Eco Investor - Eco Innovation Forum 2010 Speakers

Speakers at Eco Innovation Forum 2010

Kaustuv Mukherjee, Director Investment Attraction, Industry & Investment NSW

Kaustuv Mukherjee is a chemical engineer with shopfloor experience in the power-intensive steel and ferromanganese industries.

His first job on emigrating to Australia gave him a good taste of the energy issues of industrial power customers in NSW. He was in the team that designed and implemented Pacific Power's Customer Energy Needs Analysis (CENA) project, under which 100 major power consumers across industries were audited, their usage profiles established and opportunities identified to increase energy efficiency.

Since then Kaustuv has worked in Enterprise Improvement, Technology Diffusion, Innovation and Industry Development roles in the NSW Government. His current responsibilities encompass Investment Attraction in the Energy, Mining, Logistics and Retail sectors.

Sandy Beard, Chief Executive, CVC Ltd; Director, CVC Sustainable Investments

Sandy Beard has been Chief Executive Officer of the CVC Group since 2001. He has extensive expertise and experience working in partnership with the management of both listed and unlisted investee companies. He holds positions as a Director of numerous listed and unlisted companies.

Sandy was instrumental in the establishment of CVC Renewable Energy Equity Funds and CVC Sustainable Investments and has significant experience in environmental investing, particularly in the waste management and renewable energy sectors.

Sandy has a B. Com (UNSW) and is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Dr Michelle Deaker, Managing Partner and Executive Director, OneVentures Pty Ltd

Michelle Deaker established OneVentures in October 2006. OneVentures manages the OneVentures Innovation Fund, which has raised $40 million to invest in seed, start up and early expansion stage technology companies in the TIME (Telecommunications, IT&T, new media/entertainment) and Cleantech sectors.

Michelle came into the venture capital industry as a successful entrepreneur. Her company, E Com Industries became the leader in prepaid card and electronic voucher technologies in Australia and was acquired by a UK publicly listed company returning $30 million cash to investors.

Through her interest in high growth companies, Michelle has provided advice for, invested in and raised capital for emerging technology companies. She has extensive experience in the development of early stage companies, a strong background in Australian R&D and expertise in international business expansion.

John Rivett, Founder and Managing Director, AusFirst Angels

John Rivett’s passion has always been innovation and establishing new businesses. He opened his first business at age 15 and his second and third while a teenager. He has started over 20 businesses of his own, with most being successful.

Since 2000 John has specialised in the venture capital industry, establising Kixstaart Innovation Pty Ltd which owns AusFirst Angels Pty Ltd, Kixstaart Equities Ltd which holds an Australian Financial Services License and acts as fundraiser for start up ventures, and Kixstaart Cash Partners Pty Ltd.which provides short term loans to venture companies.

He also established AusFirst Angels which promotes, invests in and supports innovative ventures and unlisted investment companies that nvest in the ventures. AusFirst Angels has invested in 24 new ventures with nearly 15,000 investors.

John also founded AusFirst Technology Centre Pty Ltd, the Kixstaart Innovation Centres, Kixstaarters Global, and SME Securities.

He graduated from the University of Queensland with degrees in Commerce and Law, and is a lawyer and company director..

Alan Milwidsky, Founder and Executive Director, BSI

Richard Dale, Co-founder, Sydney Angels; Director, Argo Partners

Richard Dale Richard is a co-founder of Sydney Angels, a formal angel investment group launched in November 2008 to develop the angel investor community in Sydney and fund innovative early-stage ventures.

Richard also runs Argo Partners, a licensed advisory firm providing services to early-stage technology ventures and investors. He is a COMET Business Adviser and Commercialisation Australia Case Manager (interim) and his current clients include several cleantech ventures.

His early career was as R&D engineer with two early-stage tech firms in WA. Later he moved to London and worked as a deal scout for the Electra Innvotec fund and as a consultant for KPMG in venture capital, tech transfer, incubators and science parks. Back in Australia, he has also worked for Booz Allen & Hamilton, and as investment director for the Amwin innovation investment fund,.also serving on the boards of investee companies in Australia and the US.

So far Richard has assessed over 700 early-stage ventures and been actively involved as advisor or director with 10 per cent of them.

Hamish Hawthorn, Co-founder, Sydney Angels; Chief Executive Officer, ATP Innovations Pty Ltd

Hamish Hawthorn is the Chief Executive Officer of ATP Innovations - Australia's premier technology business incubator. ATP Innovations delivers commercialisation and business expertise to emerging technology businesses, helping entrepreneurs build successful high-growth companies. Hamish serves on the boards of several of ATP Innovations' investee companies and has successfully raised follow-on capital for these investments.

