On Tuesday the Boating Industry Association Ltd (BIA) Board voted unanimously in favour of Andrew Fielding to be Chair of the Board and President of the BIA. The Boating Industry Association Ltd is made up of the previously independent Association bodies, BIA NSW, BIA SA and Marine Queensland.
The Board appoints a chair annually, and the position of President is limited to three terms under the association’s constitution with the intent of ensuring a cycle of fresh leadership.
Andrew Fielding
President Fielding accepted and stepped into the role with immediate effect to Chair the rest of the May Board meeting held in Sydney. Andrew was quick to pay tribute to the leadership of Darren Vaux who will continue as a Board Director. He said Darren’s contribution had been outstanding and left a legacy of key strategic decisions which had put BIA in a strong position for the years ahead.
Andrew Fielding has been employed in the marine industry for over 30 years with experience in yacht brokering, marine retail, wholesale and boat building. Born and raised on the Gold Coast, Andrew is a graduate of The Southport School. He studied Tourism and Hospitality, and Maritime Logistics and Management at the Australian Maritime College.
His experience and reputation for being honest, knowledgeable and for providing professional service has made Andrew a leader in his field. He is part of a family marine business which has been operating on the Gold Coast for over 45 years.
Andrew is passionate about all aspects of the marine industry and is focused on seeing its future success. He is also an advocate for boating safety and responsible boat ownership and getting more people into maritime careers.
Andrew currently sits on the Gold Coast Waterways Authority board, is member of the Queensland Maritime Committee, is Vice-Chairman of the Queensland Recreational Boating Council and is a member of the War on Wrecks Task Force, a Queensland state government initiative to dispose of derelict and abandoned vessels.
Having spent the past 40 plus years living by or near the water, and having used the waterways on a daily basis for both recreation and business, Andrew is enthusiastic about ensuring our waterways are successfully managed so they can be enjoyed for generations to come and that Australian marine businesses and the industry as a whole prospers and grows well into the future.
BIA Ltd AGM report and Board of Directors for 2022
The BIA Ltd 2022 AGM was conducted successfully on 3 May with 106 members participating in the online AGM ballot in the preceding week. All resolutions were approved, including those to confirm the state council director nominations to the BIA Board and to confer Life Membership on Simon Cook.
Following the AGM, the Board of Directors met and elected Andrew Fielding of Anchorline Yacht Brokers (Qld) to serve as Chairman of the Board and President of the BIA for the next 12 months. Adam Smith of Australian Boating College, Sydney (NSW) was elected as vice-President and Richard Hopkins of EJ Milde & Co (SA) was elected as Treasurer.
Board of Directors 2022 @ 3 May 2022
- Andrew Fielding (President) – Anchorline Yacht Brokers (Qld)
- Adam Smith (Vice President) – Australian Boating College Sydney Pty Ltd (NSW)
- Richard Hopkins (Treasurer) – EJ Milde & Co Pty Ltd (SA)
- Simon Cook – Cook Family Enterprises Pty Ltd (NSW)
- Miriam Griffen – Griffens Marina (SA)
- Andrew Hayes – Hallett Australia Pty Ltd (SA)
- Jon Hunt – Hunts Marine Pty Ltd (NSW)
- Michael Jarvin – Advanced Marina Management Pty Ltd (NSW)
- Nicholas Kitchen – Yamaha Motor Australia (Qld)
- Nathan Nichols – CruiseCraft (Qld)
- Darren Vaux – Empire Marinas Group (NSW)
