Our Directors

Julie was elected as Chair of Holman Barnes Group Chair in 2024; a position she is honoured and humbled to hold.

Her first year as Chair has been an interesting and rewarding time, presenting challenges but also many great moments including our record financial result, the Community Spirit Awards where we assisted 80 local charities and organisations, our ongoing financial support of our rugby league teams and intra clubs, upgrading our facilities, offering new and improved dining experiences at Wests Ashfield and the implementation of the recommendations arising from the review into governance and culture at Wests Tigers.

Julie’s professional career incorporates over 35 years in the insurance industry, with 33 years in leadership and management roles providing extensive experience in strategy, change management, P&L, compliance, risk management, business development, sales and marketing, corporate governance, and relationship/account management.

Her qualifications include Diplomas in General Insurance, Business, Leadership and Management.

Julie has strong values and ethics. Integrity, honesty, loyalty, courage, authenticity and open-mindedness are some of the key attributes she possesses.

As Chair, Julie’s key drivers are the diversification of profitable income streams, organisational culture, best practice governance and the preservation of our rich history and tradition whilst simultaneously future-proofing the Group.

She has a strong desire for Holman Barnes Group to be an upstanding community citizen for many years to come and to continue to be an inclusive and welcoming place that our members, guests and the broader community want to be involved with.

At Board level Julie works collaboratively with her fellow directors to foster a culture of innovation, change and growth and has established strong respectful relationships with key Wests Tigers, Wests Magpies and Balmain Tigers personnel, our staff, community leaders and organisations who proudly advocate and support our Group.

Julie’s love of the Wests Magpies first inspired her to join the Club.

She is a long-standing Leagues Club member and started following Wests Magpies from the age of three.

As a supporter she voluntarily assisted in the formation and running of the Western Suburbs Magpies Supporters Club as the founding Secretary.

As Julie’s professional career progressed, she aspired to contribute to the Club in a meaningful way, prompting her to successfully apply and interview to be a Debenture Holder (2009).

An active participant, Julie was Debenture Holder Chair (2014-2019) and Debenture Holder Secretary (2010-2013).

Elected to the Board of Directors in 2020, Julie was the first female director in the Club’s history, and was elected Deputy Chair (2022 to 2023).

She has been engaged in the Club’s Committees since 2020 and currently sits on all committees – Board Audit and Risk/ESG, Governance, ClubGRANTS and Community Engagement, and Building/Future Projects.

Julie has previously been a Director and Chair of the Wests Magpies (2010-2011, 2020-2021 and 2022 respectively) and a Director on the Board of Wests Tigers (2021-2023).

Outside of the boardroom, Julie enjoys spending time with family and friends and her interests range from animal welfare, climate change and sustainability through to sports, reading, arts and craft.

Dennis has been a Director of Holman Barnes Group for the past twenty-four years, and a Debenture Holder since 1996.

He is the current Chairman of Western Suburbs Magpies (Western Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club Ltd) and is the Songwriter/Performer of one of Wests Magpies Club Songs – ‘Glory Boys’.

Dennis is also on the Board of Wests Tigers, and currently Chairs Wests Ashfield’s Community Engagement Committee, as well as sitting on the Club’s Judiciary Committee and Heritage Committee.

Dennis is a Professional Musician and Managing Director of Burgess Ventures, which encompasses Regal Records, A Red ‘Letter Day (Event Management), UBERfest Music Festivals, Burgess Bookings and Above All Secretarial.

He is vocalist/bass player in ‘Dead Singer Band – Lost Legends Showcase’ and the vocalist in duo ‘Double D’. Through Denny Burgess Management, he looks after the affairs of various Australian artists.

Other business involvements include Dennis being Chairman of the ‘Australian Songwriters Association’ (ASA), Patron of the ‘Association of Artists Managers’ (AAM) and ‘MusicOz’, past Director of the ‘Australian Songwriters Official National Group’ (ASONG), and an active member of both the ‘Association of Independent Record Labels’ (AIR) and ‘Support Act Limited’ (SAL).

Born and raised in Wests territory, Dennis was educated at Christian Brothers College, Burwood.

He is married to Clare and father to twenty-four-year-old son, Cole.

Dennis is passionate about Holman Barnes Group, and all aspects of Wests – its past, its present and its future.

On Australia Day 2024, Dennis was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to the Performing Arts, and the Music Industry.

