Board Members

Amanda Paterson

Amanda has been working in her family business BBQs-R-US since beginning as a part-time machine operator in high school. She is passionate about small business, and is keen to learn from and engage with other business owners in the community. Running a small business comes with many daily challenges, and sharing these challenges and experiences is a vital part of the Whitehorse Business Group.

Amanda has worked for the federal government in Canberra and spent a year living in China working as an English teacher. She has also previously been involved on the committee of her local tennis club and on the board of the Whitehorse Business Group. All of these experiences are invaluable in her current role managing BBQs-R-US.

Outside of work Amanda enjoys tennis and walking her dogs. She also loves to read and listen to podcasts, and is interested in conservation.

Amanda is excited to be on the board and is really looking forward to meeting and learning from the many varied and interesting members of this wonderful group!

Mark Lane

Merrell Harris

Merrell Joined the WBG in 2012 after being involved in a number of Business networking groups, she found the WBG flexible and enjoyed attending the many and varied functions.

She was asked to become a Board Member in 2017.

She has been in the print industry for over 35 years and has seen a number of changes in that time.

She still enjoys helping Not for Profit Organisations with their print, design and marketing needs, and has helped the WBG with their brand identity over the past 6 years

Denise Massoud

Denise has lived in Whitehorse since 1986 and is always looking to support local businesses, both large and small, in their growth through networking, promotional activities, parking adjustments to support customer access and experience plus opportunities for outdoor dining.

Denise has tertiary qualifications in Science, Teaching, IT and Business, with varied roles through her career including Head of Chemistry, Learning Technologies Coordinator and established and managed a Business Intelligence practice for an International IT company working with large corporates and government agencies across Australia and New Zealand. She is currently the Registered Electrical Contractor for Mass Lighting Services P/L.

Denise has been a councillor for Whitehorse City Council continuously since 2012 and held the positions of Mayor (2017 and 2024) and Deputy Mayor (2022). She currently represents Council on the following committees:

• Eastern Affordable Housing Alliance (Deputy Chair)
• Eastern Region Group
• Environment and Sustainability Reference Group (Chair)
• Municipal Association of Victoria
• Whitehorse Business Group
• Whitehorse Disability Advisory Committee(Chair)
• Whitehorse Reconciliation Advisory Committee (Chair)

As a graduate and member of Australian Institute of Company Directors, Denise is focussed on strong governance and is President and Board Chair of VLGA (Victorian Local Governance Association).

As a member of the Whitehorse Business Group Board, Denise enjoys the collaborative approach to supporting business growth in Whitehorse and values the business development events and networking opportunities which Whitehorse Business Group provides for their members.

Paul Newnham

An accomplished and focused Senior Professional experienced in Multiple organisation formats including Not For Profit, Community Controlled, Business Advisory, and Retail Operations.

Experienced in leading, influencing large cross-functional workforces from Front-line to Executive level in a complex environment with transformational growth accountability.

A collaborative leader with a track record of optimising team performance to achieve and exceed business expectations through sharing a clear vision, strategy, values, and best practices.

Very passionate about increasing the social and economic value in the community, through enabling positive outcomes and engagement.

Paul is the Executive Director Strategic Engagement (Commercial) at Box Hill Institute.

Vanessa Ng

Vanessa Ng is the Treasurer for Whitehorse Business Group and a Senior Accountant in the Business Advisory section at Saward Dawson Chartered Accountants.  A qualified Chartered Accountant with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ), she also holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) from the University of Melbourne.  

With extensive experience in the not-for-profit sector, Vanessa brings valuable expertise to the Whitehorse Business Group, providing strategic financial insights and support.  She is passionate about developing innovative solutions for clients and thrives in dynamic, challenging environments.

Outside of work, Vanessa enjoys reading, hiking, and spending quality time with her family.

Nabil Salameh

Nabil Salameh is no stranger to business. He's a Profit Growth Strategist and is passionate about making a difference in the lives of business owners - to have thriving businesses & fulfilling lives. He coaches and mentors them to grow their cashflow and profits, have more free time, and create their ideal business. And, eventually to create their business as a valuable asset that can be sold, passed on, or run under management.

Drawing on 20 years of corporate experience & another 20 years running his own business coaching practice as well as having run a family business employing 32 staff, has given Nabil an intimate understanding of what businesses need to be successful. He has a toolkit of proven strategies & tactics to grow any business and find any business owner additional revenue & profits.