Equipment for Hire
Equipment for Hire
Engineering Solutions
Engineering Solutions
Industrial Solutions
Industrial Solutions
Power & HVAC
Power & HVAC
Executive Leadership Team
Murray Vitlich
Chief Executive Officer,
Executive Director
Jeff Proctor
Chief Financial Officer,
Executive Director
Stephen Cowan
Chief Commercial Officer
Stuart Freer
Chief Information & Digital Officer
Peter Davis
Executive General Manager - Asset Services
Elise Manns CPHR
Executive General Manager - People & Safety
Adrian Manning
Executive General Manager - North
James Naylor
Executive General Manager - West
Steve Read
Executive General Manager - South
Brad Hyem
Executive General Manager - East
Ainslie Lynch
Chief Legal Counsel and Company Secretary
Murray Vitlich
Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director
Murray joined Seven Group Holdings (SGH) in June 2017 as Chief Operating Officer for the Group, working across the portfolio of industrial businesses within SGH.
In this capacity, Murray’s focus is on driving the operational and financial performance of the businesses across the Group portfolio, contributing to the development and delivery of key strategic initiatives for SGH, and supporting Group level relationships with key partners and customers.
Murray is a member of the Board of Directors of WesTrac Australia, Coates, SGH Energy and AllightSykes, and previously held senior operational roles at Asciano Limited, UGL Limited and Wesfarmers Limited.
Murray holds a Bachelor of Business, Financial Management and Economics, from the Western Australia Institute of Technology.
Jeff Proctor
Chief Financial Officer
Jeff was appointed Chief Financial Officer in January 2020 and is a member of the Coates Board.
Prior to joining Coates, Jeff has held senior commercial and finance executive roles at large Australian and European listed groups in the industrial and media sectors. Most recently Jeff held the position of Executive General Manager Commercial for Cleanaway Waste Limited, Australia’s leading waste management company.
His roles have overseen large investment and business change programs in companies such as Asciano Limited, Brambles Limited, PBL media and Emap plc (UK), with a focus on business growth, strategy, financial and commercial performance. Jeff has also worked in the private equity sector.
Jeff is a chartered accountant with over 25 years’ experience and has a Bachelor of Accountancy having started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Stephen Cowan
Chief Commercial Officer
Stephen Cowan joined Coates in October 2021 as Chief Commercial Officer, where he is responsible for the Project Management Office, Customer and Markets, Strategy, and Key Account Management.
Prior to joining Coates, Stephen was CEO of Railtrain, a specialist service provider to the rail industry. During Stephen’s time in the role he transformed the organisation from a labour provider to a full service offering in track maintenance and replacement, and provision and training of certified freight train crews.
Stephen’s career has included senior leadership roles in service providers and manufacturing businesses. These roles have frequently seen Stephen lead significant transformation of business units as part of overall strategy and growth.
Stephen holds a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering from UTS, and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Stuart Freer
Chief Information & Digital Officer
Stuart Freer joined Coates in March 2024 as Chief Information and Digital Officer. With more than 20 years’ experience, Stuart brings extensive expertise and leadership in digital and technology transformation.
Primarily from a retail background, Stuart specialises in driving transformative change, growth and efficiency within organisations. His expertise extends to advisory and consulting for scale-ups, digital agencies and large consulting firms.
Stuart held senior executive roles as Chief Digital and Technology Officer for Strand, Chief Digital and Data Officer for Mecca Brands, and General Manager of Digital for Coles Group where he led the Digital teams for Coles Supermarkets. Prior to moving to Australia in 2012, Stuart held senior positions at Tesco Supermarkets, Dixons Retail, and Home Retail Group in the UK, leading Infrastructure and service delivery teams.
Stuart holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in Industrial and Business Systems from De Montfort University, and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Peter Davis
Executive General Manager - Asset Services
Peter Davis was appointed to the position of Executive General Manager - Asset Services in March 2018 having acted in the role for the previous 12 months.
In this role Peter leads the Fleet team in managing equipment compliance, maintenance, strategic deployment, disposals, second-hand equipment and purchasing. Peter is highly regarded in the hire industry with over 35 years’ experience in and around equipment rental. He started with Coates in 1983 as an apprentice and has worked with Coates since that time, apart from a short period when he worked in his own business.
