Minda announces two key appointments to management team

Leading disability services organisation, Minda, has announced two senior additions to its management team with the appointment of Mr Marcus Gehrig as Executive Manager, Strategic Marketing & Fundraising and Mr Tony de Vries as Senior Manager Commercial Enterprises.

Minda CEO Cathy Miller said the pair offer a wealth of experience and add a new dynamic and broader skillset to the senior leadership team.

“We are very pleased to welcome Marcus and Tony to these critical senior roles, both having demonstrated an outstanding ability to develop solutions and deliver results,” Ms Miller said.

“Minda is in an exciting stage of its development, and on the back of our plans for the Master Plan development at our Brighton site we now have people in key leadership roles that will help to strengthen our reputation as setting the benchmark in supporting people who have a disability,” she said.

Mr Gehrig comes to the Executive Manager, Strategic Marketing & Fundraising role with extensive experience in business development, strategic planning, marketing and brand development across private, corporate and not-for-profit organisations.

Prior to joining the Minda team he played a key role in raising awareness and ensuring financial sustainability for Guide Dogs SA.NT, was a Director and Business Manager at Rye Mill Pty Ltd, and a Marketing Executive at Advertiser Newspapers.

He has an Executive Diploma in Business Planning and Master of Business Administration and has held previous Board and Committee positions and is currently on the state executive of the Fundraising Institute of Australia.

Minda’s new Senior Manager Commercial Enterprises, Mr Tony de Vries, is no stranger to the sector after having worked at Orana for more than three years as General Manager,    Employment Services and Business. 

In that role he successfully managed each of Orana’s 10 Commercial Enterprises located at three metropolitan and six regional sites, which had a total of 430 employees spread across South Australia.

Mr de Vries has also worked in the wine packaging industry as International Sales and Marketing Manager and GM for Integra/ASA Australasia, in the timber and furniture sales and manufacturing industry and in State Government roles.

He brings to Minda an extensive experience in business management and in depth knowledge of the disability sector, particularly regarding operational standards for supporting people with an intellectual disability and the commercial components of the supported employment sector.

Established in 1898, Minda is the largest non-government disability support organisation in South Australia that assists individuals with an intellectual disability to thrive in their local environments as valued members of their communities by offering residential and lifestyle services, employment and respite support.