YOUR TEAM
OLD MARANDOO ESTATE & OLD BELVIDERE ESTATE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The board of MEL consists of four directors. Each of the directors have significant experience in viticulture and wine industries.
BRUCE SPANGLER
FCA, FAICD
Independent Chairman
Bruce Spangler, a director appointed in February 2010, is a chartered accountant who has recently moved from the role of senior partner and chair of a significant chartered accounting firm to undertaking non executive directorship roles. He has had experience in chairing local, national and international groups and has spent 35 years providing financial and commercial advice to and working with a large number of SMEs in many industries. He has also been the audit partner on many significant clients as well as undertaking many intra-office reviews. He has a wealth of experience in the rural sector as well as the sporting and community areas.
He was appointed Chairman of the board in 2017.
CHRISTOPHER I DAY
MBA (Int Bus), LL.B, B.Ec, Grad Dip App Fin, Dip Fin.Serv, FAICD, FFin, CPA
Non-Independent Director
Chris Day has been the Chief Executive Officer of FABAL Group since 1982. His responsibilities include strategic management and business planning. Chris was previously the Chief Executive Officer of Berren Asset Management Limited, manager of the International Wine Investment Fund and also worked for the Hardy Wine Company and Foster’s Wine Estates.
Chris has 23 years’ experience in the wine industry and a further seven years’ experience in the legal, accounting, tax and merchant banking industries.
Chris is the chairman of the business development committee and a member of the audit committee. He is currently a director of ten public companies.
George Havakis
Non-executive and Independent Director
George Havakis has been a director since 27 September 2019. George is the Managing Director of GISSA International. George has many years of experience in the Geospatial Industry acting as a consultant / adviser to government and business. He is also a founding partner of the joint venture business, Digital Hive.
George, an original investor of the Marandoo Estate project, has sat on business association boards and is actively engaged with committees on Standards Australia. His experience extends to the development of standards and business processes and he has extensive experience in managing stakeholder communities.
Amal Wahab
BSc(Hons), MBA
Non-executive and Independent Director
Amal wahab is an experienced investment banker specialising in investing in private and unlisted public companies. Until 2016 Amal was Deputy Chief Investment Officer and Head of investments at the Oman Investment Fund, the Sovereign Wealth Fund of the Sultanate of Oman. In that role he was also on the Board of Directors and Board Sub Committees of private and public companies in Australia and overseas.
ASHLEY KEEGAN
MBA (Finance), B App Sc.(Viticulture)
Non-independent Director
Ashley has been in charge of viticulture and infrastructure management for FABAL Operations since 2003. He previously held the position of Western Australian viticultural manager for FABAL Operations, commencing with the company in April 1999.
Ashley is responsible for the management and development of the FABAL Operations managed viticulture projects. He has more than 18 years of viticultural management experience, and has been directly involved in the development of all the Barossa Valley properties over the past 13 years.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
The Management Team, led by Ashley Keegan of FABAL Operations Pty Ltd, has in excess of 50 years’ of combined experience in the management of premium Australian vineyards.
Ashley, the Chief Viticulturist, David Olssen and Steve Sochacki and their Langhorne Creek team. They are supported by Chris Dundon, the water specialist for FABAL Operations.
ASHLEY KEEGAN
MBA (Finance), B App Sc.(Viticulture)
Chief Executive Officer
Ashley has been in charge of viticulture and infrastructure management for FABAL Operations since 2003. He previously held the position of Western Australian viticultural manager for FABAL Operations, commencing with the company in April 1999.
Ashley is responsible for the management and development of the FABAL Operations managed viticulture projects. He has more than 18 years of viticultural management experience, and has been directly involved in the development of all the Barossa Valley properties over the past 13 years.
CHRIS DUNDON
BSc (Hons), Dip Ed, Grad Dip Ag (Vit), Grad Dip Bus Admin
Chief Horticultural Officer
Chris has been a member of the FABAL team since 2002.
Chris has 38 years’ experience in the wine industry throughout Australia and New Zealand, joining FABAL in September 2002.
He previously worked with Beringer BKlass Wine Estates for more than 15 years. He was the National Technical Manager of Netafim Australia (one of the world’s leading irrigation specialists) for two years.
Chris has significant expertise in the management of water licences and rights in South Australia and is the resident expert on water supply issues.
DAVID OLSSEN
B App Sc.(Viticulture)
Group Viticulturalist
David has been a member of the FABAL Operations team since January 2005.
He has experience in warm and cool climate viticulture having previously worked in the Coonawarra for Beringer Blass Wine Estates and prior to that for McGuigan Wines in the Riverland.
He also has a working knowledge of the Clare Valley through his involvement in a local family vineyard development.
David has also spent time in New Zealand in the Marlborough and Gisborne wine regions.
JON BALDWIN
Vineyard Manager - Langhorne Creek
As the Marandoo Vineyard Manager Jon currently manages over 360 hectares of vineyards and oversees 10 technical staff.
Jon Baldwin joined FABAL in 1995 as a vineyard hand at Marandoo Estate, Langhorne Creek. Then in 1997 Jon was given the opportunity to become an Irrigation Coordinator which was a long and successful role. In 2001 he gained promotion to assistant manager which he undertook for eight years. His dedication to FABAL and viticulture knowledge has taken Jon to the role of Manager for Marandoo Estate which took effect mid 2009.
