Executive

Martin Chimes
Director
Martin has been building successful businesses for more than 30 years. Originally qualified as a chartered accountant, he also has experience in all aspects of operations, finance and marketing. Martin was Chief Executive Officer of Corporate Express, Australia’s largest listed office Supplies Company with sales of over $900 million per annum and has been the founding shareholder of a multitude of companies that have become leaders in their field.

Peter Baron
Director
Peter is a qualified graphic & industrial designer. He has won an Australian Design Award and patented and commercialised a number of successful products for over 30 years. Peter is the creator of the Unistraw™ Delivery System.

Alan Wahlhaus
Director 
Alan is a qualified accountant in three countries: Australia; the USA; and South Africa. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Accounting degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. Alan has held various senior executive roles ranging from trading commodities to Finance Director of listed companies.

Tim York
Managing Director
Tim is a qualified Engineer with a background in strategy consulting, manufacturing, and sales. Tim has previously worked with Coca-Cola Amatil, Ernst & Young, and Amcor.

Sales and Marketing

Bas Melssen
Commercial Director
Bas has been working in the Asian region since 1997. His background is in brand strategy consulting and FMCG marketing. Prior to joining Unistraw he headed up the Malaysian operations for Global brand consultancy FutureBrand; was the General Manager of Marketing for a regional FMCG company; and was involved in launching Sipahh in Malaysia.Send email

Amber Gregory
Global Business Manager
Amber’s background includes 10 years of experience in IT, commercial and project management, with a bachelor of business and commerce – information systems and a master of business and commerce – E-Business. She also holds a diploma in computer programmer analyst and is a member of the Australian Computer Society. Prior to joining Unistraw, Amber has held positions in various financial, IT and broadcasting companies in Canada. Send email

Belinda McKeon
Global Partner Manager
Belinda brings to Unistraw 8 years of experience in sales and client management, as well as experience in web and graphic design. Belinda has also sat on the Board of Directors of an events management company. Send email

Manufacturing and R&D

Ken Palazzi
Director, International Operations
Ken is a professional Mechanical Engineer with an industrial background including large machinery installations; plant modification; managing casting and extrusion operations; and managing a flexible packaging plant. This involved printing, laminating and fabricating high-technology flexible products; factory upgrades including large machinery installations and standardization of production families; and technical management and development of critical customers and products within the flexible packaging industry.

Finance

Paul Christesen

Group Financial Controller

Paul has over 30 years of experience in commercial, operational and change management across major Australian FMCG organizations. These include: Arnotts; Tooheys; Nestle; and Goodman Fielder.

Legal

Evelyn Soud
General Counsel

Evelyn has 10 years’ legal experience gained in leading commercial law firms and multi-national corporations. Prior to joining Unistraw, Evelyn worked for Nestlé Australia and Toyota Industries Corporation. She is a qualified lawyer and is an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.