Cav. Allan Pidgeon AM – President
Current Professional Occupation
Engaged in family property business
Last two Professional Occupations
Stockbroker
Family Details
Married with three children
Non-Professional Interests and Involvements
Australian national flag association
Mater hospital foundation
Why I am involved in ICCI (Qld) and willing to be a member of the ICCI (Qld) board
Have been attending ICCI functions for many years, so happy to be involved at a deeper level.
Comm. OMRI Hon Santo Santoro – Vice President
Current Professional Occupation
Commendatore the Honourable Santo Santoro is recognised as a leading source of counsel on Australian and international politics, policy and regulatory affairs.
Last two Professional Occupations
One of a handful of Australians to have served as a Minister in the Executive of both State and Federal Parliaments, Santo’s background includes time as a member of the Queensland Cabinet as Minister for Training and Industrial Relations, and as an Australian Senator and Minister for Ageing in the Howard Government. Santo acts in a range of roles, including that of analyst, adviser, or formal advocate and representative, in both business-to-government and business-to-business formats.
Family Details
Married with two children
Non-Professional Interests and Involvements
Santo has been heavily involved in the Italian community for over 40 years. Santo has served as Vice-President of Com.it.es Queensland and Northern Territory and President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Queensland) between 2011 and 2020. Santo is very heavily involved in many other organisations and activities within the Italian community of Queensland and Australia. Currently, Santo serves as President of the Brisbane Chapter of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, President of the Organising Committee of Festitalia and is also a proud member of the Sicilian Association of Queensland.
Why I am involved in ICCI (Qld) and willing to be a member of the ICCI (Qld) board
Santo’s commitment to ICCI (Qld) has seen his return into the service of the Chamber as Vice President of ICCI (Qld).
Mark Hoogsteyns – Treasurer
Current Professional Occupation
Mark is Managing Director of Strenuis Consulting Group, a boutique consulting practice specialising in transformation, leadership development, as well as organisational culture and systems improvement. Mark, together with his network, works in the mining, construction, government and health sectors across APAC. He specialises in solving problems for business.
Last two Professional Occupations
Vice President, DEKRA Insight APAC
General Manager, FKG Construction
Family Details
Mark migrated from Belgium with his parents and brother in 1964, and has lived in Melbourne, Townsville, Toowoomba and Brisbane. Mark is married to Leanne, and they have 6 children and 3 grandchildren (so far) between them.
Non-Professional Interests and Involvements
Mark is on the board of Connect2Group, a bayside disability services and disability employment group. He also has a passion for economic development, having worked at the Qld Chamber of Commerce & Industry, served on economic development boards and boards of chambers of commerce.
Cav. Giovanni Antonaglia OAM
Current Professional Occupation
Director / Self-Employed – Jewellery Industry, Retail and Wholesale
Last two Professional Occupations
As above
Family Details
Married with 3 daughters and 7 grandchildren
Non-Professional Interests and Involvements
Reading, Writing, Bible studies
Why I am involved in ICCI (Qld) and willing to be a member of the ICCI (Qld) board
To support and to offer my professional guidance in order to develop and strengthen the organisation together with my fellow board member – to continue the traditions of Italy in Australia and the relationship between our countries.
Cav. Antonio Bosso
Current Professional Occupation
Tony is a prominent member of the Queensland business community.
Tony is a Director of a number of companies operating throughout Australia, in civil engineering construction, mining construction, transport industry and commercial property development. From its birth in Mt Isa in the early 1970’s, the group has expanded to the point where it now has a presence Australia-wide and internationally. Tony is highly respected in industry circles.
Family Details
Antonio (Tony) Bosso arrived in Australia as a young child with his immigrant Italian parents. Tony grew up in Perth and has maintained a close connection with his Italian heritage and culture. Tony has 6 children and 5 grandchildren and enjoys being involved with them in a close family relationship.
Non-Professional Interests and Involvements
Tony has a long history as a benefactor of charitable causes, such as Marist Mission Centre in Australia, Fiji, Brazil and New Zealand and San Isidro Care Centre, Aruligo in Solomon Islands. He is also a very strong supporter of Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital Research Foundation (RBWH). Tony also started a foundation through the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute for research into blood cancer treatment. Tony has supported the promotion of international ballet in Queensland and has always supported organisations involved in mental health care and children with disabilities.
Why I am involved in ICCI (Qld) and willing to be a member of the ICCI (Qld) board
Tony is keen to promote the Italian culture in Queensland and to foster and promote closer relationships and business opportunities between local and Italian businesses. An excellent way of networking and meeting various business group and people.
Michael Di Toro
Current Professional Occupation
Michael Di Toro is the Company Director of Audiovisual Projects, where he remains actively involved in the business, particularly in AV system design and the delivery of large-scale projects. Originally established in the Northern Territory, the company has successfully delivered projects across all Australian capital cities over the past decade. Michael has been based in Queensland for the past 17 years and now operates from the Gold Coast.
