The People
Kailis Organic is founded on the vision and commitment of Mark Kailis and his team to establish one of the world's largest and most efficient organic extra virgin olive oil projects. Mark is a member of the Kailis family which enjoys a long history of successful large-scale business activities based on agri-business, seafood and food processing and international food marketing. In addition to his 12 years in viticulture, Mark has been growing olives and producing extra virgin, premium quality olive oil from the family's property in Baldivis for the past 11 years.
Mark has gathered a team of directors, key advisers and consultants whose combined skills and experience meet all of Kailis Organics farming, business, financial, legal and marketing requirements. Through his years marketing the Kailis family's wine products internationally, Mark has personally established long and close relationships with many of the premier supermarket chains and food distributors in the targeted markets. Coupled with the family's extended business network, Kailis Organic will readily access these marketing avenues with confidence.
Directors of Kailis Organic Olive Groves Limited (Kailis Organic)
The Hon. Peter Jones, AM. FAICD - Chairman
Mr Jones has been Chairman or a Director of a number of publicly listed and private companies, including being a Chairman of Defence Housing Australia, founding Chairman of the West Australian Water Corporation and a director of the Australasian Advisory Board of Asea Brown Boveri (ABB). He conducted farming operations in Tasmania and Western Australia between 1950 and 1988 and was Councillor of the National Agricultural and Pastoral Society. He has served as a Member of the West Australian Legislative Assembly and was a Minister of the Crown from 1975 to 1983.
Mark Kailis - Managing Director
Mr Kailis has over 22 years agribusiness experience, including 13 years in viticulture and 14 years in olives - growing, producing and marketing extra virgin olive oil on a commercial scale. Between 1994 and 2000 Mark was General Manager of Baldivis Estate Wines. From 2001 onwards he has been Managing Director of Kailis Organic Olive Groves Ltd.
Mark has extensive international selling experience, particularly in Europe and the USA. He currently sits on many judging panels for Extra Virgin Olive Oil including the national panel for the Australian Olives Association (Australian Olive's peak body) since 2005.
Theo Kailis
Mr Kailis has been CEO or Chairman of GP Kailis & Sons, Ross Group International, West Ocean Canning Pty Ltd, Austral Fisheries Pty Ltd, New Fishing Australia Pty Ltd, Lobster Australia Pty Ltd and Kailis & France Foods Pty Ltd. He has been in the food and fishing industry for more than 50 years.
Lee Verios, LLB
Mr Verios has more than 30 years commercial legal experience in Perth including 5 years as Managing Partner of Parker & Parker (a significant Perth based legal firm), his own legal practice and more recently as Chairman of the Perth office of Deacons (a national law firm) for a period of three years and leader of Deacon's property, environment and planning team in Perth.
Neil Smith, CA. AICD
Mr Smith is a Chartered Accountant with more than 23 years experience in Australia & Europe. As a senior partner of the Western Australian Partnership of PKF Chartered Accountants and PKF Corporate Advisory Services, Neil specialises in audit and corporate advisory services with both listed and medium to large sized private companies.
Christopher Michael, B.Ec UWA
Mr Michael has more than 15 years experience in the financial markets industry, working with major international companies and now an independently owned, leading Australian broking house.
Stephen Murphy, B.Bus. SIA- Grad dip
Mr Murphy is an investment banker with more than 20 years experience in the financial markets industry, he is presently an Executive Director of Veritas Securities Limited in Perth
Mr. Marco D'Orsogna
Mr. D'Orsogna has been a Director of his family agri & food business D'Orsogna Ltd for over 25years. D'Orsogna is one of the most successful and dynamic Australian based Food Manufacturing businesses with a focus on quality Australian sourced and made, traditional Italian smallgoods. He is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Vice President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Apart from his business commitments Marco is actively involved in the Perth Arts community not only as a donor across several disciplines of the Arts, but is also a Councillor on the Board of the Foundation of the Art Gallery of Western Australia.