Doug and his team at Franchise Ready have helped launch and support over 50 Australian brands grow through franchising by creating everything they need to scale and grow through franchising.
Richard Thame
CouriersPlease CEO Richard Thame has an outstanding, more than 20-year track record in driving success for franchised and national companies, and decades of experience in executive leadership, franchise excellence and logistics. Over the last twenty years Richard has held leadership roles in a variety of franchise systems including McDonald’s, Thrifty Car Rental and Fastway Couriers.
In his role as Group Managing Director at Fastway Couriers, Richard had responsibility for franchise organisations in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and South Africa. This gave him the opportunity to meet with franchisors and franchisees in many diverse markets. Richard has played an active role in the franchise community, and currently serves as the NSW Convenor of the FCA Chief Executive Syndicate.
In 2017, he successfully completed the CFE program. Richard believes the FCA has a crucial role in contributing to public policy debates surrounding the structure, education, and reform of the franchising sector at this critical time.
Amber Manning
Amber Manning is CEO of Just Cuts, the largest hairdressing franchise in the southern hemisphere. Her career began as the youngest financial services franchisee in Australia at just 20 years of age. Amber has led NSW Telstra Franchise and Dealer channels, advised the Harvey Norman Steering Committee, and developed global strategic capabilities through her involvement with KPMG and Price Waterhouse Coopers.
Today she leads the Australian, New Zealand and UK markets for Just Cuts, holds CFE accreditation, and is a member of the CFE syndicate group for the Franchise Council of Australia. Amber also owns seven Just Cuts salons with her partner.
Nic Brill
Nic Brill is an experienced leader with a demonstrated history of working in the retail industry. He is the Chief Executive Officer at Poolwerx Corporation. Nic is skilled in franchising, operations, marketing management, food and beverage, coffee, customer marketing, consumer products, and customer relationship management (CRM).
Kerri Wane
Kerri Wane is the CEO of San Churro, one Australia’s leading and fastest growing franchises and is humbled to lead an extremely passionate group of Franchise Partners together with 2000+ team members who are on a mission to cement San Churro’s place as Australia's most loved and recognised sweet treat experience.
Kerri is passionate about people, purpose, brands and growth and loves to work in transformation, growth, and turnaround environments. She is passionate about franchising, building resilient businesses and helping people break through barriers, whatever they may be!
Kerri was recognised by the Franchise Council of Australia as Franchise Woman of the Year (VIC), 2024 and was runner up in this year's Top 30 Franchise Executives.
Callum Mackay
As a positive, creative and energetic executive, Callum’s constant pursuit is improvement. Callum’s experience has been gained in executing operational strategies, ensuring seamless business processes and driving strategic growth within market leading brands such as 7-Eleven, Boost Juice, Sushi Sushi and Noodle Box.
Callum’s operational expertise has been applied across diverse franchise and company structures, encompassing a global footprint in over 20 countries alongside domestic operations within Australia.
Clayton Treloar
Clayton has been in the franchising industry since 1995, when he ran a chain of 60 Australian retail outlets across Canada. After moving back to Australia in 2012, he became involved with Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) Australia with the acquisition of the Perth CBD Centre in St George’s Terrace and becoming a franchisee. After rapid success, he became a partner in MBE Australia and subsequently moved into the role of CEO, overseeing more than 40 locations across Australia in 2014.
Over the course of his working career, Clayton has owned and run a successful HR/recruitment agency, which he also took to Canada in 2007. Recently completing his CFE (Certified Franchise Executive) accreditation, this now brings a world of opportunities for not only himself, but all franchise groups he works with.
A proud father and husband, Clayton enjoys travelling, camping, fishing and recreational flying. Clayton brings enormous business and franchise experience with a focus on people, process and product while always following his mantra of the five Ps: Proper Planning Permits Peak Performance.
Marcel Lal
MARCEL LAL - QLD/NT STATE PRESIDENT
With franchising and multi-industry experience, I have featured over the past five years in the Top 30 Franchise Executives list for Australia, placing 2nd in 2023 and 6th in the inaugural awards year of 2019. I’m driven to lead, develop and support others leveraging my background in leadership, sales, marketing, partnership, commercial, operations and general management functions. I am CFE qualified (Certified Franchise Executive) and MAICD (Member, Australian Institute of Company Directors).
I joined InXpress as Country GM for Australia & New Zealand before moving into the CEO Asia Pacific role in early 2019 and onto Global COO from late 2023. My focus as regional CEO was to lead our region, six countries and the head office teams towards continuing profitable growth, in addition to my responsibilities as a member of the InXpress Global Leadership Team. Now as COO, it is to lead our support teams globally towards operational efficiency. As a progressive, award-winning and tech-enabled B2B franchise system offering freight services, InXpress won the top accolade at the 2021 Global Franchise Awards (and also was a category finalist in 2022 & 2023, and category winner in 2024), as well as claiming 2021 & 2022 International Franchisor of the Year by the Franchise Council of Australia.
Tim Horbury
Tim Horbury is the franchise owner of The Alternative Board – Adelaide City Territory, with experience within the franchise sector in state leadership roles. Tim has vast experience in retailing, working for recognised brands such as Specsavers and Beaumont Tiles.
In Adelaide, Tim gained senior experience in retail businesses such as Harris Scarfe and Trims and launched the Ray’s Outdoors brand in Adelaide. Tim also ran his own business in the hospitality sector. His career, spanning more than 25 years, has included leadership roles ranging from large corporate entities to small family businesses.
The franchising sector is where Tim discovered the value he brings to small business ownership, with skills honed over the years and a key focus on marketing and people. Within the FCA, Tim has been a valued member of the FCA’s Franchisee Advisory Committee and its South Australian State Chapter Committee.
Jason Gehrke
Jason has more than 30 years’ experience in the franchise sector and founded the Franchise Advisory Centre in 2004. He conducts an extensive range of professional development events in Australia and internationally for franchisor personnel, and publishes Franchise News, Australia’s leading email news bulletin on franchising trends and issues.
Jason is a longstanding member of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Small Business & Franchising Consultative Committee, the treasurer of a community housing not-for-profit organisation, and in his spare time collects old cameras and military and aviation antiques.
Jay Westbury
Jay brings over two decades of experience in leading peak industry bodies as CEO and has previously been Chair and Vice chair of industry groups both in Australia and globally. The sectors he has previously worked across have close ties to franchising, giving Jay a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities within the franchise industry.
With an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business and a deep background and understanding of achieving public policy outcomes across the Australian political landscape, Jay leads the FCA across all of the member and stakeholder engagements, policy and FCA governance.