Meet the General Manager & Directors
General Manager
Peter Townsend, General Manager (1996 - Present)
Dip Accounting, MBA, AICD, Fellow AM Institute
Since being appointed in 1996, Peter has played an important role in the development and growth of Coastline.
Peter is a Director of Indue Ltd which provides financial products and services to financial institutions and is a Director of the Kempsey Golf Club.
Board of Directors
Coastline has a Board of Directors which consists of five members. The Directors come from varied backgrounds and occupations ranging from school teachers to accountants. Coastline Directors are elected via a Member vote and serve a three year term.
Vanessa McNeilly, Chair (2011 - Present)
Dip Law, National Training Independent Children’s Lawyer, Law Society NSW, Mid North Coast Law Society, FACS External Legal Practitioner, Fellow AM Institute
Vanessa is Chair of Coastline’s Board of Directors and member of the Executive, Audit and Coastline Community Foundation Committees.
Vanessa is the Principal Lawyer and Director at her Law Firm, McNeilly Lawyers, Kempsey. She believes it is important to support the businesses and families of our local community and was formally on the Management Committee at Kempsey Family Support Service Inc.
Vanessa brings a fresh and common-sense approach and is committed to the ongoing success of the Macleay, Hastings & Manning regions.
Matthew Ryan, Vice Chairman (2009 - Present)
B Arts (Politics), B Education, Dip Business, Grad Cert Finance, Fellow AM Institute
Matt is a member of the Executive, Risk, and Remuneration Committees.
Matt is an experienced Project Manager and Management Consultant having worked within the public and private sectors. Matt has supported government and industry clients in a variety of roles with a focus on strategy and risk. He has held several management and compliance positions with the Department of Defence, Department of Justice and is currently with TAFE NSW working in Business Development in the Mid-North Coast Region.
Matt lives in South West Rocks where he is actively involved in the community.
Jennifer Pike (2013 - Present)
B Economics (Accounting), CPA, MAMI, Fellow AM Institute
Jennifer is Chair of Coastline’s Remuneration and Coastline Community Foundation Committees and a member of the Loans and Nomination Committees.
Jennifer is a seasoned finance professional with over 30 years’ experience with diverse industries including manufacturing, financial services and local government sectors.
She has worked with prestigious organisations including NSW Treasury, KPMG, The Boston Consulting Group, Moody’s Credit Rating Agency and Rothschild Australia as well as Governance Officer with Port Macquarie-Hastings Council,.
Jennifer is currently employed at St Columba Anglican School as the College Accountant.
Tania Powick (2020 - Present)
B Fin Admin, Institute of Chartered Accountants Aust & NZ, Certified Financial Planner
Tania is a member of the Audit, Risk and Nominations Committees and has over 30 years experience in financial services, in tax, accounting, management and financial planning roles. Tania has been operating her Financial Planning practice, Coastal Wealth Directions, for over 10 years, and has a passion for helping people improve their financial wellbeing. She has a strong sense of community, with active involvement in several volunteer boards, including the Macleay Valley Business Chamber, The Macleay Valley Business Women’s Network and the Rotary Club of Kempsey.
Grant Devine (2023 - Present)
Grant has nearly 40 years of banking and finance experience working with listed banks, mutual banks and credit unions. Academically he holds a Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Business (Management and Marketing), a Graduate Certificate in Business and is a Fellow of Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Grant has worked in Regional NSW communities since 2019 and is the CEO of the Armidale Diocesan Investment Group which is charity based in Armidale.
His role prior to that was Chief Executive Officer of customer-owned QBANK for nine years.
Grant has a passion for organisations that are community focussed and make a difference.
Grant is looking forward to working with the Coastline Board and adding value to the Credit union and supporting its values and mission.