Mergermarket M&A Forum Australia 2023
The premier M&A forum in Australia
Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney and Online
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The state of the market: Australian M&A in changing times
According to Mergermarket data, Australian M&A deal volume in 2022 dropped 52%, falling to AU$140bn from AU$289bn in 2021; reflecting the increased uncertainty in the financial markets. Following a bumper year for M&A activity in the region, increasingly volatile geopolitical and economic conditions, including higher interest rates and inflation, has meant that deals have been harder to complete, and the IPO window effectively shut. With this changing environment, a correction is expected to follow. Our panel of seasoned M&A experts will discuss dealmaking in the year ahead and offer their top tips to navigate choppy waters.
- How will macroeconomic factors, including interest rate volatility, supply chain issues and inflation impact corporate activity in the region?
- Have dealmakers seen a shift in opportunities and the types of deals they have been working on?
- Which regions and sectors still show promising growth in the next six months?
- What will the next six months hold for regional M&A, and is a recession/correction expected in the year ahead?
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Networking Break
Capturing opportunities in mid-market M&A
According to Mergermarket data, Australia’s mid-market accounted for 31% of all deals in 2022. Whilst overall dealmaking has declined and geopolitical uncertainties continue to persist, Australia’s strong economic fundamentals has meant that the mid-market segment remains a bright spot, as domestic and foreign investors seek out investment opportunities in the region, with inbound M&A accounting for 4084 deals in 2022. Our panel of mid-market experts will share their views on navigating the market.
- Will mid-market M&A remain a bright spot in the market and how is deal flow expected to play out in 2023?
- Which sectors have performed the best and will see the most activity in the next 12 months?
- Have private capital and pensions been a main driver of mid-market M&A activity?
- Will the region see more M&A activity as corporates reassess their business strategies?
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Navigating cross-border transactions - regulatory and due diligence perspectives
Navigating cross-border transactions continues to be challenging, with geopolitical and economic volatility adding to the complexity of getting deals done. Whilst Australia continues to be seen as a deal-friendly market, regulators, particularly FIRB and the ACCC play an important role, and dealmakers must consider regulatory challenges ranging from cybersecurity to ESG compliance. Despite the challenges, Australia remains an attractive destination for foreign investors. Our senior experts share their experiences in the region and abroad.
- Foreign investment into Australia - what factors continue to drive inbound dealmaking in the region?
- What are some regulatory issues that dealmakers need to continue to be aware of, such as data privacy, cybersecurity, and ESG compliance?
- FIRB + ACCC updates - how have they affected dealmaking in the region?
- Which emerging countries and markets will be the next hotspots for getting deals done?
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Networking Lunch
Case study: Stakeholder engagement in dealmaking
This presentation will provide top tips and case studies on how to maximise shareholder votes for M&A deals through stakeholder intelligence and engagement, including ESG and corporate governance considerations.
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Sector focus: Technology M&A: an evolving market
The Australian technology M&A market has seen major shifts in the past year. Compared to record high valuations and technology megadeals in the space a year ago, lower valuations for technology firms have meant that companies have had to increasingly seek funding in the private markets to stay afloat. Whilst this shift may provide the impetus to restart merger activity in the sector, and although Australia’s middle market technology companies and expanding startup scene remain attractive to investors, buyers will tread more cautiously. Our panel of technology experts will discuss the opportunity set in the sector and debate what the future holds.
- How has the sector changed in the past year, and how are dealmakers responding to the sector volatility and impacts on valuations?
- Which tech industries have seen the most activity in the past 6 months, such as fintech and e-commerce?
- What are corporate buyers looking for in this dealmaking environment, and how have their strategies changed compared to 2021/2?
- Digitalization - what are some recent examples of companies that have acquired new technologies?
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Networking break
Sector focus: Moving towards energy transition and decarbonization
Acquisition opportunities in the energy transition and decarbonization space have been seen as a bright spot in the Australian M&A market, as energy and natural resources companies divest their carbon-emitting portfolios and make investments to meet their net zero targets. Indeed, as a sector less driven by valuations and financing markets, the opportunities remain abundant in the region. Our panel of experts will discuss the opportunity set in this space and how to tap into key sectors.
- How are firms repositioning their portfolios towards energy transition and decarbonization?
- Are we likely to see more competition in this sector, both from a private equity and M&A standpoint?
- Which sub-sector has seen the most activity, such as renewables, hydrogen, battery storage and other clean technologies?
- How will ESG continue to drive investment strategies and deal activity as we move into 2023?
