The Geelong Manufacturing Council has elected a new Chair, Thys Heyns, to succeed Lyn George OAM.
Mr Heyns, who joined the GMC Board in November 2018, took on the role last month following serving as Deputy Chair. Speaking following the election, Thys warmly acknowledged the significant contribution that Lyn George had made in her four years as Chair and thanked her for continuing on as a member of the Board.
He also thanked retiring Board member, Jamie Baensch, whose long standing contribution to the GMC will be acknowledged at the AGM in November.
“Advocating on behalf of the manufacturing community has been a challenge in recent years and both Lyn and former chair, Jamie Baensch, have made huge contributions for the sector in Geelong and the region,” Thys said.
“It is a great honour to be taking on this role, and I thank the Board for their confidence in nominating and voting for me.”
A Geelong resident since 2015, Thys has 35 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry, most recently with Viva Energy as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining Viva Energy in February 2015, he was with BP for 28 years in an international career across four continents that covered Supply Chain, Oil Trading and Refining. In 2022, Thys was appointed to the Barwon Regional Partnership by Minister for Regional Victoria, Harriet Shing, as Business and Community member.
GMC Board member and Director of IXL Group, Rob Backwell, has taken on the role of Deputy Chair of the Council.