Bizzy Bits: Top Icon Energy exec loses 500k a year job, skincare company’s surprising ambassador, Bartercard name sails on and much more

A top Gold Coast business executive has lost a $500k a year job while a skincare company has unveiled a surprising ambassador.

A TOP Gold Coast business executive has lost a $500k a year job while a skincare company has unveiled a surprising ambassador.

JAMES QUIETLY LET GO AS ICON SCALES BACK

Ray James has ended his stint as Icon Energy managing director. Picture Mike Batterham

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IT’S a shame about Ray.

Icon Energy announced this week that managing director Ray James’s contract had expired and his role now was just as a director of the Broadbeach Waters-based petroleum and gas explorer.

Intrigued, BB phoned chairman Stephen Barry to find out more and bizarrely was told there was “no reason” Mr James’s contract had not been renewed.

“We chose not to (renew the contract),” Mr Barry said.

“We’ve announced to the market many times before that the contract was due to expire.”

Well, we realise it’s the silly season but surely Mr Barry can do better than that.

Perhaps it was the staggering salary of $556,295 Mr James pulled in for the past financial year?

Or could it be the company has been under immense pressure to reduce staff costs after reporting a $32.3 million loss (including impairments of $28.2 million) for FY19?

Still, the company projected staff costs of just $320,000 for the December quarter.

We eagerly await Mr Barry’s next “announcement” to the ASX. Meanwhile, Icon shares languish at 1¢, meaning little cheer for the company’s 5000 stockholders.

HANCOCK IS SKINCARE’S GOOD SPORT

Australian iron woman champion Courtney Hancock has been announced as an ambassador for Mx Skincare

SKINCARE companies are prone to choosing actors and models to flog their formulations but one Gold Coast company has chosen a different path.

Mx Skincare, which has its head office on the Glitter Strip, has engaged Iron Woman Courtney Hancock (pictured) to promote its products, including the Mx Cosmeceutical Facial Oil +.

Founder Marionne de Candia says on her LinkedIn page she is one of the world’s top facialists. It certainly sounds impressive.

The company also counts Allison Pickering as a director.

Australian iron woman champion Courtney Hancock has been announced as an ambassador for Mx Skincare.

Mrs Pickering is the wife of Gold Coast car king Maurie Pickering, who last year opened the first MG Motor dealership on the Gold Coast in 15 years.

Anyway, we digress.

Mx Skincare, according to Ms Hancock, has “revolutionised the way I treat my skin”.

“I am honoured to be an ambassador for the Mx Skincare range and truly believe in its key principle – experience the product, love the performance, see the results,” she said.

Given the “results” Ms Hancock achieves on the Iron Woman stage its hard to argue with that.

RAINBOW BAY’S POT OF GOLD

THE superlatives are starting to flow over a project planned on what literally is a superlative site overlooking Rainbow Bay at Coolangatta.

The project is planned by developer Paul Gedoun, who is paying north of $12 million for a 1012 sqm site on the corner of Marine Pde and Petrie St.

The land is earmarked for a high-specification 12-floor tower with 22 apartments and with a $10 million-plus two-level penthouse.

Prices for the few two-bedroom apartments will start at $1.1 million and whole-floor units at least $6 million.

The Rainbow's End building in Rainbow Bay.

Mr Gedoun, an avid surfer, is overseas doing some snow surfing, but his tower plans are on the front foot.

Potential buyers who include former world surfing champion Mark Richards, who is selling his unit on the site to Mr Gedoun, are being asked to register their interest.

The request comes via a website that says: “The calling of the ocean waves, the pristine coastal landscape and a community of kindred spirits, all intrinsically fuse”.

The upshot of this “fusion” – the Gedoun tower – is to be called Flow, or for those who want a bit of distinction, Flow Residences.

The design plans to create calm, clarity and balance.

“This is where the tide timelessly blends the ebb and flow of the ocean and a way

of life.”

The fellow who sold the site to Mr Gedoun, GV Property’s Antonio Mercuri, has been given the job of lining up the buyers in tandem with the man who will be selling the apartments, KM Sales and Marketing’s Jayde Pezet.

HOW TERRY’S RUN CAME TO AN END

TERRY Jackman, resident of Mermaid Beach’s Multi-Millionaires’ Row and long-time dogged beach runner, revealed the other day how he “put his foot in it” – big time.

Fellow Hedges Ave dweller and friend Dr Allan Deed to mention back in 1981 that his Kiwi daughter was to visit him and he asked if Terry would like a running companion.

Sure, was the answer, and he met Allan’s daughter Allison on the sand three days later.

When she asked how far he ran, he said to Surfers Paradise and back – about 8km.

Terry Jackman. Photo: Kit Wise

“But we don’t have to run all the way – we can stop and walk a lot of the time.”

As former cinema operator Terry recounts the story, they set off, he was having a job keeping up, and within a few hundred metres he was puffing.

Then the truth emerged – he was running with the best women’s long-distance runner in the world.

She was Allison Roe and had just won the city2surf race in Sydney.

That was a somewhat minor win – her victories also included the Boston and New York marathons that same year and the Seoul event a year later.

Terry will be hoping that if Allison visits the Gold Coast again, she won’t want to take him mountain-bike riding – she won a world masters title in 2017.

BARTERCARD’S BIG REGATTA SAILS IN

The Bartercard Sail Paradise Series runs until January 5.

IT IS good to see Gold Coast-based trading exchange network Bartercard flying the flag as naming rights sponsor for the summer’s offshore sailing regatta.

The Bartercard Sail Paradise Series is expected to attract more than 60 yachts from all over the east coast for four days of racing off the Gold Coast.

Tony Wiese, who bought all the shares in Southport-based Bartercard’s Australian and New Zealand entities from IncentiaPay for $5 million in late 2018, is promising a big year for the company, including a venture into the cryptocurrency space.

Mr Wiese, who helped to float the company as chief finance officer in 2014, says he is committed to seeing the company successful again after what proved to be a disastrous foray onto the stock exchange.

*This will be the last Bizzy Bits column for a month. The column will return on February 8. Happy holidays to all our readers.