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Australian private equity - a maturing market
Amidst global uncertainties and public market volatility, the private equity industry in Australia remains active, with an abundance of capital that is waiting to be deployed. Whilst capital continues to be raised and PE sponsors continue to be sitting on high levels of dry powder, falling rates, competition from strategic buyers, cost of debt, and the effective closure of the IPO market as an exit path all serve as obstacles that may impact getting deals done. Our panel of private equity veterans will unpack the opportunity set that remains in the region and discuss what lies on the horizon in the year ahead.
- How has the PE industry changed in Australia in the past year? Are we seeing fewer big buyouts and more trade sales, take-privates, bolt-on acquisitions, and tertiary buyouts?
- Where are offshore and regional GPs still finding the best opportunities, such as taking advantage of low valuations of small-cap software companies, and is Australia still seen as a relatively safe haven from global headwinds?
- Private equity vs strategic buyers - has there been more competition for assets?
- What is the outlook for the rest of the year including opportunities on the horizon and potential pitfalls?
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Maggie is Mergermarket’s Australia Bureau Chief, leading a team of journalists across Australia and New Zealand to write about corporate growth strategies, M&A deals, PE buyouts, cross-border M&A intelligence, as well as data-backed analysis and trend pieces.
Working closely with her colleagues around world, she has been leading the Australian bureau’s cross-border coverage, particularly between Australia and Asia. She also acts as a coordinator on the ground in Australia to facilitate cross-product collaboration between Mergermarket and other sister publications under Acuris, including DealReporter, Inframation and PaRR.
She previously worked at The Australian and Reuters, starting her Australian journalism career in the Press Gallery in Canberra. Maggie has been based in Sydney since 2013.
Allan has been the Chief Executive of the Takeovers Panel since 2008. He holds the qualifications of Master of Laws, Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) from Melbourne University. Allan worked for Minter Ellison (1993-1995) and ASIC (1995-2007). His last position at ASIC was as the Director, Capital Markets (2005 to 2007). Allan has over 25 years’ experience in company and securities law, with a particular emphasis on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets. Allan is an observer at the Corporations Committee of the Business Law Section of the Law Council of Australia.
Stephen Ridgeway was appointed a Commissioner of the ACCC in June 2019.
Stephen chairs the ACCC’s Mergers Review and Competition Exemptions Committees, and is a member of the ACCC’s Enforcement Committee, Consumer Data Rights Committee and Agriculture Board. On 1 March 2022 Stephen also commenced an appointment as an Associate Member of the New Zealand Commerce Commission.
Stephen brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles as a lawyer in the private and public sectors. He is widely recognised as one of Australia’s leading competition and consumer lawyers and an expert in the field. In 2018 Stephen retired as a senior partner at King & Wood Mallesons.
Early in his career, Stephen acted for the ACCC and its predecessor, the Trade Practices Commission, in enforcement litigation as a senior lawyer with the Australian Government Solicitor. After joining private practice in 1998, Stephen had extensive involvement in merger clearance applications in a wide variety of industries. He also had extensive experience in regulatory enforcement actions, including a number of landmark ACCC enforcement matters.
During 2011 and 2012 Stephen was National Chairman of the Competition and Consumer Committee of the Law Council of Australia, and led consultations with the ACCC and Treasury about policy and enforcement matters. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section of the Law Council of Australia from 2016 to 2018.
Stephen holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of New South Wales and a Bachelor of Laws from the Australian National University.
Simon is currently focusing on private opportunities.
He was previously Head of Investment Banking Australia and New Zealand at J.P. Morgan. During his almost thirty year career in investment banking he worked at Citigroup and Merrill Lynch in various roles including Head of M&A and Head of Real Estate. Prior to working in investment banking he was a solicitor at Baker and McKenzie.
Simon has a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from Queensland University.
Helen is a Partner in the KPMG Mergers & Acquisitions team, specialising in advising privately owned companies on sell side and buy side transactions. Helen has particular expertise in the industrials and healthcare sectors.
Alex is one of Australia’s most experienced investment bankers with over 25 years top tier professional experience. He has a proven track record of providing financial and strategic advice to Boards and Management teams in connection with a broad range of corporate issues including complex M&A and capital markets transactions.
Alex has deep experience in connection with Australian public company takeovers and change of control transactions and was appointed by the Australian Government as President of the Australian Takeovers Panel in 2019, a role which he continues to perform.
Prior to joining Citi in July 2020, Alex was Head of Investment Banking & Head of Mergers and Acquisition Advisory for Deutsche Bank AG Australia. Alex commenced his professional career as a corporate lawyer at Allens Arthur Robinson in 1994.
