The Falls Creek Alpine Resort Management Board is accountable for the development, promotion, management, and use of Falls Creek’s 1,535 hectares and operates under the Alpine Resorts (Management) Act.
The Board is responsible for ensuring the Falls Creek resort is available for alpine recreation and tourism throughout all seasons and accessible to persons from varied cultural and economic groups. The Board also ensures management of the resort is undertaken in a manner which is respectful of the alpine environment and economically, ecologically, and culturally sustainable.
BOARD STRATEGY & RESPONSIBILITY
The Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, The Hon. Lily D’Ambriosio MP has endorsed the release of the Alpine Resorts Strategic Plan 2020 – 2025 – Responding to a Changing Climate, the notice of which was tabled in the Victorian Government Gazette on 7 May 2020.
The development of this strategic plan was informed by the findings from the review of the 2012 Alpine Resorts Strategic Plan: “Future strategic planning should be focused on establishing a flexible and collective approach among alpine sector stakeholders to implement the strategic priorities for alpine resorts set by the Victorian Government. This must be underpinned by a consultation process that is truly collaborative and re-establishes buy-in and ownership among key government and non-government stakeholders”
Alpine Resorts Strategic Plan 2020-2025
In June 2020, the Victorian Government released its new framework for the development, promotion, management and use of Victorian alpine resorts. The vision for the Alpine Resorts is:
“The Victorian alpine resorts achieve their potential as thriving and sustainable destinations for mountain activities and nature-based tourism”.
The plan outlines six strategic objectives: The Plan also provides specific actions to be undertaken to deliver on the above Strategic Objectives.
Ministerial Directive & Instrument of Appointment
The functions and responsibilities of Alpine Resort Management Boards are set out in the Alpine Resorts (Management) Act 1997. The Falls Creek Alpine Resort Management Board operates under Ministerial Direction as directed by Lily D'Ambrosio, Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change.
BOARD MEMBERS
The Board meets regularly and operates with a Committee structure as detailed below to meet accepted principles of good governance and compliance requirements and to assist with the work of management and the Board.
Jo Shannon brings to the Board over 20 years experience in financial management and corporate governance in local government, alpine resorts, hospitality and the health sector. She is currently the Director Community and Corporate Services with Towong Shire Council and leads the Secretariat team for Rural Councils Victoria Inc. Prior to local government, Jo’s management experience was gained in Melbourne media and technology companies and the alpine sector where she was employed by the Falls Creek Alpine Resort Management Board as the CFO and senior executive, leaving in 2013 to pursue other professional opportunities. More recently Jo has served as a Member of the Mount Hotham Alpine Resort Management Board and as Chair of its Audit Committee. As a keen skier and bushwalker, Jo has spent extensive time in the Victorian and NSW Alps and has travelled to many overseas ski resorts in North America, Europe and Japan. She is a full member of Albury Ski Club and an associate of Myrtleford Ski Club and has been part of the broader Falls Creek community for over 20 years. Now living in Albury, Jo considers herself very fortunate to have lived for 15 years in Mount Beauty, raising a young family and serving on a range of community boards, including the Alpine Health Board of Management, Alpine Shire Council Audit Committee and the local Bendigo Community Bank. Jo is committed to engaging communities to deliver a range of sustainable strategic outcomes as Falls Creek positions itself for the future.
Lindy is a highly-experienced senior executive currently operating Living-Proof Media, an independent consultancy to the arts offering services including documentation, evaluation, writing and editing for publication. Recent professional roles include Chief Executive Officer of Regional Arts Australia (2013-2014) and Chief Executive Officer of Regional Arts Victoria (2004-2012). During 2012-2013, Lindy was Executive Producer for the Centenary of Canberra's largest national community engagement program, One River, spanning four states and a territory. Current board roles include the Cultural Development Network and Winton Wetlands. Former board roles include Narrandera-based arts organisation, The Cad Factory, Lakes Entrance-based Aboriginal cultural organisation Wurrinbeena, Regional Arts Australia and the Australian Children's Theatre Foundation. Other roles include judge and mentor for the Victorian Tourism Industry Commission RACV Tourism Awards. Professional qualifications include Bachelor of Arts (University of Melbourne), Graduate Diploma Arts Management (University of South Australia), photojournalism major, Bachelor of Creative Arts, Latrobe University, Bendigo and Graduate, Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).
Jason Alexandra has over 30 years experience working on sustainability and natural resources management (NRM) operating consulting, revegetation and farming businesses and working in senior roles in national and international organisations. Jason has been a Director of Land & Water Australia and the Port Phillip CMA. As the Executive Director of the Earthwatch Institute Jason initiated the successful citizen science program ClimateWatch. Between 2008 and 2013 Jason was a senior Executive at the Murray Darling Basin Authority with responsibilities for NRM, water reform, climate science and ecosystem management. As the managing director of Alexandra and Associates Pty Ltd Jason has completed over 100 consulting projects on sustainability, natural resources management, environment and water policy. He is an adjunct research fellow at Charles Darwin University.