Peter is a qualified Plant Mechanic and has held a variety of roles within several industry associations and has spoken at numerous conferences both within Australia and overseas.
Elise Manns CPHR
Executive General Manager – People & Safety
Elise Manns joined Coates in September 2021 as Executive General Manager – People & Safety, where she is responsible for all human resources activities across the organisation, as well as leadership and technical development, remuneration and reward, training, health, safety and environment, communications and sustainability.
Prior to joining Coates, Elise was Group Executive People Safety & Culture for the ASX-listed energy infrastructure company, APA Group. She spent almost 9 years with APA, 5 of those leading the People & Safety function overseeing a significant transformation of the organisation during 2019 and 2020, as well as many key initiatives with respect to improvements in diversity, leadership and talent development, contractor management and safety.
Prior to this, Elise had held a variety of human resources roles in BlueScope Steel, BHP Steel and BHP. During her time with BlueScope Steel, Elise held senior HR and safety management roles at both the Port Kembla Steelworks and then at the company’s Western Port site in Victoria.
Over the course of her career, Elise has more than 25 years' experience in leading and managing complex people functions in highly industrial environments, including industrial relations management, major restructures and change programs, cultural transformation and mergers, acquisitions and divestments.
Adrian Manning
Executive General Manager - North
Adrian knows the business from the ground up, having worked his way through the hire industry as a casual yard hand, a driver, sales coordinator, branch manager, area manager, general manager and now an executive general manager for Coates, based in Brisbane.
Previously he was the NSW general manager for Kennard’s Hire and he also spent 17 years with National Hire. Adrian has participated strongly in driving the business for a number of years. He has experience managing resources to match market requirements and his strengths include solving problems, strategy and planning, delivering capex and programs, interpreting market trends.
He has a Bachelor of Education degree (Sydney University) and an Advanced Diploma in Business Management (AGSM).
James Naylor
Executive General Manager - West
James commenced as Executive General Manager – West in October 2014.
James started at Coates in 1999 where he has gained extensive experience in both sales and operational roles. In the last 5 years, he has served in key senior roles such as Operations Manager and Sales & Marketing Manager for the South Business Unit. James has worked across all key areas of the business, leading strategic acquisitions and implementing major change management initiatives across large networks of branches.
James holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) specialising in Strategy & Planning. He has also served on the Victorian Hire & Rental Industry Association committee in 2012-2013.
Steve Read
Executive General Manager - South
Steve was appointed Executive General Manager – South in April 2024.
Steve joined Coates in 2022 as the Regional Manager of Melbourne Metro and immediately made an impact by implementing major change initiatives across the branch network, reorganising workshop teams, and securing significant property upgrades and extensions. Prior to Coates, Steve had a diversified career in Operations at Orica and UGL. His experience spanned strategic acquisitions, international assignments, implementation of best practice asset management programs, and leading safety performance improvement plans.
Steve holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Melbourne Business School and a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering.
Brad Hyem
Executive General Manager - East
Brad is an accomplished executive manager with over 20 years' experience in Industrial Services, Capital Equipment Sales and Branch Operations across Australia, New Zealand & South East Asia.
Brad has spent the majority of his career with world leading multi nationals in the materials handling space including US forklift manufacturer Crown Equipment and Finnish crane and hoist manufacturer Konecranes. Brad was responsible for regional branch operations at Crown equipment covering sales, service and rental divisions.
Prior to that he held a wide variety of roles at Konecranes including Service Manager, Australia and New Zealand, Country Manager, Thailand and Managing Director Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.
Brad has a technical background and is qualified in mechanical, electrical & HVAC fields and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ainslie Lynch
Chief Legal Counsel and Company Secretary
Ainslie Lynch joined Coates in May 2022 as Chief Legal Counsel and Company Secretary.
Ainslie has over 20 years of legal experience in both law firms and in-house roles. Prior to joining Coates, Ainslie held senior legal roles in a number of highly regulated and complex companies where she was responsible for significant transformation projects and highly strategic legal, regulatory and commercial matters.
Ainslie has practiced in and lead people across a range of industries and areas including major projects, commercial contracts, competition law, privacy, M&A, IT/IP, corporate governance, safety, regulatory and risk and compliance. Ainslie also has a focus on process and governance improvement, and transformation.
Ainslie holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Law and has completed the AICD Company Directors Course.