Alex has a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) from the University of Melbourne and was awarded the Supreme Court Prize in Law. Alex also holds a Graduate Diploma of applied Finance and Investments (Honours) from the Securities Institute of Australia (now FINSIA).
Richard is a Managing Director and Head of M&A for Morgan Stanley in Australia. Since joining the firm in 2010, Richard has advised clients on numerous high profile and complex M&A transactions. Recent landmark transactions include advising Square on its $39bn acquisition of Afterpay, Blackstone on its $9bn bid for Crown, MIRA and Aware on their completed $4.6bn acquisition of Vocus Group and Virgin Australia on its $3.5bn sale to Bain Capital.
Founding Partner - Head of Technology & Co-Head of Industrials
Luke has over 16 years investment banking experience.
He has completed over 50 transactions across M&A and capital markets.
Most recent listed company M&A experience includes adviser to Coca Cola Amatil on its acquisition by CCEP, adviser to Bingo on its acquisition by MIRA and adviser to Dye & Durham on its acquisition of Link Group.
Luke has Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Laws from University of Sydney.
He started his career in the M&A team at Allens.
Kierin is a Managing Director, and Head of M&A Australia and New Zealand, at JP Morgan.
He is a highly experienced M&A banker, having completed over $100 billion of transactions across a diverse range of industries. In an experience spanning nearly two decades, he has advised leading corporates in Australia and globally, financial investors, governments and entrepreneurs on landmark M&A transactions.
Chris leads the Private Equity and M&A Services (PEMA) practice for Marsh in the Pacific region. Chris is responsible for the seamless delivery of PEMA’s services to help corporations, private equity firms, alternative asset managers, lenders and infrastructure investors to identify and manage M&A risks.
Prior to joining Marsh, Chris focused on transaction-related insurances at another global insurance broker. Prior to this, Chris practiced law in the United States, and has experience in mergers and acquisitions, PE, and general corporate matters at two large American law firms.
Tim is the founder and principal of Miles Advisory Partners and has worked in corporate finance since 1997. Tim founded Miles Advisory Partners in 2002 with the specific goal of providing professional corporate advisory services to the mid-market. Since this time, he has led more than 100 successful private and public transactions including divestments, mergers, acquisitions, and debt/equity capital raisings.
Prior to establishing Miles Advisory Partners, Tim held a variety of executive positions specialising in merger and acquisition transactions and capital raisings and has provided advice across a broad range of industries including engineering, resources, manufacturing, distribution, and finance.
Jimmy is a Partner at Greenstone Partners, a leading independent corporate advisory firm focused on mid-market mergers, acquisitions and divestments.
Jimmy joined Greenstone Partners in 2006 and has a broad range of experience in M&A, debt and equity transactions for public, private and private equity clients. Most recently, Jimmy advised:
- Aidacare (one of Australia’s leading providers of healthcare equipment and assistive technology) on an investment by Quadrant Private Equity; and
- One Stop Warehouse (Australia’s leading distributor of rooftop solar products) on an investment by global private equity firm, Hillhouse.
Jimmy also sits on the Advisory Committee of Interspan, a global provider of post-tensioning solutions to the construction industry.
Prior to joining Greenstone Partners, Jimmy was a solicitor in the Corporate Advisory Group at Blake Dawson Waldron (now Ashurst) in Sydney.
As a Partner in the Corporate Finance team of Pitcher Partners Melbourne, Michael assists many clients, from a range of industries, with their transaction pursuits with specialist services including: lead mergers and acquisitions advice, financial analysis, due diligence investigations and valuations.
Michael leads the Global Corporate Finance group for Baker Tilly International a top 10 accounting network globally.
Clients benefit significantly from Michael’s astute business acumen and persuasive negotiating skills. Clients seeking growth through divestment and acquisition strategies draw on Michael’s networks and knowledge to maximise their business and financial results. He works with many public and private businesses on their buy and sell side mandates.
A market-leading M&A lawyer, Sandy acts for both corporate and private equity clients across the globe on cross-border public and private mergers and acquisitions, foreign investment, equity raisings, buy-backs and restructurings.
She also advises on ASIC and ASX regulatory work, foreign investment regulations and corporate governance issues.
Sandy has consistently been listed as a leading lawyer by legal directories and publications including Chambers and Partners and Best Lawyers. In 2022 she was named Dealmaker of the Year in the Women in Law Awards, and in 2020 she was named Dealmaker of the Year in both the Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards and Women in Law Awards.