Michelle has worked in local and State government as a planner, with a particular focus on the management of the planning system, for over 20 years. Michelle was the Manager of Alpine Planning for the State Government for a number of years and over the last 15 years has spent considerable periods of time in ski resorts in Australia and Japan with her family. She is currently a consultant providing advice and advocacy about planning policy and strategy. Michelle is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, has an Honours Degree in Planning and Design at Melbourne University and a Diploma in Business Management at RMIT. Michelle is also a member of the Victorian Coastal Council.
Sue has over twenty years professional and senior management experience in Local Government, University and the Banking sectors providing finance, governance, project and risk management roles in Queensland, Canberra and Victoria. She is on the Winton Wetlands Committee of Management, the Chair of the Audit Committee for the Alpine Shire and has held various other Board appointments in Government Owned Corporations and University Research Corporations. Sue's formal qualifications include a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Commerce. She also recently graduated from the Australian Institute of Company Directors, is a Certified Practicing Accountant and a member of the Australian Risk Policy Institute. Sue is a keen skier who has visited Falls Creek since the 1980’s and has a strong belief in the commercial, ecological and social value of the Alpine regions to the local and regional communities
Helen Moran is an accomplished Executive Leader, possessing extensive business and commercial knowledge and expertise within the ski resort and tourism industries. Helen has a demonstrated track record of providing tangible results that positively impact on organisational performance. Helen is experienced at initiating strategic change that positively impacts on efficiency and bottom line profitability, without compromising quality of service or standards. Adept at providing leadership throughout an organisation, and recognised as a strategic thinker and leader within the industry, Helen’s past experience on various committees and boards in the Alpine Resort area and generally in tourism allows her to contribute towards the future direction of Victoria’s Alpine Resorts.
Peter has over 30 years’ experience in commercial, public sector and business roles within the tourism sector and is widely respected for his destination marketing expertise. In his early career he was General Manager for one of Australia’s largest ski tour operators and accommodation providers. He is a former senior executive of the Australian Tourist Commission where he was responsible for evaluating the Commission’s global marketing program, strategic analysis and resource allocation. He was part of the ATC team that developed ‘destination branding’ – an approach to destination marketing has been adopted around the world. For the past 23 years he has provided consulting services to a wide range of destinations in the form of tourism strategies, plans and related market analysis. He led the rebranding of Far North Queensland, guided the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s strategy in the post-handover period and assisted in the development of three consecutive Tourism Master Plans for NSW. He has also advised a wide range of private sector tourism industry clients in most sectors of the tourism industry. More recently, he has assisted NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service in areas of asset management, consumer experience and product development. He is a former faculty member of Hawaii’s Executive Development Institute for Tourism where he delivered executive training modules in tourism marketing and market research. He is married with four children and lives in NE Victoria.
BOARD COMMITTEES
The Board meets regularly and operates with a Committee structure as detailed below to meet accepted principles of good governance and compliance requirements and to assist with the work of management and the Board.
Finance, Risk and Audit Committee
The primary objective of the Finance, Risk and Audit Committee (FRAC) is to assist the Board to fulfil its corporate governance and oversight responsibilities relating to financial accounting practices, risk management, internal control systems, external reporting and the internal and external audit function.
All the Committee are independent, non-executive members. The FRAC has appropriate financial and industry expertise, and members are financially literate and have an appropriate understanding of the operation of the Resort Management Board.
Membership for the 2017 year included:
- Sue Lebish (Chair)
- Helen Moran
- Jo Shannon
FRAC Duties and Responsibilities: The FRAC has a range of duties and responsibilities to fulfil as a Committee of the Board. In summary, these duties include:
- reviewing the program and the audits conducted both by the organisation’s internal and external auditors;
- maintaining open lines of communication with the Board, the internal auditors and the external auditors;
- reviewing the financial information to be presented by management to the Department of Environment, Land, Water
and Planning (DELWP); - reviewing the adequacy of internal controls;
- oversight of compliance and recommendations to the Board as to appropriate policies and governance; and
- reviewing the Risk Management Framework and critical risks from the Risk Register.
During 2017, FCRM brought the financial systems back within the resort’s internal management. Substantial work and effort was directed to embed and streamline processes, ensure security of systems, implement concise reporting and bring policies operating within the organisation up to date. Further refinement will continue in 2018.
Planning and Land Management Committee
This committee assists the Board in fulfilling its responsibilities relating to planning and land management within the resort.
Membership during 2017 included:
- Jason Alexandra (Chair)
- Sue Lebish
- Michelle Croughan
Arts and Cultural Development Committee
This committee was formed to 2016 to develop an arts and culture strategy to connect key points identified in the Falls Creek Master Plan. The committee oversees the implementation of this strategy which provides a clear framework for development of arts and culture in the resort.
- Lindy Allen (Chair)
- Peter Valerio
- Lisa Logan
- Debbie Howie (Falls Creek Chamber of Commerce representative)
- Karen Smythe (Falls Creek Historical Society representative)
Remuneration Committee
This Committee’s responsibilities related to the appointment and performance of the Chief Executive and executive remuneration policies, reporting and performance. Membership during 2017 included:
- Helen Moran (Chair)
- Sure Lebish
- Jason Alexandra
- Jo Shannon