Greg Parkes

• Position: Director of Corporate Benefits
• Contact Number: 02 8307 5533
• Email:

A bit about me…

When I’m not in the office, I love travelling and getting amongst the great outdoors.
My wife and I have hiked on virtually every continent, and we’re working on them all! Highlights have got to be the Tour de Mont Blanc, the GR20 in Corsica and the Torres del Paine W Trek in Paine National Park – Chile.

We now have a 1yr old daughter and another one on the way… so it looks like we won’t be heading to any obscure destinations in the short term. We are, however, making good use of the kiddy backpack. Living in the Royal National Park in Sydney’s south is perfect for shorter hikes… and carrying 10kgs on my back is good training for the next overseas adventure, albeit in a few years time!

My AutoPackage

I drive a 2009 Volkswagen R36 3.6i and I absolutely love it. I purchased it new but received a substantial fleet discount on the purchase price. This was critical because not only did it mean my finance payments and residual were going to be lower, but I managed to narrowly avoid paying any luxury non-deductible on the package as it fell outside the definition of a luxury lease. I have structured the finance over two years which delivers aggressive tax benefits, and because I drive over 25,000kms pa I’ll be able to get out of the car at a point where I can make decent money on resale. I also recently packaged my wife’s car. She had been salary packaging it through her employer, but it worked out better for us to package it through my salary now, allowing us to adjust the capital value of the vehicle (due to the change in employer) which in turn reduces the fringe benefit value. The result is that I am paying for the vehicle predominantly out of pre-tax dollars, and by packaging two cars have significantly reduced the amount of income tax I pay.

First car

1978 Ford Cortina station wagon. It was a hand me down from my Dad. Light blue in colour with an unsprayed yellow bonnet, the back was regularly filled with surfboards and a mattress for those weekend surf trips. Life was simple back then!

1978 Ford Cortina at the beach

Favourite road trip

Bundeena to Otford – Royal National Park, NSW. Mid-morning on a Sunday, with the morning sun filtering through the old gum trees, sunroof back, radio off and that smooth tarmac winding road. A stop at the Scarborough Hotel for lunch overlooking the escarpment is a must. The drive takes less than an hour but it’s a classic.

What I like most about Autopia

I love the fact that we are offering something that is truly the best in the industry. Autopia has an entrepreneurial, 'can-do' spirit which enables me to drive strategy and implement new ideas quickly. Watching these new ideas benefit our clients and the business is something that I find very rewarding. And on top of all of that, I have a great time with my colleagues on a daily basis and we seem to spend a lot of time laughing which keeps me sane!!!