The group oversees major projects between Australia and the Arab region, representing Australian universities, the private sector and government institutions.

Geoff Puttick -- National Vice Chairman & Western Australia State Chair

Geoff is currently the National Vice Chairman, State Chair for the Western Australia Chapter and an AACCI Director.

Geoff is also the Chief Executive Officer and Regional Chairman for Pre-Paid Legal Services for the Asian, Middle Eastern and African regions. He is responsible for overseeing the company's development and expansion of its legal service provider network. Geoff is also involved in its ongoing growth within these regions by establishing stronger joint business relationships with other companies.

Geoff has an extensive background as a business developer over the past 30 years and has been working in management, consulting and advisory roles to both listed and unlisted companies and government. These are primarily in the areas of business investment and development, business analysis, mergers and acquisitions, mediation and negotiation.

He has worked extensively across South East Asia, Mainland China and the United States, for various Australian, Asian and US based companies, and developed an extensive and valuable client network throughout these regions. Geoff has worked with and consulted for some of the most influential companies in Asia, Mainland China and the US. He has developed many high profile business, government and political associations, as a result of his success in bringing together Asian and Western businesses.

Geoff is also involved in the ongoing development and trialing of new light-based security technology systems to the US military, law enforcement and security agencies, and oversees the marketing of this technology and its trials by the Australian military and law enforcement agencies.

Raymond (Rafeek) Najar, OMIEA Australia -- National Director South Australia

Raymond Najar is currently the National Director for South Australia and has diligently contributed to AACCI as a National Chairman and a long-standing board member for the past four years.

Ray is a civil engineer who has specialized in water resource management since 1964. He completed his diploma with a Rotary Foundation Fellowship in the USA in 1976 and is a Melville Jones Fellow in Lions International. Since September 2003, Ray has been the General Manager of the Murray Darling Association, Australia’s largest local government body.

Since 1996 Ray has developed a consulting business in specialising in sales and marketing to the Middle East. He is an agricultural engineering expert whose work focuses on irrigation and water resource management. Ray has worked in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Lebanon.

In 2005, Ray was awarded South Australian Ambassador of the Year for his efforts in promoting bilateral trade between Australia and the Middle East, and facilitating trade missions in and out of Australia. He remains an active South Australian Business Ambassador.

Peter Deacon -- Director

Peter Deacon is a Director of AACCI and has over 30 years of experience in international trade promotion. In 1997 Peter established Australia’s first State Office in the Middle East, the Victorian Government Business Office (VGBO) in Dubai, UAE and remained its Executive Director until 2008.

Prior to his role as Victoria’s most senior representative in the Middle East, Peter had a long history with Austrade including Trade Commissioner Abu Dhabi 1983-87 and Australian Consul General and Senior Trade Commissioner in Dubai, UAE from 1994 until 1997. In 1994 he founded the forerunner to the Australian Business Council Dubai.

In September 2008, Peter returned to Australia and established his own consultancy company to assist Australian companies enter or progress in Middle East markets. He continues to play a pivotal role in the development of many organisations.

James Harb -- Director & New South Wales State Chair

James Harb is a member of AACCI’s Board of Directors. He earned an LLB (Hons) from the University of Technology, Sydney in 1991 and an LLM from the University of Sydney in 1995.

James is currently a partner at Blackstone Waterhouse Lawyers and leads the International Trade & Transport group. He is regarded as one of Australia’s preeminent lawyers in the field and is also an expert in maritime law, logistics litigation, road/rail transport and aviation law.

James has significant experience in establishing Australian business in Arab countries, particularly Iraq and the United Arab Emirates. He is also proficient with the Arabic language and culture.

Sonia Barber -- Director & Queensland State Chair

Sonia is a Director of AACCI and is the Chair for the Queensland Chapter.

Sonia is a partner with the international law firm Patton Boggs, and lived and worked in the State of Qatar from 2000 to 2010, when she returned to Australia. Sonia's law practice focuses on the Middle East where she counsels clients in relation to international business compliance, hospitality and real estate, business formation, employment, construction and dispute resolution.

Sonia's recent experience includes her work in advising both owners and operators on large-scale hotel projects both inside and outside the State of Qatar in relation to operating and licensing agreements. She is also advising on major building and infrastructure projects, including disputes before the Qatar Courts and mediations and arbitrations conducted in Qatar.

