EUPA board member organisations
Corporate executives
Our Board members provide EUPA with strong, strategic level connections to the industries that we service.
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ChairpersonJoe Fiala is currently the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union State Organiser responsible for electrical power supply, industrial/domestic gas and manufacturing having access at a high level to peak industry bodies and union associations. He joined the “WA Information, Electrical & Utilities (IEU) Industry Training Council in September 2007 to represent the interests of the employees in the Gas sector. Subsequently, Joe was appointed to the board of the current EUPA Training Council and has performed the role of Chairperson since 2009. His past experience in the training advisory arrangements is extensive having had involvement as a Member of Metals ITC since 1993; a Proxy Board Member of the Automotive and Engineering Training Council; an Ordinary Member of Primary Industries Training Council; and been a member of Industry Working Groups to consider school based apprenticeships and other issues regarding apprentice training and the Metals School Apprenticeship Link Pilot. |
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Gerald Upham works for the Australian Services Union in the role of Senior Industrial Officer. The ASU has a broad range of coverage which includes employee’s in most of the industry’s which fall under EUPA’s scope. He became a member of the EUPA board in 2010. Gerald is a Union representative on the Board. |
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Harry McDonald started work in the Victorian electricity distribution industry and spent 22 years there in areas of work and expertise including protection testing, substations and lines design, construction, maintenance and operation, project management, system planning and business development. He also undertook some part time lecturing of the CBD protection and Motor portions of ESAA short course ‘Power System Protection’ at Victoria University of Technology. He was also an industry member of Victorian Certificate of Technology review and later received accreditation of Associate Diploma (electrical).Having moved to WA Harry has worked for Western Power for 15 years in the areas of transmission protection (design, testing, commissioning), transmission maintenance, distribution field engineering, operational standards and distribution network operations. In this time he has also been involved in Western Power’s engineering graduate steering committee, many skill development initiatives and many technical and culture change initiatives as a team leader and/or subject matter expert. He was also Western Power’s nominated representative on Australian Standards sub-committee to develop and publish HV live line standards.Since Dec 2008 Harry has been Network Access Manager, at East Perth Control Centre, responsible for safe switching, access standards and authorisations onto Western Powers HV distribution network and for all planned access to the distribution network.Harry is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electrical Engineers Inc (IEEE) and has been an active volunteer for over 30 years. He has also represented the IEEE at state, national, regional (Asia/Pacific) and at international levels. |
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John Phillips is the Executive Manager ‘Workplace Solutions’ with the Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA). This unit provides a broad range of HR and IR support to member Councils including Training and Development, Recruitment and Selection, Industrial Relations advice and Advocacy, plus organisational/HR performance reviews. John also has extensive experience in Telstra and the State Public Service as a senior HR/IR Director and HR/IR Manager, he is as an accredited Behavioural Assessor and has recently completed his Certificate IV TAA.John holds a Bachelor of Business (Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations) and is an Associate Fellow with AIM |
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Kevin Poynton was the former Chief Executive Officer of the Mindarie Regional Council, a Local Government organisation in metropolitan Perth. The council serves a population base of some 480,000 people north of Perth in the receipt and disposal of the community’s waste. Kevin has held one previous professional appointment in Local Government as Executive Director Technical Services at the Town of Cambridge in suburban Perth. Previously, Kevin served as an Officer in the Australian Regular Army (Royal Australian Engineers) for a period of 20 years, prior to assuming a position as Director Physical Resources, with responsibilities for engineering, waste management, supply, security, communications and landscape services at Perth’s largest teaching hospital – Sir Charles Gairdner. Kevin is a Civil Engineer by profession, and has post graduate qualifications in management. He is a member of the Institution of Engineers Australia, a member of Local Government Managers Australia, Comittee Member of Waste Management Association of W.A. and Board Member of Red Cross W.A.Kevin has been appointed by the Waste Management Association of Australia to represent the Waste Management Industry on the EUPA Training Council. |
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Dr Kim Schofield is the Deputy Commissioner, Capability and Development in the Public Sector Commission.Prior to Kim’s appointment in the Public Sector Commission, he held the position of Assistant Executive Director of Human Resources and Governance at the Department for Child Protection for 6 years. In his current role, Kim oversees the provision of career, executive and agency development programs and services across the WA Public Sector.He has a keen interest in exploring the development and training opportunities that can leverage the capacity of the WA Public Sector and support the delivery of services to the WA community.Kim has a Doctor of Business Administration from Curtin University, an MBA in Human Resource Management from the University of Western Australia and periodically lectures to post graduates studying Strategic Human Resource Management at Edith Cowan University.He is a Fellow and WA State President of the Australian Human Resource Institute.Kim draws upon over 25 years of experience in Human Resources working in both the public and private sectors in Australia and the UK. |
