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
Rivetts 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.
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