MERCURY - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Director
• Member of the Board

Alan's interest in employee and community ownership dates back to 1970s. He was Public Officer and a member of the Management Committee of the Australian Employee Ownership Association since its inception in 1986. When this organisation became Employee Ownership Australia Ltd (EOA) in 2011, he was elected to the Board and has remained a Director of that organisation since. He is Co-ordinator of the Social Enterprise Legal Models Working Group, which is hosted by EOA. EOA is also a member of the Business Council of Cooperatives and Mutuals (BCCM) with which it works in close association on cooperative and employee ownership matters. Alan worked in the NSW public sector for many years in senior policy positions in ageing and disability and, prior to that, as a regional adviser to funded community services in Western Sydney. Alan's speciality is in participation and empowerment structures which encourage broader involvement in the governance of organisations and the widespread and democratic ownership of assets - for employees through their workplaces and for citizens through mutuals, co-operatives and savings schemes.

Job Titles:

• Chairman of the Board
• Economist

Monica Richter is an economist and Social Ecologist with over 20 years' experience in environmental policy, advocacy and business engagement. Monica has worked for a number of not for profit environment organisations such as WWF, Australian Conservation Foundation, World Animal Protection and Greenpeace. Monica is a thought leader across a number of today's sustainability challenges and has been invited to participate in forums including the Visions and Pathways 2040 - scenarios, visions and pathways for a low-carbon, resilient, built environment, the Sustainability by the Sea forum hosted by Waverley Council as well as being an advocate for the 202020 vision for 20 per cent more green space in Australian cities by 2020. She is an Executive member of the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC). And recently she coordinated the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) conference on behalf of WWF and many other organisations.

Job Titles:

• Director
• Member of the Board

Peter's 18 years of experience on the board of a major national financial co-operative provided the opportunity to serve in a number of roles including board Chair and allowed him to develop a keen interest in governance. This had developed into the broader area of enterprise architecture and the relationships between the various elements of the enterprise. Peter has delivered learning experiences for directors, management and staff on a range of governance and strategic topics. He has facilitated skills and leadership training programs in a number of Pacific countries working with grass-roots credit unions and co operatives. Peter has a regular presenter at conferences and workshops in the field of collaborative enterprise. Prior to joining Mercury, Peter had a career in telecommunications in the areas of customer service and the business side of information technology. During his time with Mercury, Peter has working with a diverse range of clients from start-up enterprises through to mature organisations assisting them in areas such as concept development; enterprise definition and creation; strategic and business planning; goal setting and situational analysis; governance reviews and renewal; and constitution/rules development.

Job Titles:

• Director
• Member of the Board

Peter Tregilgas has skills and experience in creative and social innovation encompassing regional development, arts management, festival coordination, capital projects and social enterprise. Achievements includes; Director of the Adelaide Festival Fringe, inaugural Director of Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Institute and Arts Access SA. Festival Consultant to the Victorian Tourism Commission developing the Melbourne International Festival and Comedy Festival and Executive for Regional Development Australia Mid North Coast. Peter's specialist focus is Co-operatives and Social Enterprises and has produced the definitive publications "Social Enterprise in Australia" and "Co-operatives in Australia". He is the founder of Social Enterprise Services Australia encouraging sustainable market based trading with a social outcome and an operating philosophy of Mainstream, Make Money and Make a difference. Peter is Director of The Co-operative Federation Limited.