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Neil Hooley joined EUPA as a member on the Management Committee at the 2008 AGM. Neil has previously held the position of President and Vice President on different occasions for the Management Committee of the WA Training and Development Association since 1999 through to 2007, and is now a Life Member and active Management Committee member of that Association.Neil currently manages the Water Industry Training Team at the Water Corporation in WA. Originally from private enterprise, he has experienced many roles during his working career, emerging from a trade background and moving into electronics, radio communications then changing his career to leadership and soft skills facilitation to organisational development.Neil also represents the interest of EUPA and the broader water industry on the national Water Industry Advisory Committee.His passion is for his family and he loves technology. He feels privileged to be in a position where he can contribute to the on-going skills development of those working in the water industry, which is such a vital industry and community service. |
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Ray Harris joined the NECA WA group of companies in November 2010 as the Business Development Manager. Prior to this, Ray held senior positions in the Department of Training and Workforce Development and in particular, was Director Apprenticeships and Traineeships for about five years and was the inaugural Manager of ApprentiCentre. With over thirty years experience in Commonwealth and State Governments, Ray has extensive experience in training policy development at a State and National level, with a particular interest in apprenticeships and traineeships. Ray represented the State on a number of national committees and was instrumental in reforming many apprenticeship and traineeship arrangements in Western Australia over the last ten years.As the Business Development Manager, Ray is responsible for developing business opportunities for the National Electrical & Communications Association of WA, Electrical Group Training and the College of Electrical Training. |
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Toni Walkington is currently the WA Branch Secretary of the Community & Public Sector Union, State Public Services Federation Group and General Secretary, Civil Service Association of WA Inc and has held these roles since 2002. Toni is allso currently National Vice President of the Community and Public Sector Union.Toni’s previous positions held at the Community & Public Sector Union, are WA Branch Assistant Secretary, Chief Industrial Officer, Senior Industrial Officer, Industrial Officer/Organiser, Councillor and Workplace Delegate.Prior to this Toni started full time work in the WA public sector as a Project Officer for the Valuer Generals Office. Following a brief period as Project Officer at Telecom took up a role in the, then, newly created Equal Opportunity Commission in 1985.Toni currently sits on several Boards and Committees, these include:
Toni is a delegate to several international union forums including State Public Service Internationale Congress and Southern Initiative on Globalisation and Trade Union Rights. Education Achievements include:
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Gary Fitzgerald is the Director State Workforce Planning at the Department of Training and Workforce Development. His role has the oversight of the workforce planning function in the Department, which has the lead agency role for workforce development matters across State Government. His Branch has responsibility for the preparation of the States’ workforce development plan (Skilling WA – A workforce development plan for Western Australia), the Western Australian Skilled Migration Strategy, the State Training Plan, and a number of other plans and strategies relating to workforce development.His Branch also undertakes economic and labour market analysis and works with industry and regional stakeholders in the development of industry and regional specific workforce development plans.Gary previously was the Director Industry and Community Planning at the Department of Education and Training and a General Manager at Central TAFE. Prior to that, Gary had a lengthy career in local government, with his last two appointments being that of Chief Executive Officer.Gary has a Bachelor of Arts, a Diploma in Local Government and Masters in Business Administration. He is married to Veronica and has three adult children. |
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Geoff Wrigley has been with CCI since January 1995. As Chief Commerical Officer, Geoff is responsible for Apprenticeships Australia (including the ITI), Construction Services, CCI Apprenticeships Solutions and the new Business & Industry Services GroupIn 1996 Geoff commenced employment with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia to establish the development and construction of the organisation’s new Registered Training Organisation at Kwinana which at the time was one of several new commercial ventures being undertaken by CCI.This was followed by several management roles with CCIWA mostly assigned to commercial activities and business development at General Management level.In 2005 Geoff was appointed to the CCI executive management team as the Executive Director and commenced in his current role in August 2009.Prior to CCI, Geoff commenced employment as a Trade Apprentice with the Oil and Gas sector and graduated through trade, supervisory and a diverse range of management roles within that sector. Geoff ceased work in the Oil and Gas sector as the training manager for a large multi national Oil company in 1994. |