Key Management

Whether speaking from his experience as an entrepreneur, an innovator in golf club design or an accomplished golfer, Tom Crow brings a unique perspective to his audience with one central theme, a passion for the game of golf.

Tom founded Cobra Golf Inc in 1973 with a mission to bring the best in equipment to golfers of all levels of experience at affordable prices. His design experience and ingenuity is manifest in the many innovations in golf equipment he brought to the market; the three wedge system, the King Cobra oversized woods and irons and the introduction of lightweight graphite shafts. Tom’s hard work and innovation contributed hugely to the astounding commercial success of the Cobra brand.

Tom has now brought his passion and focus to the development of technical solutions to enhance the environment for the growth of golf greens. A founding shareholder of Vertech and a Key Adviser, Tom is also a member of several organizations which focus on environmental issues as they affect the golf industry.

A solicitor with experience in private equity, Robert Jewkes has held a number of senior management positions during his career. He has lived and worked in South East Asia for over 30 years and has an extensive knowledge of the legal, fiscal and regulatory environment within which Vertech-Irvin operates.

He is responsible for Vertech-Irvin’s business in Asia, and is based in Hong Kong.

A lawyer by training Neill has undertaken executive responsibilities in several leading construction and engineering companies during his 20 year career in the industry. He is Chairman of Richard Irvin and Sons Limited one of Scotland’s leading mechanical and electrical contractors. He is a founder and leader of Transparency International’s anti-corruption initiative in the international construction and engineering industry and the author of numerous papers and business tools on this topic.

Based in London, Neill is responsible for Vertech-Irvin’s business in the United Kingdom and Europe.

A graduate in accountancy, Joe moved into the oil industry in 1985. He worked with Baker Oil Tools a division of Baker Hughes Inc, one of the leading oil and gas service companies in the world. During his time with Baker Oil Tools he held a number of senior management positions in their marketing and manufacturing functions. Currently Joe is Chief Executive of Richard Irvin Services Group.

A graduate in Building, Martin was until recently CEO of Gammon Construction one of South East Asia’s largest construction companies. Martin has lived and worked in Asia for over 20 years and has either project managed or had overall responsibility for some of Asia’s leading construction projects. He enjoys an enviable reputation throughout the industry for commercial judgement and technical expertise.

He is a Director of Vertech-Irvin responsible for Service Delivery and is based in Hong Kong.

A professional civil engineer with 35 years experience in the management of the design and construction of large multi disciplined infrastructure projects in Australia, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

John was instrumental in the management and development of Vertech-Irvin’s subsurface aeration and heating systems for large scale projects such as sporting fields.

John is based in Sydney and represents Vertech-Irvin in Australia and New Zealand and provides input to the management, design and construction of all large scale subsurface aeration and heating projects undertaken by Vertech-Irvin.

A graduate in Building Services Engineering, Derek worked for 14 years with Wallace Whittle, a large mechanical and electrical consultancy practise in the UK. Derek joined Richard Irvin Services Group in 1999 as their Mechanical Design Director responsible for the Company's in house design department.

An engineer by training, Bob has unrivalled experience in subsurface aeration technology having joined SubAir Inc as a consultant in 2001 and subsequently SubAir Systems LLC where he was responsible for the design and installation of subsurface aeration systems throughout the USA. During this period, Bob invented a golf course process control system and consequently holds two patents.

Bob Bishop is Technical Director for Vertech-Irvin Limited, responsible for product manufacturing in Singapore and development of new technologies.

Nick is a civil engineer and project manager with more than ten years of experience in the construction industry. He brings an inherent understanding of construction and project management experience to the Vertech-Irvin team. Nick’s ability to manage projects with operational efficiency, in time, within budget and to deliver quality represents a key resource for Vertech and its customers.

Prior to the establishment of Vertech-Irvin, Nick worked as part of the SubAir Systems Asia team, where he acted as project manager on the subsurface aeration installation on the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club. Prior to that, Nick was engaged by CPG Corporation Pte Ltd as Business Development Manager and Construction Manager. CPG is a leading infrastructure and building development and management services provider in the Asia Pacific region.