Hamish has been involved in the commercialisation of technology for over 15 years with experience in the advanced manufacturing, IT and life sciences sectors. Prior to joining ATP Innovations, Hamish directed strategic business development programs for a number of Australian technology companies. In late 2008, Hamish co-founded Sydney Angels - a Sydney-based Angel group that invests in early stage high growth companies.

Hamish is a Visiting Fellow in the Entrepreneurs in Science Program at the University of New South Wales, and lectures on entrepreneurship at the University of Sydney, the University of Technology, Sydney and the Australian National University. He is a qualified mechanical engineer with postgraduate training in business and technology.

Damian Chown, Director, Strategon Capital Pty Ltd

Damian Chown has assisted hundreds of companies to improve their profitability and build shareholder wealth - advising companies from start-up business planning to working with managing directors of public companies.

Damian's career has included six years in corporate recovery services as a manager with chartered accountants, Arthur Andersen, prior to joining the Business & Financial Management team at Australian Business in 1995. In 2001, Damian joined Strategon Capital.

During his 16-year career as a management consultant, Damian has developed a number of monthly management reporting and accountability programs to guide owners toward business growth, enhance their knowledge of business and financial management issues and create improved equity in their business. As part of this advice, Damian regularly works with companies raising capital through both Australian Business Angels, a service provided by Strategon, and with the venture capital community generally.

Damian is a chartered accountant with degrees in Business Administration, Economics and Law.

Eddie Grieve, Manager Listings Business Development, ASX Ltd

Eddie Grieve is Manager, Listings Business Development at the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). He has had extensive experience in all aspects of capital markets over a period of more than 26 years.

Eddie has served in a number of senior roles at ASX including Head of Listing for a number of years. He has been closely involved in major floats and primary equity market raisings throughout his career and in his current role at ASX he is responsible for growing the ASX listing business and developing and promoting access to the ASX equity capital market.

Eddie frequently presents on IPO and listing issues and works closely with companies considering listing on ASX to help them achieve their objectives.

Kerry Rooney, Global Industry Network Leader, Clean Energy & Environment Theme, Austrade

Kerry Rooney is the Global Leader for Clean Energy and Environment at Austrade, the Government's trade and investment agency. Kerry is leading the implementation of the Australian Government's strategy for clean energy trade and investment. Kerry's team in Australia works closely with Austrade's overseas posts to attract foreign direct investment into Australia and supports a global network of export advisers and business development managers who work with Australian companies to realise their international business needs.

Prior to joining Austrade in 2008, Kerry was the General Manager for Technology and Manufacturing at Invest Australia, the Australian Government's former inward investment agency, focusing on investment in biotechnology, ICT and advanced manufacturing. As part of her 25 year career with the Australian Government, Kerry was also the General Manager responsible for tourism business development in the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources.

Robert Wulff, Principal, Griffith Hack

Robert Wulff is a principal of Griffith Hack IP Attorneys & Lawyers. Robert's patent practice is focused on Australia's major resources industry and also the rapidly emerging area of clean and sustainable technologies. His practice includes providing strategic IP advice to individual clients through to large sized businesses, as well as a number of diverse public research bodies.

Robert is a regular speaker on IP issues at universities, business fora and on radio and television.

Paul Niederer, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Small Scale Offerings Board

Paul Niederer is chief executive officer of the Australian Small Scale Offerings Board Limited (ASSOB). As a member of ASSOB's Admissions and Listings Committee part of Paul's daily job is viewing and assessing applications from businesses seeking to raise capital.

ASSOB has raised around $100 million dollars in the past few years for over 200 businesses. At any one time there are 40 or more businesses listed on ASSOB and around 30 in either Preview or Early Bird that have yet to go live.

Paul graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in Accountancy and has spent a large part of his career running and growing businesses in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Middle East and South East Asia. Paul has a strong passion for equipping those seeking to raise capital with the right tools and he often writes about this on his blog at CapitalUnderdogs.com

Olivia Coldrey, Research Investment Manager, Australian Solar Institute

Olivia Coldrey is a lawyer with over 12 years experience in cross-border finance transactions. In her role as Research Investment Manager at the Australian Solar Institute (ASI), Olivia manages the ASI's R&D investment program in solar photovoltaic technologies.

Prior to joining the ASI in October 2009, Olivia led the renewable energy finance business at Australia's export credit agency, Export Finance and Insurance Corporation, where she also worked as in-house counsel. In private practice, Olivia has worked with Baker & McKenzie in Sydney and Latham & Watkins in New York.

Olivia is a graduate of the ANU, UNSW and the London School of Economics. In 2005-06 Olivia was Global Emil Noel Fellow from Government at New York University School of Law where she undertook research in international trade law as a Fulbright Scholar.