Board of Directors

BRUCE BEGLEY, CHAIRMAN

Bruce has been involved in the customs brokerage industry for over 35 years joining Begley Hobba and Manton in 1980. Bruce has been a licenced Customs Broker and member of the Customs Agents Institute, now CBFCA since 1987. He has been a Director of Begley Hobba and Manton since 1988 and is currently responsible for the day to day running of Begley Hobba and Manton. Bruce is a representative on the Department of Agriculture Industry Implementation Group for the BICON project. He has an enormous amount of hands on operational and management experience.

SUSAN DANKS, VICE CHAIR

Sue has over forty years experience in the industry from both a regulatory and business perspective, having worked for the then Australian Customs Service for about 9 years and since then as a licensed and quarantine accredited customs broker in her own corporate brokerage, specialising in the provision of consulting services to brokers and brokerages since 2012. 

As a licensed customs broker Sue has also, in her management capacity been involved in significant consultant work emanating from border clearance activities as they relate to customs duty rate concessional activity, bilateral and multilateral trade arrangements and a variety of other policy law provisions.

JOHN MCLACHLAN, TREASURER

In 1956 John joined the Port Adelaide based Customs Brokerage and International Forwarding House C G McLachlan & CO Pty Ltd (Est. 1903), advancing to a Partner in 1966 and taking the reins as Managing Director in 1982 until implementing a successful company merger and integration of the valued client base with another South Australian brokering house in 2008. This career progression provided John with the knowledge and experience to become an accomplished business owner with proven commercial management expertise to successfully lead the Company over five decades providing efficient and expert advice and service in all aspects of importing, customs clearance and freight handling by both sea and air freight. The Company operated both nationally and internationally through an extensive network of Agents around Australia and throughout the world. Also during his career in the industry, John carried out the responsibilities and professional skills as an experienced Licensed Customs Broker for 38 years before semi-retiring from working in June 2010.

Since retirement from full time work, John has maintained an active participation in the Industry through undertaking part-time work and consultancy contracts as well as continuing to hold a Customs Brokers Licence, and also with the general commercial activity by being an active member of a number of professional associations.

Professional Memberships - Current CPA Member of the Australian Society of Accountants;Life Member and National Treasurer/Board member of the Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of Australia Inc; Current member of the CBFCA Executive; Current Board Member of the Hong Kong Australian Business Council of Australia SA Chapter Inc;
Family Motto - Fortis et Fidus.

BOB WALLACE, DIRECTOR FREIGHT AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Bob is the current Director Business & Freight Operations and is on the Board representing the business of corporate brokerages and other Business Members of the CBFCA. Bob has previously held the positions of President Queensland and Treasurer of Customs Agents Federation and the Customs Agents Institute prior to becoming President Queensland, Director Business & Freight Operations of the CBFCA and then two terms as Chairman of the CBFCA. Bob commenced in the industry in 1969 and obtained his Customs Brokers License in 1974 after working overseas for three years and passing his license examination in London in 1972. He is currently the Managing Director of Wallace International Pty Ltd, a corporate Customs Brokerage and Freight Forwarding company in four ports, which operates its own Warehouse, Distribution, 77g Depot, Quarantine Approved Premises, and Container and Non Container Trucks.

Bob has been dedicated to the continued professionalism of our industry and has a firm commitment to both industry and the statutory government bodies to produce systems that are vital to the movement of cargo across our borders both imports and exports. As a representative of the CBFCA, he has been able to sit on many Committees to assist in the implementation of numerous systems developed over the years by Customs and Quarantine. It is in this arena that Bob maintains the rage to ensure that whatever systems are presented to our community that they are workable and commercially viable for all of our Members into the future.

DAVID LAWSON, DIRECTOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING

Adam is the current NSW president representing the direct interests of NSW members state wide across all levels of business. Adam is a director and licensed Customs broker of Cable International Pty Ltd which is a medium sized customs brokering and freight forwarding business who provides international trade services to Australian and international business which range from large multinational public companies to small boutique international traders.  

Resulting from two decades of coalface experience, it has allowed Adam to effectively represent the collective interests of the NSW members by deliberating 
With the regulators and other state interests from the CBFCA board to ensure that the NSW CBFCA members are well placed to facilitate international trade processes in the most thorough, effective and ethical manner possible.

Brad began his logistics career over 20 years ago after completing an Associate Diploma of Business in International Trade and a Bachelor of Business in Transport and Logistics Management, both at RMIT.

For the last 15 years, Brad has worked at Pro Kinetics (Aust) Pty Ltd, initially in an operations capacity before specialising in customs and subsequently becoming a licensed customs broker in 2009.

Brad joined the CBFCA Regional Advisory Committee in 2015 with the view of assisting fellow association members in matters of immediate concern as well as contributing to the future success of the CBFCA.

COLIN BRAME, PRESIDENT QLD

Colin started as a runner at the port of Felixstowe in the UK some 38 years ago, meeting the ferries from Holland and Belgium. The busiest morning being Tuesdays where 4 trucks would arrive with upwards of 400 entries between them. What a fabulous learning ground. Having relocated to Australia (for the second time), Colin spent 4 years on the other side working for an importer and making sure his local broker did the right thing. While working for multi nationals, he gained his brokers licence in 1995, and since that time has been an active member of the QLD Committee. Being hands on in this frustrating, but never boring industry, has been most beneficial when working with the CBFCA, and now, as President QLD, Colin hopes that this will help him greatly when working with the Board as they continue to deal with government road blocks. Colin has never held back when challenging Customs and Quarantine, and while it may annoy them, we all are only trying to do our jobs, and he will continue to annoy them for you, the members.

LINDSAY ROWLSON, PRESIDENT SA

Passionate about industry engagement, Lindsay recognises the importance of working with business leaders in our marketplace. 

From early beginnings as a runner in 2001, Lindsay has become an experienced international freight forwarder and business professional with a strong commercial acumen.

Today, as a Director with AM Logistics, Lindsay is responsible for continued growth across key areas of this successful company.

In serving on the CBFCA Board, Lindsay is eager to learn from industry leaders and drive engagement across our important trade.

NICOLE COUPER, PRESIDENT WA

Nicole commenced working in the International Freight industry in 1994 as a runner in the traditional West End of Fremantle, home of the WA Broker. After completing the National Exam she attained  her Customs Brokers License in 2004. 

Nicole is  multi-skilled, having gained experience across many areas of the industry,  and is giving back to our industry through her teaching of units in the Diploma of Customs Broking at the International Trade & Logistics College (ITALC)  our industry RTO.

Nicole is passionate about the industry and understands that change is a part of the landscape in the Customs Broking environment. Currently Nicole is Customs Manager at Crane Worldwide Logistics and is a strong voice for the WA community of brokers and forwarders which she represents.