Last two Professional Occupations
Michael is a qualified Electronics and Communications Engineer. Early in his career, he worked as a Technical Officer with Telecom Australia (now Telstra) in the Broadcasting division, maintaining HF transmitters across Regional Northern Territory and contributing to technical operations at the Radio Australia HF Transmitter site at Cox Peninsula, Darwin.
After five years, he established his own audio-visual repair business, which expanded into designing and manufacturing professional audio amplification and speaker systems. This venture later evolved into what is now Audiovisual Projects.
Family Details
Born in Bojano in the Molise region of Italy, Michael migrated to Australia in 1970 with his parents and two younger siblings.
He is a proud father of three sons and is in a long-term relationship.
Non-Professional Interests and Involvements.
Outside of his professional life, Michael has a strong passion for music and is a keen guitarist.
He also has a long-standing interest in astronomy. Over the years, both personally and through his business, he has supported various charities and community organisations. Michael has been actively involved in the Italian community in the Northern Territory and, more recently, in Queensland.
Why I am involved in ICCI (Qld) and willing to be a member of the ICCI (Qld) board
Michael is committed to contributing to the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Queensland and Northern Territory) by fostering stronger business relationships between Queensland, the Northern Territory, and the broader Italian business community.
He brings practical experience, strategic insight, and a willingness to support Chamber initiatives, including events and activities—particularly where his expertise Audio-visual solutions can add value. Michael is also keen to contribute ideas that support membership growth, sponsorship opportunities, and the Chamber’s ongoing success.
Giorgio Giaroli
Current Professional Occupation
Consulting engineer
Last two Professional Occupations
Director of BG Group Engineers
Non-Professional Interests and Involvements
Food & Wine, Football
Why I am involved in ICCI (Qld) and willing to be a member of the ICCI (Qld) board
Giorgio Giaroli has been involved in the italian community for many years and is looking forward to assisting the Chamber advance its business interests while being a bridge between Italy and Australia.
Cav. John Kotzas AM
Current Professional Occupation
Last two Professional Occupations
Chief Executive, QPAC, Managing Director of Brisbane Festival, Teacher at Brisbane State High School
Family Details
Married with 3 kids
Non-Professional Interests and Involvements
Sport, community development, passion for multiculturalism.
Will Pitchforth
Current Professional Occupation
Will is the director of Cheval Rouge, a leading drinks industry commercial consulting firm. He also is a director of Melrose Drover UK, a Scotland based spirit trading house, founded in 1872, and a number of other drinks industry organisations.
Last two Professional Occupations
Head of Commercial, Bladnoch Distillery (Scotland), International Trade Marketing Manager Pernod Ricard (France)
Family Details
Will is married to an Italian wife with whom he has two children
Non-Professional Interests and Involvements
Will has previously served on the board of directors of Lymphoma Australia and continues to support research to treat haematological cancers. With a business based in the UK, he spends several months each year travelling in Europe with his family and to Italy as much as possible.
Why I am involved in ICCI (Qld) and willing to be a member of the ICCI (Qld) board
Will has been attending ICCI events for many years with his family – participating in building connections between Italian and Australian businesses. With a keen interest in food and drink businesses, Will is looking forward to realising more opportunities to promote one of Italy’s most important cultural contributions in Australia – its cuisine – now recognised by UNESCO as an essential part of the world’s cultural heritage.
Paul Torrisi
Current Professional Occupation
Paul is a telecommunications and infrastructure executive, investor, and company director with extensive experience in digital connectivity, technology, and telecommunications businesses in Australia.
Last two Professional Occupations
Paul previously served as a Director of SkyMesh, one of Australia’s leading regional internet service providers. During this time, he was instrumental in the strategic direction of the business and its sale in 2024.
Earlier in his career, Paul led and developed several telecommunications and technology ventures focused on delivering high-performance connectivity solutions to businesses and regional communities. His work has centred on enabling digital infrastructure that supports industry, remote operations, and emerging technologies.
Family Details
Paul is of proud Italian heritage, with family roots in Sicily. The Italian values of entrepreneurship, family, and community have strongly influenced his personal and professional life.
He lives in Brisbane with his wife and their son.
Non-Professional Interests and Involvements
Outside of business, Paul loves enjoying great food and wine, particularly trying to cook the Torrisi family recipes, He also has a particular passion for all things automotive, especially Italian marques.
Paul is also actively involved in community and family life, including coaching his son’s football team. He enjoys travel, particularly to Italy, where he maintains strong family and cultural connections.
Why I am involved in ICCI (Qld) and willing to be a member of the ICCI (Qld) board
Paul joined the Board of ICCI QLD to support stronger economic and business connections between Italy and Queensland/North Territory.
He believes the Chamber plays an important role in fostering collaboration between Italian and Australian businesses, promoting trade and investment, and celebrating the achievements of the Italian-Australian business community.
Paul is particularly interested in helping the Chamber grow its impact by creating meaningful opportunities for businesses to connect, collaborate, and expand.