Governance
Master Plumbers National Council is made up of representatives elected by and from members, to ensure their interests are understood and represented equitably. The Association’s Board is elected by the National Council.
National Council and Board of Directors
Our National Councillors are here to represent you, our valued members and the plumbing industry in which we operate. We understand and respect our position and responsibility. The decisions government and regulatory bodies make affect our members’ businesses, our industry and the greater Victorian community.
Norm Anderson
President
With over 46 years of experience in the commercial plumbing industry, Norm has spent more than 25 years as the owner of a leading tier 1 commercial plumbing company. He currently serves as the director of Commercial Hot Water & Maintenance Pty Ltd, where they specialise in commercial hot water systems, offering energy efficiency, and sustainability systems.
Norm is an active member of the Construction Division, a representative on the National Council, and a member of both the Plumbing Advisory Council and the VBA Plumbing Special Advisory Panel (PSAP).
Daniel Smolenaars
Vice President
Daniel is the Managing Director of Tequa Plumbing & Civil, a second-generation family business established in Gippsland in 1975. With more than three decades of experience in the plumbing industry, Daniel has helped guide the business from its traditional roots into a diversified operation spanning plumbing maintenance, commercial construction and civil infrastructure.
His contribution extends beyond the business through industry leadership and advocacy, including serving as Vice President of Master Plumbers Victoria and representing the profession at national and international levels. Daniel brings a practical understanding of the challenges facing the industry, with a strong commitment to developing people, strengthening capability and creating opportunities for the next generation.
Grant Donald
Hon. Treasurer
Grant is a licenced plumber who has been in the industry for 50 years. He is a Director of Premier Plumbing Service (Victoria) Pty Ltd, a long-standing 4th-generation family-run commercial plumbing business based in Ballarat. Proudly their membership with Master Plumbers has continued unbroken for 75 years. Grant is an Executive Board Member and the Honorary Treasurer & member of the Major Contractors Division.
Grant is also a Director on the board of LeavePlus (formerly CoINVEST) and a member of the Remuneration, People & Culture Committee. In addition, he is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and serves as a Justice of the Peace.
David Geschke
Board Member
David has been working as a licenced plumber in his family business for over 20 Years, he has always maintained an interest in various aspects of our industry, from ESV compliance, to working through various water authority’s requirements, VBA inspections and compliance matters as well as keeping up to date with the ever changing Standards landscape.
The Association of Hydraulic Services Consultants Australia (AHSCA) has been a keen interest of his. As a current Director of the (AHSCA) Research Foundation he has a good understanding of the support that the members may need and also the importance of maintaining the core values of non-for-profit organisations.
David McCarthy
Board Member
David has been plumbing for almost 20 years now. Hailing from a dairy farm in Colac, Victoria, his career has taken him all over Australia including a stint in Perth, and working as the M&E Manager for one of the UK’s biggest building companies, Ardmore, in London.
David started his business David McCarthy Plumbing in 2013 in Melbourne’s west and the business is multi-award winning including New and Emerging Wyndham Business Award Winners in 2016 and Trades Business of the Year in the National My Business Awards in 2019. His business passion is investing in his team and his aim is to create a culture of happy, talented plumbers.
Phill Craig
Board Member
Phill Craig has over 30 years of experience in the plumbing industry and is the Founder and Managing Director of Servus Group, a national plumbing and electrical contracting business operating across Australia and New Zealand. Since establishing his own business in 1992, Phill has grown the company into a leading provider of commercial plumbing and electrical services, building long-standing client relationships across sectors including education, aviation, aged care and facilities management.
Phill has served on the Master Plumbers National Council for four years and is passionate about industry training, mentoring the next generation of skilled professionals and contributing to the future of the plumbing industry.
National Council
Christopher Unwin
National Council Representative
Christopher has over 15 years of experience in the plumbing industry. He is a graduate of the Master Plumbers Group Training Scheme. He started his own business, Around The Clock Plumbing Pty Ltd, in 2000, specialising in commercial maintenance work throughout Victoria.
He strongly believes in the importance of future proofing our industry and upskilling both plumbers and apprentices. Christopher is looking forward to contributing further to the plumbing industry through his role on the National Council.
