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
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 & Company Secretary
Murray Vitlich
Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director
Murray Vitlich joined Seven Group Holdings (SGH) in June 2017 as Chief Operating Officer, working across the portfolio of industrial businesses. In July 2019, Mr Vitlich was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Coates. He is a Director of Coates and was formerly a Director of SGH Energy, WesTrac and AllightSykes.
Prior to joining SGH, Mr Vitlich held senior executive operational roles at Asciano Limited, where he was initially the Director, Business Development & Strategy before being made the Managing Director of Patrick Ltd, one of Australia’s leading stevedoring and terminal operators.
From 2007 to 2008, Mr Vitlich was the Chief Operating Officer at UGL Limited and spent 15 years with Wesfarmers Limited, where he worked in a variety of operational areas including railroads, forestry and hardware retailing, as well as spending time in Wesfarmers Business Development group covering corporate strategy and mergers & acquisitions.
Mr Vitlich holds a Bachelor of Business (Economics & Finance).
Jeff Proctor
Chief Financial Officer
Jeff Proctor was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Coates in January 2020 and is a Director of Coates.
Prior to joining Coates, Mr Proctor held senior commercial and finance executive roles at large Australian and European listed groups in the industrial and media sectors. Most recently, Mr Proctor 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. Mr Proctor has also worked in the private equity sector.
Mr Proctor 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, Marketing and Brand, Strategy, Customer Experience and Key Account Management.
Prior to joining Coates, Mr Cowan held senior executive and operational roles at large Australian and international companies across multiple sectors. Mr Cowan’s experience includes time in services, logistics and manufacturing businesses. Mr Cowan has led significant performance transformation of business units while in senior roles at Pacific National, UGL, Goodman Fielder and PepsiCo. This experience includes time in Asia-Pacific roles.
Mr Cowan 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 & Digital Officer. With more than 20 years’ experience, Mr Freer brings extensive expertise and leadership in digital and technology transformation.
Primarily from a retail background, Mr Freer 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.
Mr Freer held senior executive roles as Chief Digital & Technology Officer for Strand, Chief Digital & 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, Mr Freer held senior positions at Tesco Supermarkets, Dixons Retail, and Home Retail Group in the UK, leading Infrastructure and service delivery teams.
Mr Freer 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 Executive General Manager - Asset Services in March 2017.
Mr Davis leads the Asset Services team in managing fleet planning, equipment compliance, maintenance, strategic deployment and disposals. He started with Coates in 1983 as an apprentice Plant Mechanic. He has had numerous roles since then and has been instrumental in the ongoing development of the company’s maintenance and compliance processes to ensure the quality and safety of equipment.
Mr Davis is highly regarded in the hire industry with over 40 years’ experience in and around equipment rental. He has a passion for the continuous improvement of the rental industry and holds a variety of positions within industry associations and Australian and International Standards committees. He has shared his experience and passion at numerous conferences both within Australia and overseas.
Elise Manns CPHR
Executive General Manager – People & Safety
Elise Manns CPHR 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, Mrs Manns was Group Executive People Safety & Culture for the ASX-listed energy infrastructure company, APA Group. She spent almost nine years with APA, five 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, Mrs Manns held a variety of human resources roles at BlueScope Steel, BHP Steel and BHP.
Mrs Manns has more than 25 years' experience in leading and managing complex people functions in highly industrial environments. This includes achievements around cultural transformations, major restructures and change programs, significant safety performance improvements, digitalisation as well as mergers, acquisitions and divestments.
Adrian Manning
Executive General Manager - North
Adrian Manning was appointed Executive General Manager - North in November 2021.
Mr Manning 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’ North Business Unit.
Previously, he was NSW General Manager for Kennards Hire and he also spent 17 years with National Hire. Mr Manning 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 problem-solving, strategy and planning, delivering CapEx and programs, and interpreting market trends.
Mr Manning holds a Bachelor of Education degree from Sydney University and an Advanced Diploma in Business Management from the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM).
James Naylor
Executive General Manager - West
James Naylor commenced as Executive General Manager - West in October 2014.
Mr Naylor started at Coates in 1999 where he has gained extensive experience in both sales and operational roles. Mr Naylor has served in key senior roles such as Operations Manager and Sales & Marketing Manager for the South Business Unit during his career at Coates. Mr Naylor has worked across all key areas of the business, leading strategic acquisitions and implementing major change management initiatives across large networks of branches.
Mr Naylor holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) specialising in Strategy & Planning and is a graduate of INSEAD’s Advanced Management Program. He has also served on the Victorian Hire & Rental Industry Association committee.
Steve Read
Executive General Manager - South
Steve Read was appointed Executive General Manager - South in April 2024.
Mr Read 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, Mr Read 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.
Mr Read holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Melbourne Business School and a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering.
Brad Hyem
Executive General Manager - East
Brad Hyem was appointed Executive General Manager - East in January 2019.
My Hyem is an accomplished executive manager with over 20 years' experience in industrial services, capital equipment sales and branch operations across Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia.
He has spent the majority of his career with world-leading multinationals in the materials handling space including US forklift manufacturer, Crown Equipment, and Finnish crane and hoist manufacturer, Konecranes. At Crown Equipment, Mr Hyem was responsible for regional branch operations, covering Sales, Service and Rental divisions.
Prior to this, he held a wide variety of roles at Konecranes including Service Manager - Australia & New Zealand, Country Manager - Thailand and Managing Director - Australia, New Zealand & the Philippines.
Mr Hyem has a technical background and is qualified in mechanical, electrical and HVAC fields and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ainslie Lynch
Chief Legal Counsel & Company Secretary
Ainslie Lynch joined Coates in May 2022 as Chief Legal Counsel & Company Secretary.
Ms Lynch has over 20 years of legal experience in both law firms and in-house roles. Prior to joining Coates, Ms Lynch 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.
Ms Lynch has practiced in and led 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. She also has a focus on process and governance improvement, and transformation.
Ms Lynch holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Law and has completed the AICD Company Directors Course.