Appointed to the Board of Directors in July 2020, Vince Tropiano has been a member of the Club since the late 1980’s and a Debenture Holder since February 1996.
He was appointed to the Wests Magpies Board of Directors in 2024.

Vince has recently retired from the motor vehicle industry after serving 48 successful years in senior leadership positions within the Australian Ford Motor Company.

During this period, Vince served as the President for the Service Managers Association and also as the Delegate for the NSW Service Managers Association.

He has been awarded and decorated with honours such as the prestigious Ford Motor Company Presidents’ Award on 16 occasions and has won Platinum and Gold Awards for Highest Growth Achiever in Sales and Excellence in Customer Service.

His management abilities have seen him train and lead 500 Apprentices and 400 Technicians.

He has an obsession for customers service and the ability to lead by example, whist delivering immediate and sustainable results.

Vince’s professional qualifications include – Diploma in Sales & Marketing, ClubsNSW Certificate in Finance for Club Boards and ClubsNSW Certificate in Director Foundation and Management Collaboration.

Vince’s success comes from his devotion to family, friends and the Western Suburbs Football Club.

Steve has had an association with the Club since the 1990’s and was appointed to the Board of Directors in March 2023.

Originally from rural NSW, Steve went to school in Wests heartland of Campbelltown and now resides in the inner West. His formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Science Degree (Agriculture), Diploma in Education, Diploma in Legal Practice and an Honours Degree in Law.

A lawyer by profession, he was admitted as a barrister in 1991 and has held a solicitor’s practicing certificate for about 30 years.

Steve has conducted his own law practice for about 25 years after serving in several senior public service positions, where his expertise was rewarded with a premier’s public sector management award.

Steve was also previously a schoolteacher and a farmer.

For much of the last 20 years, Steve has held a range of Judicial and quasi-judicial positions, where his speciality is administrative law.

Away from work, Steve has a passion for music and is a keen rugby league follower.

Steve’s many and varied roles in his working life mean he brings to the Board many different skills such as strategic planning, analytical thinking, evidence-based decision-making and, as with most folk reared in rural areas, a healthy dose of common sense.

The future growth and development of the Holman Barnes Group is Steve’s priority in his role as a Director.

Richard is a recent appointment with the Holman Barnes Group Board, filling a casual vacancy.

Richard’s formal qualifications include Bachelor of Commerce (UNSW), Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance, Tax Agent and Chartered Accountant.

Richard has over 40 years’ experience as a Chartered Accountant, 35 of those as Principal and Director of International and Local Accounting firms. Currently, Richard is the Founder and Principal of Bacchus Associates Chartered Accountants and the Bacchus Advisory group. Richard is also Director of a national Aluminium extrusion and distribution business and acts as the Australian based Director for a UK Funds Management entity. Richard also sits on several executive building committees for large strata plans.

Richard’s background is in Strategic Advice, Planning, Corporate Administration, Governance, Tax Compliance and Financial Structuring across a broad range of clientele from families, small
to medium sized enterprises to national Agricultural and Mining Representative bodies.

Apart from family duties (happily married with 3 adult daughters and grandchild), Richard’s passions include Rugby League (lifelong Magpie and Wests Tigers tragic), live music and more
recently cycling. Richard can be found every weekend as a Volunteer at Lidcombe Oval either setting up marquees, preparing the grandstand, assisting the canteen and BBQ or locking up the
gates. Richard has been heavily involved in the Lidcombe Oval master plan working with council, the Government and writing grant submissions for redevelopment opportunities. Each November, Richard will be on his bike and team raising money for MS through the MS Gong ride.

Richard has a significant charitable and social conscience with over a decade long involvement and financial contribution to the MS Society, Lifeline, Support Act and Women’s welfare issues.
Richard’s vision for the Holman Barnes Group is to provide long-term financial and management stability to enhance diversification and revenue opportunities for the benefit of all its members.

Francesco Primerano is a qualified accountant and holds a Master’s degree in both International and Business Law. During his career as an entrepreneur, Francesco successfully established three Mitre stores, two real estate agencies, a development company, and a mortgage/finance business.

Later in life, driven by a passion for mining, Francesco ventured into the mining sector in 2008, as CEO of an offshore consortium, which held mining interests in Indonesia, Russia, and South America. After almost 10 years abroad, Francesco retired from mining to establish his current businesses with his son: a mercantile recovery agency known as FTR and Westella Legal.