Tim Wilken
National Council Representative
Tim has been plumbing in the Hamilton region for over 16 years and has been working in his own business Wilken Plumbing for 9 years. Being located in the southwest of Victoria Tim specialises in all forms of plumbing, servicing both residential, agricultural & industrial plumbing needs of the surrounding area.
Tim has spent both time and money over the years to give back to his local community through the sponsorship of various local sporting clubs and organisations. Since joining Master Plumbers back in 2015, Tim has decided to give back to the association and join the National Council in 2023.
Mark Humphery
National Council Representative
Mark Humphery joined Master Plumbers in 2019. Mark started his apprenticeship in 1972 with the well-renowned Melbourne plumbing company VG Burdens in Ringwood. In 1984 he founded R&T Plumbing & Gasfitting which specialises in developments, Government contracts, sewer connections and real estate maintenance, which it still does today.
Mark has extensive experience and knowledge around large government projects and now brings his knowledge and expertise to the Master Plumbers National Council.
Ian Pewtress
National Council Representative
Ian is a third generation plumber with more than 48 years of experience across a diverse range of work in most facets of plumbing. Throughout his career he has been a passionate advocate for proper stakeholder management with plumbing industry regulators. Ian was a member of the AS4575.2019 review committee and took part in the enquiry into legionella in commercial hot water systems with solar arrays.
He has also mentored many apprentices over the years and has fought hard for improved training and better outcomes for all parties. Ian looks forward to contributing and bringing membership concerns to the Board.
Chris Kyriacou
National Council Representative
Chris is a second generation plumber who commenced his apprenticeship in his Fathers business in 1984. In 1997 he founded Poseidon Plumbing and Gasfitting which specialises in Commercial Plumbing, Hot Water Repairs, Fire Services and Drain Cleaning.
Chris has a breadth of knowledge of all the working parts of the industry and aims to bring his experience and passion of the industry to the Master Plumbers National Council.
Matthew Hodges
National Council Representative
Matthew has 20 years of experience in the plumbing industry, with a strong background in gas servicing, gas appliance maintenance, and compliance. He is the Managing Director of Melbourne Gas & Air Conditioning Group, servicing residential customers across Melbourne and surrounding areas.
Matthew is passionate about supporting the future of the industry and helping upskill gas fitters as the industry continues to transition towards mechanical heating, cooling, and electrification. Outside of work, Matthew is actively involved in the basketball community and has been coaching young athletes for over five years.
Management Team
The Association’s Management team works to ensure the delivery of services to members and is responsible for the representation of member issues to external bodies and regulators.
Ashleigh Dalmau
CEO & Association Secretary
Ashleigh Dalmau is the Chief Executive Officer of Master Plumbers, leading the Association’s work to represent and advocate for members across the plumbing industry. She ensures that the voice of members, from sole traders and apprentices through to major contractors and corporate partners, shapes the organisation’s policy, training and employment services.
Ashleigh brings senior leadership experience across construction, energy and association management, with a strong record in governance, risk and organisational performance. She is committed to strengthening the apprenticeship pipeline, improving completion and safety outcomes, and ensuring government and industry partners recognise the essential contribution of plumbing to Australia’s future.
Brendan Gould
Executive Manager Training Services
Brendan has a strong educational background and significant experience with training development in the plumbing sector. After completing a plumbing apprenticeship and working within industry Brendan’s focus turned to education and has been involved in plumbing training and delivery since 2000.
In his role, Brendan oversees training, including the expansion of courses offered to members and industry. Master Plumbers delivers a range of courses including Certificate III Plumbing Apprenticeship, Certificate II Plumbing Pre-Apprenticeship and a number of license level and post-trade training courses.
Honorary Positions
Peter Jensen
Honorary Historian
Peter is the Managing Director of Worboys Plumbing, which has been a member company of the Association over 75 years. In 2005, Worboys won the Green Plumbers Domestic Project of the Year award and was granted Life Member status of the Association 2016.
In 2023, Peter stepped down from his National Council position. For many years Peter had made a concerted effort to identify, sort, catalogue and preserve a significant part of our Heritage Collection. Because of this the association decided to make a new position for Peter and at the 2023 Annual General Meeting, Peter was made the first Honorary Historian of the association.
