MEET OUR

A.G. Coombs Group Board

The Group Board comprises a combination of experienced executive and non-executive directors providing a healthy mix of company specific knowledge with broader industry and governance expertise.

Murray Coleman

Non-Executive Chair

Murray Coleman is a highly skilled business leader with over 30 years expertise gained predominantly in the property and construction industry.

He has worked in the Australian, Asian, USA and European regions managing scale businesses that have included major global infrastructure projects, business turnaround and transformation, restructuring for growth and managing strategic acquisitions.

Russell Telford

A.G. Coombs Group Managing Director

In 1986 Russell completed an Apprenticeship as a Mechanical Services Plumber before joining A.G. Coombs in 1988 as a Site Manager, successfully completing a broad range of Air Conditioning / Mechanical Services Projects. After spending some time in the Estimating and Senior Project Management roles, Russell was appointed General Manager of A.G. Coombs Pty Ltd (Projects) in 1996 before being appointed Managing Director of the A.G. Coombs Group of Companies in 2001.

As the Senior Executive of A.G. Coombs, Russell’s pro-active and customer-focused leadership style, with an emphasis on co-operation and communication has been acknowledged as a key attribute in the successful delivery of many large and complex projects across Australia.

As the Managing Director for over 19 years, Russell’s business acumen and leadership has been instrumental in the ongoing growth and development of the A.G. Coombs Group.

Russell’s other involvement in the industry and community includes Fellow of Australian Institute of Management; Member Institute of Company Directors; Director Air Conditioning and Mechanical Contractors Association (AMCA) Victoria 2001 – Current President AMCA Victoria 2009 – 2011; National President AMCA Australia 2017 – 2019; Foundation Chairman Refrigerant, Climate Control Centre of Excellence;

Current; Chairman AMCA Training, Learning and Development Committee, Project Board Chairman BIM MEP Aus, Registered Building Practitioner.

Bryon Price

A.G. Coombs Group Strategic Development Director

Bryon Price is the Strategic Development Director for the A.G. Coombs Group of Companies.

Joining A.G. Coombs in 2000, Bryon has primarily engaged in the transformation and growth of the A.G. Coombs Group of Companies into an integrated provider of specialist technical services and in placing the Group in a leadership position in the Australian construction and property industries.

He is a Mechanical Engineer with notable and long-standing experience in air conditioning and building services design, installation, operation and maintenance, along with sustainable and energy efficient facilities. Responsible during his career for a wide range of building services, energy and environmental projects. These have included innovative and award-winning projects with major financial, commercial, institutional and retail organisations, and Australian Commonwealth and State Government Departments.

Strongly committed to the growth and development of the industry and its capabilities, Bryon is a long-time contributor to industry associations. He presents regularly at conferences and educational forums. His key expertise and interest is ‘whole of life’ energy and environmental management in buildings.

Bryon’s qualifications and memberships include Bachelor of Engineering (Distinction); Non-Executive Director Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air-conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) 2010 – current; Chair and Non-Executive Director Facility Management Association of Australia 2006 – current; Chair, Non-Executive Director Australian Refrigeration and Building Services (ARBS) 2017- current, Non-Executive Director Global FM, Australian Co-Chair of The International WELL Building Institute Task Force on COVID-19 and Other Respiratory Infections. Fellow, AIRAH; Fellow, Institution of Engineers Australia; Registered Building Practitioner (Victoria – Mechanical Engineer).

Allan Lichomets

A.G. Coombs Group Finance Director

Allan completed a Bachelor of Business Accountancy at RMIT University, then worked in Finance roles for a number of public practice firms.

In 2004, he moved to a Management Accountant role at Pitcher Partners which included experience in taxation, audit and Management accounting.

In January 2006, Allan transitioned into the corporate sector and commenced employment with the A.G. Coombs Group. He is a Certified Practicing Accountant, fellow of the Institute of Public Accountants, Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has successfully managed the Group’s growth from a Victorian to a National business.

He is passionate about all areas of Finance and how it can be applied to add value in the organisation.

Allan brings experience in the operational side of the Building Services industry as well as expertise in management of growth, financing, risk management and all areas of finance.

