THE CPL GROUP BOARD
Mr John Dunlop
(As at t he end of December 2017)
Chairman
Managing Director
Mahesh Patel
Mr Peter Aitsi
Mr Robert Baily
John first came to Papua New Guinea when he joined Steamships Trading Company Limited in 1983 after a successful Accounting career in New Zealand, Solomon Islands and Fiji. He worked for Steamships until 2013 in a variety of roles including Finance Director and Managing Director and continues his relationship as a Non Executive Director. Currently John also serves as a Director on the boards of Credit Corporation (PNG) and Mainland Holdings Limited.
Mahesh Patel is the cofounder of The CPL Group. He came to PNG in 1984 to work as a pharmacist. He set up the first City Pharmacy store in Port Moresby in 1987 with his wife, Usha Patel, and over time, transformed it into PNG’s largest retailing group. Mahesh has affiliations with the PNG and Australian Institutes of Directors. Past directorship include the Chairman of the Board for Telikom PNG (20132017), Volunteered as a Director of the Games Organising Committee for the 2015 Pacific Games and the Deputy Chairman for PNG Dataco Ltd, a telecommunications infrastructure company. He was awarded an Officer in the Order of the British Empire in 2012. He is also a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Awardee for his contribution to community service, healthcare and sports. Mahesh strongly believes that the essence of CPL’s success lies in the community it serves. His personal goal is to make an impact and improve the lives of every person in Papua New Guinea through business enterprise and sincere community service.
Peter Aitsi currently holds the position of Country Manager PNG for Newcrest Mining Ltd, having joined the company in 2011. He has extensive private sector experience at senior levels and these skills are further strengthened by his long-term involvement with important community organisations such as Transparency International PNG, the Media Council of PNG, City Mission PNG, the Badili Club, and Leadership PNG. He serves as the resident director of various Newcrest PNG entities, is a Director of Steamships Trading Ltd, PNGFM Ltd, Kumul Consolidated Holdings and is the Senior Vice President of the PNG Chamber of Mines & Petroleum.
Bob Baily joined the Board of CPL in May 2015. Bob is currently a non-executive Director of 7-Eleven Stores Australia and Starbucks Coffee Australia and a member of the PFD Foodservices advisory board. Bob is also a Founding Director and former CEO of Best Friends Stores Pty Ltd and a former Director of Muir Electrical Company Pty Ltd (The Good Guys). In his executive career, Bob was the Managing Director of the Swan Brewery Company Pty Ltd, Managing Director of the South Australian Brewery Company, Director of Sales and Marketing SPC Foods, Founding CEO of Ampol Road Pantry Pty Ltd, Chairman of the Australian Association of Convenience Stores and a multi-site owner of SSW and IGA Supermarkets.
Independent Director
Independent Director
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