Styles

Ben O’Brien is the Associate Director of Sales and Student Recruitment at the University of Southern Queensland. With a robust background in higher education marketing and student recruitment, Ben leads a dynamic team dedicated to engaging prospective students to raise higher education participation across Springfield, Ipswich, Toowoomba, and beyond.

Before joining UniSQ, he was the National Integrated Marketing Manager at Australian Catholic University, where he successfully implemented strategic marketing campaigns and managed a team to enhance student acquisition and conversion. Ben holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Communications from Charles Sturt University, as well as a Master’s qualification in Digital Business Management from Swinburne University of Technology and brings a wealth of experience in project management, marketing and digital business strategies.

Having lived in the Springfield community for the past two years, Ben is passionate about contributing to the local area’s growth and development through his role on the Springfield Chamber of Commerce board.

Rebekah is a Director of McNamara Law, being the firm’s first female director since their inception over 100 years ago. Rebekah’s career at McNamara Law began in 2003 upon her graduation from high school. Since then her journey through the ranks has been marked by dedication, hard work and a deep commitment to her clients.

Rebekah practices exclusively in the area of Wills and Estates Law, helping clients with their estate planning needs, assisting those who have lost loved ones and advising clients through the difficulties of litigation in the contentious Wills and Estates space. Rebekah’s expertise were recognised by the Queensland Law Society in 2021 when she was named as the Queensland Law Society’s Regional Practitioner of the Year.

Rebekah has been a chamber committee member since 2022 and she provides a valuable contribution within the decision-making of the chamber. She enjoys socialising with members and building relationships through networking at chamber events. She had her introduction to MC’ing when she was the MC of the GSCC 2022 International Women’s Day function.

When she isn’t in the office or assisting the chamber, Rebekah enjoys spending quality time with her husband and their two young daughters, Gabriella and Sadie. You will also find Rebekah on the sidelines of the netball courts on a weekend, coaching her daughter’s netball team.

Rebekah lives within the Greater Springfield region, her children attend school within the Greater Springfield region and the McNamara Law office where Rebekah is based for work is in Springfield Central. Being a local in all aspects of her life, as well as being a Director of a local law firm, means she has a deep understanding of the Greater Springfield community and the needs of the businesses in the region.

Kath is a local family lawyer, being the Principal at VM Family Law and a committee member of your Chamber. Kath has a passion for helping families navigate legal matters and has dedicated her career to providing compassionate and effective legal representation.

Being a committee member of your Chamber allows Kath to extend her impact in the local community. Being a small business in the local area means Kath has a deep appreciation for the local business community and believes in the power of collaboration and networking. By serving on the committee, Kath hopes to actively contribute to the growth and success of businesses in the Greater Springfield area.

Kath loves being on your chamber committee because it provides an opportunity to connect with fellow professionals and business owners, share knowledge, and contribute to the economic development of the community. She enjoys being part of a collective effort to create a thriving business environment that benefits not only the local economy but also the residents of Greater Springfield.

Leila’s journey with the Chamber began in 2013 when she joined as a volunteer, dedicating her time to support the committee in fulfilling its vital role within the business community. Witnessing the Chamber’s remarkable growth, Leila transitioned to a full-time position in 2018.

Functioning as the linchpin of the Chamber, Leila collaborates with the committee to ensure the Chamber remains consistently pertinent to the local business community. Her role has transcended to more than that of an administrator, as she actively fosters connections among members, provides unwavering support, and facilitates access to crucial opportunities for business growth.

From orchestrating networking and charity events to undertaking business development responsibilities, Leila wears many hats within the Chamber. Despite her occasional discomfort with public speaking, she even steps into the role of an MC on rare occasions.

Outside her professional commitments, Leila devotes her spare time to shuttling her youngest son to his football (soccer) training sessions and matches. Additionally, she has embraced golf in recent years, achieving a noteworthy hole-in-one that deserves special recognition.

Paula Rizqallah is the current Secretary of the Chamber. She has a strong business background and is also the Director of P&L Accountants, an established business in the local community .

Paula is passionate about the local business community, and initially joined the Chamber back in 2017 as a Sole proprietor looking to network and meet more like-minded people.

Meeting people within her industry and complimentary industries allowed her to grow her business and expand her understanding of what the local community needed to create, share and grow. She has loved the ability to network with so many people that have progressed into firm friendships within the Chamber.

She has been the Chamber Secretary since 2019. With her strong business skillset, Paula felt that she could contribute back to the community to further enhance the growth of our local businesses by sharing ideas and building a stronger chamber.

Petra King is a director of Xperion – Proud to be boring accountants , Brisbane accounting firm that looks after investors, business owners, not for profits, deceased estates, and self-managed superannuation funds.

As a business owner and business adviser with over 20 years of experience, she understands the stress and importance of getting the right advice at every stage of a business. Petra holds a Master of Accounting, Diploma of Financial Planning, Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking, and Bachelor of Marketing and Business Management and is a Chartered Accountant and CA SMSF Specialist with a limited financial license.

When she’s not working, she loves exploring the world, hiking, hanging out with family and friends, or simply with a good book and coffee.

She has been a treasurer for the GSCC for the last 6 years. She looks after financial administration as well as an audit trail for all transactions. Her role is to ensure that GSCC complies with tax regulations, and the reporting to ATO and Office of Fair Trading is up to date. She is also making sure that the board understands its financial obligations.

When possible, you can see her helping out at our Chamber events.

Neil Coupland is the Principal and Owner of First National Real Estate Springfield which is a multi award winning office and Neil himself has won numerous awards throughout his career.

The Springfield office was established in 1999, this was the first real estate office in the Greater Springfield area.

Neil enjoys giving back to the industry and was the Chair of the Brisbane Zone for First National for several years, he stepped down to take up the role of Chair of the First National State Council for Queensland which he holds today.

A supporter of the Chamber, he served for 4 years previously on the committee before becoming President in 2016 which now makes him the longest serving president since its inception.

He is very passionate about business in the local area and the growth of the chamber and ensuring it stays relevant to the local business community, he believes in getting on with the job at hand and is always looking for new, innovative ways we can support our local businesses.

In his spare time, Neil is regularly seen out on the golf course, although not as often as he’d like, he also runs a small social golf club.