She is a guest lecturer at UNSW Law School in the subject of Takeovers and Capital Markets, and also lectures in Sydney University’s Masters of Law subject Takeovers and Reconstructions. She is the Takeovers and Acquisitions and Fundraising for Securities editor for the Halsburys Laws of Australia guide and is also a member of the Corporations Committee of the Law Council of Australia.
In 2021, Sandy was appointed by the Treasurer to the Takeovers Panel for a three year term.
Vivek Das, Former Head of Strategy and M&A
Vivek Das leads Corporate Strategy, M&A and Transformation across Asia Pacific for Serco, one of the world’s leading and UK listed public services outsourcing companies.
With a wide range of public services offerings ranging from public grounds maintenance on the one end to modernisation of nuclear submarines and weapon systems on the other, Serco thrives on managing complexity while delivering value-for-money to Governments across the developed world. And with this complexity comes an immense opportunity to invest, transform and reinvent the way public services are delivered across the world.
As the Head of Strategy, Vivek leads several programs of capability development and expansion including M&A for Serco. During his 11 years at Serco he has been instrumental in leading several strategic initiatives across the globe such as new country entry, strategic acquisitions, divestments, operating model redesign, and corporate transformation.
With 22 years of M&A and Corporate Strategy experience, Vivek has led several cross-border investment and acquisition initiatives across Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare and Public Services sectors covering North America (USA & Canada), UK & Europe (France, Germany & Italy), the Middle East (UAE & KSA), and theAsia Pacific region (India, Japan & China in addition to Australia).
Prior to joining Serco in 2011, Vivek spent 7 years leading Mergers & Acquisitions and Strategic Investments for some of India’s largest pharmaceutical companies followed by 5-years at Ernst and Young India as part of their Transaction Advisory practice.
Vivek is a Serco Pulse Award winner for Outstanding Commitment and a University Gold Medallist. He has a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting and a Masters’ in business management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
Richard has been advising Australian and multinational companies and Government on their M&A and capital markets strategies for almost 20 years. Prior to joining Luminis, Richard was an Executive Director of Greenhill Australia. Prior to that, Richard was an Associate Director at Deloitte.
Richard’s recent advisory roles include advising Pemba on its acquisition of MSL Solutions and sale of Ampion, Spicers Retreat on the sale to Salter Brothers, Amaysim on the sale of its Energy business to AGL Energy and its Mobile business to Optus, Metcash on the acquisition of Total Tools and Home Timer & Hardware, Capgemini on its acquisition of RXP and Empired, Lynas on its $1.6b unsolicited proposal from Wesfarmers, ERM on its recommended taker by Shell, Lion Nathan on its $8.2b minority take out by Kirin and GrainCorp on its $3.0b unsolicited takeover by Archer Daniels Midland. Recent capital markets roles include capital raisings for Qantas, Flight Centre and Metcash, plus advising ReadyTech and Autosports Group on their respective IPOs.
Richard is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
Drew Riethmuller is the Head of Global Corporate & Investment Banking, Oceania for MUFG Bank, Ltd., a member of MUFG, after joining in February 2016.
Drew is responsible for the management and development of the Corporate & Investment banking business in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. In this capacity, he provides oversight and strategic leadership for the bank’s corporate client business and core products including Project Finance, Loan and Debt Capital Markets, Securitisation, Acquisition Finance and Corporate Advisory.
Prior to MUFG, Drew spent 7 years at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) in a range of senior roles managing the bank’s Global Relationship Banking business across Australia, Asia, America and EMEA.
Prior to joining ANZ, Drew spent 17 years at Citigroup where he held senior positions in Fixed Income, Structured Capital Markets and Funds Management across markets including Australia, New Zealand, US, and EMEA.
He holds a Bachelor of Business and Postgraduate in Business (Accounting and Finance) and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.
Marc Rubinstein, Managing Director
Marc is a Managing Director and has been at Rothschild & Co for over 15 years.
His experience covers complex, cross-border transactions in the Healthcare, Retail and Business Services sectors, with strong private equity and public market expertise.
Marc holds a combined Bachelor of Applied Finance / Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) Degree from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.
Danny is responsible for the direction and delivery of campaigns executed by the client services and operational teams across the Asia Pacific region. Originally from the UK, Danny started his career in financial markets with S&P Global Markets intelligence in London in 2007 tasked with managing the relationships with providers of investment
research across different asset classes, relocating to Hong Kong in 2011 to develop and grow new and existing relationships with providers in the Asia Pacific region. In 2013 Danny moved to Sydney and joined IRM, providing online investor communication tools to ASX listed companies, before joining Orient Capital in 2016. At Orient Capital, Danny managed the investor campaigns team and was responsible for the strategy, execution and delivery of shareholder engagement campaigns across a variety of transactions such as; domestic and cross-border M&A, capital raisings and shareholder meetings.