Sonia has more than 12 years experience in the Middle East. While she now resides in Australia with her family, she regularly travels to the region and typically spends several weeks every couple of months abroad.

Georgie Skipper -- Director, Government and Corporate Affairs

Georgie Skipper is a Director of AACCI and responsible for government and corporate affairs. Georgie graduated from the University of Sydney, Australia with a Bachelor of International Studies and First Class Honours. Georgie is passionate about contributing to Australia's foreign affairs and trade policy. Georgie is active in the not-for-profit and charity sector and currently holds a seat on the Board of the Young Centenary Foundation; the youth offshoot of the Centenary Foundation, which raises money for medical research. She is also on the Sydney Young Strategic Leaders Committee of the Kokoda Foundation, a not-for-profit that researches and fosters innovative thinking on Australia's future security challenges.

Management

Jonathan Herps LLB MBA FAICD -- Chief Executive Officer

Jonathan was appointed Chief Executive Officer of AACCI upon the merger of the Australia Gulf Council (AGC) and AACCI. Prior to the merger he was CEO of the AGC. He has been a member of the AGC's Council of Distinguished Advisers since 2011.

Prior to joining the AGC, Jonathan was based in the United Arab Emirates for seven years where he worked as a senior adviser at SBK Holding (Investment Holding Company) and Abu Dhabi Capital (Private Equity Fund) of the eldest son of the President of the UAE and hereditary ruler of Abu Dhabi.

Jonathan has 30 years' experience in International Trade, Investment and Fundraising, Investment Banking, Real Estate Investment and Development, Private Equity and Funds Management. He has worked and invested in the Middle East (including UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Egypt), Africa, Asia, Europe and Australia.

Jemima Riley -- Executive Officer, New South Wales

Jemima Riley joined AACCI after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Politics from Macquarie University in 2011. She began working with AACCI as a Marketing, Communications and Events Intern, and her career aspirations lie in the field of international relations - specifically Australia’s relations with the Middle East region. She has a strong interest in politics and current affairs, and is proactive in learning about contemporary global issues. Jemima has travelled to the United Arab Emirates for a women's leadership conference, and wishes to further her knowledge of the region through professional experience. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Commerce at the Australian School of Business, University of New South Wales.

Don Williamson -- Executive Officer, Queensland

Before joining the AACCI team, Don Williamson served in the Commonwealth government for over 30 years – most recently with the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade).

He has extensive experience in developing business strategy and marketing programming. He has also worked on numerous projects requiring managing communications across several sectors of industry.

Additionally, Don draws on his close familiarity with Commonwealth procedures and programming to provide significant insight into government relations.

Wesley Smant -- Executive Officer, Victoria

Wesley joined the Victorian Chapter of the Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce in Chamber in early 2012.

Prior to joining AACCI, Wesley has served as a catalyst for successful establishment and maintaining commercial relations between the Netherlands, MENA and Southern Africa as well as business development initiatives, complemented by management and marketing qualifications and a proven track record in delivering value to client organizations.

Wesley moved to the UAE in 2008 and started his own Talent Acquisition Company with a partner in South Africa called Cycan Middle East. He focused on the company to expand their business by reaching out to new customers in the GCC region and building networks.

Muna Estensen -- National Events Manager, Victoria

Muna joined AACCI in September 2011 as an Executive Officer for managing events in Victoria. Prior to that she worked in the field of education, teaching the Arabic language and translation. She also worked as a Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator.

Muna holds two Masters degrees, in International Relations from Bond University and in Translation and Interpreting Studies from Monash University. Muna is also a licensed professional translator from English to Arabic.

Nick Paterniti -- Executive Officer, Western Australia

Nick joins AACCI as the Western Australia Executive Officer following his role as the International Trade Development Officer at Chamber of Commerce and Industry Western Australia (CCIWA). This was Nick's first professional role after completing his Bachelor of Business with majors in Accounting and International Business at Edith Cowan University before moving along to complete his Master’s Degree in International Business at Curtin University. Nick has a strong interest in learning about developing trade between and all parts of the world, including the Arab nations.