TACL Board

The TACL Board consists of 11 members.

Board structure

Eight members, including the President, are elected at the Annual General Meeting for a two-year term. Four members are elected each year.

The Divers, Quota Unit Holders and Processors groups each have a Subcouncil, which elects a representative to serve on the Board for a two-year term. Three are elected by separate industry groups.

Subcommittees

Each year, the Board establishes subcommittees to oversee key activities and responsibilities. Current subcommittees cover:

  • Fisheries
  • Project Management
  • Marketing
  • Administration, including finance, governance, risk and office management

Current Board members

Dean Lisson

Dean Lisson

President Board Member

Dean is the Managing Director of his own commercial fishing company, established in 1986. He has been a commercial abalone diver and abalone quota owner in the Tasmanian abalone industry for nearly four decades.

Dean has broad knowledge of the Australian and global abalone industry and has developed an extensive network across Australia’s commercial abalone sector. He has more than 30 years of experience managing and overseeing national and international abalone-related research and development projects. Dean was President of TACL from 1994 to 2007 and CEO from 2007 to 2020. He was awarded Life Membership of TACL in 2004. He is currently CEO of Abalone Council Australia Ltd, a Non-Executive Director of Abalone Council of New South Wales Ltd and a Member of the Longreach Maris Investment Advisory Committee. Dean holds an MBA from the University of Tasmania.

Joey McKibben

Vice President Board Member · Chair, Fisheries Management Committee

Joey is a second-generation abalone diver with almost 18 years of experience. He has served in multiple positions across the Tasmanian abalone industry, including Diver Chair, ABFAC, Fishery Resource Advisory Group, President, Vice President and Abalone Council Australia Board member.

Joey is a director of his own dive business and works across all zones of the Tasmanian abalone fishery. He is qualified as a dive master and also holds marine engine driver, master 24 metre and coxswain certificates. He has attended national abalone conferences for 15 years and has travelled to six international abalone symposiums over the past 18 years. Joey is also a quota holder in the Tasmanian abalone fishery.

Melinda Dallas

Secretary Board Member · Member, Administration and HR Committee

Melinda has worked in the abalone industry for more than 25 years. Her experience includes almost ten years as Administration Officer for TACL, 18 months as Quota Audit Unit Manager with DPIPWE, now NRE Tasmania, and 16 years with Abalone Council Australia.

Melinda has also worked for Tasmanian Seafoods Dandenong in an office administration role. She has been a quota holder for four years and brings strong industry knowledge and governance experience to the Board. Melinda holds a Graduate Certificate of Management, a Certificate of Corporate Governance for not-for-profits and has completed the AICD Company Directors Course. She owns and operates an association and conference management business. She is based in Hobart and is focused on strong governance, improved stakeholder relationships and the long-term sustainability of the industry.

Bryan Denny

Treasurer Board Member

Bryan brings more than 38 years of experience in Tasmania’s wild harvest fisheries and aquaculture industries. He holds Master less than 45 metre certification and a Marine Engine Driver Grade 3 qualification, and has completed a Corporate Governance Workshop.

Bryan has been involved in the abalone fishery since 1997, starting as a deckhand before moving into abalone diving in 2000. He is a quota holder and owner-operator of both a mothership and a dive vessel. His operational knowledge and long-standing commitment to sustainable fisheries management support his contribution to the Board.

Avril Brown

Avril Brown
Board Member · Chair, Marketing Committee

Avril has a diverse background across the abalone industry, marine environment, training and fisheries management. Her career began with 11 years working and studying at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and the University of Tasmania, with a focus on marine flora.

She later trained and operated as an occupational and recreational dive instructor and examiner, and spent 15 years as owner and instructor of a commercial dive training facility. Avril has also chaired a technical assessment body for a national dive standards organisation. Her previous roles include Scientific Dive Supervisor for TAFI, IMAS and DPIPW, where she helped establish an Occupational Diving Standard for the Tasmanian Government and managed dive programs. For more than 20 years, Avril and her partner owned and operated an abalone mothership, which also operated in the rock lobster fishery in remote Tasmanian zones including the West Coast and Bass Strait. As a previous TACL Director, Avril served as Treasurer for approximately seven years. She is focused on good governance, strong inter-sector relationships and a sustainable, vibrant industry.

Alan Gray

Board Member

Alan has been involved in the abalone industry since 1988. His diving career ran from 1994 to 2013. He is an abalone quota owner, Director of Shelly Point Seafish Pty Ltd and Director of F I Management Pty Ltd, a broker, consultancy, valuation and investment company.

Alan is a diesel engineer and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He was elected to the TACL Board from 1996 to 2019 and again from 2020 to the present. He has served as Chairman of the Divers Subcouncil and Chairman of the Quota Holder Subcouncil. Alan chairs TACL’s HR Committee and is a member of the Stock Assessment Forum. He is also a past member of the Abalone Fishery Advisory Committee and Fishery Resources Advisory Group. He was awarded Life Membership of TACL in 2018.

Darvin Hansen

Board Member · Quota Holder Representative · Chair, Project Management Committee

Darvin is the owner of Tasmanian Seafoods Ltd.serves as a Board Member, Quota Holder Representative and Chair of the Project Management Committee.

John Franklin

Board Member · Diver Representative · Member, Fisheries Management Committee Member, Project Management Committee

John is a second-generation abalone diver. He began his diving career in 2016 after leaving his role as a full-time electrician. John works across all zones of the abalone fishery, particularly in the Southern and Western regions. He has also worked in the commercial dive fishery.

He holds a Master 24 licence and MED 2 engineering ticket. John was elected Diver Subcouncil Chair in 2023.

Simon Leonard

Board Member · Processor Representative · Member, Fisheries Management Committee

Simon brings more than three decades of experience in Tasmania’s seafood processing sector. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Fisheries and a Diploma of Frontline Management.

Simon has expertise in HACCP compliance, quality assurance, financial costing management, microbiological testing and fish husbandry. He currently serves as Factory Manager for Hai Loong Seafood.

Ben Cobbing

Board Member

Ben is an active abalone diver.

Beau Lesser

Board Member

Beau Lesser has worked as a commercial abalone diver since 2010 and is currently in his 17th year in the industry. A quota holder and licensed member of Tasmania’s commercial dive industry, Beau has extensive experience working across all Tasmanian abalone fishing zones and has developed a strong understanding of the state’s fishery through hands-on experience.

Before entering the industry, Beau completed a panel beating apprenticeship, which helped develop the practical skills and strong work ethic he brings to his work today. He also holds Master 5 and MED 2 qualifications, enabling him to skipper commercial vessels up to 24 metres throughout Australian waters.

Having attended industry meetings throughout his career, Beau was elected to the Tasmanian Abalone Council Board in 2025. In this role, he is committed to representing divers and quota holders while supporting collaborative, evidence-based decision-making with industry, IMAS and NRE Tasmania to ensure the long-term sustainability and success of Tasmania’s abalone fishery.

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