Mark Mitchell

Executive General Manager (Projects)

Following completion of his Master of Business Administration at the AGSM, Mark joined A.G. Coombs Pty Ltd in 2006 as General Manager.

Mark gained a wide range of experience in capacities as Project Manager, Team Leader and Operations Manager in the industry. Prior to this, Mark completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) and Bachelor of Science degrees at Monash University.

He has been involved in the sales and delivery of a number of large and diverse projects throughout Australia.

Chris Mason

Non-Executive

Chris is Chairman of the Mindshop Group of Companies where he coaches the Mindshop senior people and coordinates the strategy development function. He has a background in human resource and high technology industries and has developed skills in multimedia and international trade. He has provided consulting services to a wide range of organisations such as AMCOR, Pilkington, Robert Bosch, Hella, Nissan and the BBC and, as a strategy planner, was licensed by the Australian Government in their business improvement programs. In founding Mindshop, Chris established strategic partnerships with several large international accounting groups and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. In July 1996, Chris expanded the Mindshop Group into the United Kingdom and North America. He is active in developing and running programs for the Mindshop Excellence Charitable Trust. The Trust coaches young people in Mindshop tools and processes, and enables them to apply this knowledge in a business environment.

Chris has also studied a range of technical subjects as well as completing a business degree and a PhD in Organisational Psychology. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants and a Member of the American Psychological Association.

Jim Walsh

Non-Executive

Jim is a chartered accountant with considerable experience as a manager and director of growing public and private companies. In 1981, Jim commenced with Arthur Andersen, chartered accountants, working in the consulting field for seven years. In 1988, he moved into the corporate sector joining business services group, Ausdoc Group Ltd. Jim played a leading role in Ausdoc’s rapid growth over the ensuing 13 years, which included a management buy-out, public listing and various capital raisings and acquisitions. In 2002, Jim joined carpet manufacturer, Godfrey Hirst Australia Pty Ltd, as Finance Director. Jim arranged financing capacity to fund the growth of the business and led negotiations and the ultimate acquisition of major competitor Feltex Ltd. This elevated Godfrey Hirst, with turnover in excess of $500m, to being the clear leader in the Australasian carpet manufacturing and wholesale market.

Jim brings considerable expertise across a diverse range of industrial and service businesses, particularly in the areas of risk management, financing and the management of growth.

Jim’s other qualifications, courses and memberships include Bachelor of Commerce, Deakin University; Master of Business Administration, Melbourne Business School; Executive Program for Growing Companies, Stanford University; Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia; Graduate, Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Kerry Ryan

Non-Executive

Kerry currently holds numerous non-executive director and committee member positions within a wide variety of public, private and not-for-profit sector organisations including ASX-listed global food and beverage company Retail Food Group; Parliament of Victoria’s Audit and Risk Committee; training program developer Mental Health First Aid International; and child and family services agency Kids First Australia.With experience across retail, fast-moving consumer goods, professional services (law and accounting), education, sport and fitness, health and wellbeing, and social services, her greatest expertise lies in governance, risk management, compliance, integrity and strategy oversight – with a strong focus on people and customers.Kerry’s 20-year legal background includes her positions as a commercial partner at international law firm Norton Rose Fulbright and in-house counsel with Publishing and Broadcasting Limited.She spent many years developing international relations and business skills working in Asian markets, living in India and Indonesia and was the recipient of an Austrade Business Fellowship to Indonesia.Kerry is a fellow of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Governance Institute of Australia. In addition to gaining her initial qualifications at the University of Melbourne, she is a graduate of Harvard University’s Cyber Security: Managing Risk in the Information Age program.

Corporate Governance Overview

The A.G. Coombs Group is a privately owned Australian Company. Operations commenced in 1945 and, since this time, the organisation has expanded into a fully integrated group of specialist building services companies operating throughout Australia.

Governance Framework

The A.G. Coombs Group Board operates within a structured governance framework to enable the Board to comply with the requirements of the Corporations Act 2001, other relevant regulatory obligations, and the Company’s Constitution.

A Corporate Governance Guide sets the basis for ethical and professional conduct necessary to meet the expectations of shareholders, employees and other stakeholders.