- Diploma of Investor Relations – Australasian Investor Relations Association (AIRA)
- Certificate in Governance Practice
– Governance Institute of Australia
Sam Riley is the CEO and co-founder of Ansarada. Sam’s vision is to help millions of businesses raise and protect their potential throughout their lifecycle. Ansarada is doing this through leveraging all its experience from running +24,000 M&A deals across the globe into the AI-powered platform, which provides the visibility, insights, connections and automation that companies need to be ready for the most important outcomes in their lifecycle, including debt and equity capital raising, compliance, refinancing, M&A and more.
Today, Ansarada is a complete Operating System for governing critical information, so you can reduce risk, boost efficiencies, and drive decision making at every stage of a company's lifecycle. Their portfolio of SaaS solutions now includes Deals, Board, Tenders and Compliance, bringing together the AI-powered Virtual Data Rooms, project management workflow tool, highly secure board portal, and governance & compliance pathways into a single powerful platform.
Ansarada was established with just $30k in capital and now has 200 employees around the world and an annual revenue of~$38m. More than 400,000 professionals use Ansarada’s platform and data rooms for transactions such as capital raising, private placements, IPO’s, asset sales and more. Ansarada has frequently been listed on the Deloitte Technology Fast50 and BRW’s Best Places to Work in Australia Awards.
Sam is passionate about leadership, simplicity, challenging the status quo and serving those less fortunate. Sam has pledged 1 percent of Ansarada’s equity, time and product to the Adara Group, a unique organization working to improve the lives of women and children from Nepal and Uganda living in extreme poverty
Sam Riley is the CEO and co-founder of Ansarada. Sam’s vision is to help millions of businesses raise and protect their potential throughout their lifecycle. Ansarada is doing this through leveraging all its experience from running +24,000 M&A deals across the globe into the AI-powered platform, which provides the visibility, insights, connections and automation that companies need to be ready for the most important outcomes in their lifecycle, including debt and equity capital raising, compliance, refinancing, M&A and more.
Today, Ansarada is a complete Operating System for governing critical information, so you can reduce risk, boost efficiencies, and drive decision making at every stage of a company's lifecycle. Their portfolio of SaaS solutions now includes Deals, Board, Tenders and Compliance, bringing together the AI-powered Virtual Data Rooms, project management workflow tool, highly secure board portal, and governance & compliance pathways into a single powerful platform.
Ansarada was established with just $30k in capital and now has 200 employees around the world and an annual revenue of~$38m. More than 400,000 professionals use Ansarada’s platform and data rooms for transactions such as capital raising, private placements, IPO’s, asset sales and more. Ansarada has frequently been listed on the Deloitte Technology Fast50 and BRW’s Best Places to Work in Australia Awards.
Sam is passionate about leadership, simplicity, challenging the status quo and serving those less fortunate. Sam has pledged 1 percent of Ansarada’s equity, time and product to the Adara Group, a unique organization working to improve the lives of women and children from Nepal and Uganda living in extreme poverty
Mark joined WiseTech Global in 2015 as an advisor on the IPO. Following the successful listing, Mark joined the group permanently as Deputy CFO, with a core focus on forecasting, reporting and process improvement. During Mark’s time at WiseTech, he has led the acquisition process and has been implementing and driving the integration process across acquired businesses. Prior to joining the WiseTech team, Mark spent almost 20 years with PwC in M&A focused roles on buy side, sell side due diligence and public market transactions across Europe and Australia. Mark is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Leeds.
Kara Frederick
Managing Partner
Tiger Financial Group
Kara is the Founder and Managing Partner of Tiger Financial Group (TFG), a leading financial services firm empowering Australian growth companies into global markets. Kara is also Managing Partner in a private capital fund for cleantech.
TFG’s recent advisory and investment deal highlights include but are not limited to: US$1.2 billion NASDAQ listing for global EV charging leader Tritium, advisory services for HR tech ‘unicorn’ Culture Amp, and investment in fintech leader Indebted.
Kara has extensive international investment and capital markets experience. She previously led a $150 million fintech fund and spent a decade on Wall Street and Silicon Valley, including with Goldman Sachs Capital Partners.
Kara’s leadership roles also include being a Director of MGA Thermal (a leading Hunter-based long duration storage leader), a Member of the Governance Board of ATRaCE ($200M commitment to NSW-based cleantech start-ups) and as co-head of Princeton University’s Alumni Schools Committee, among others.
Kara spends her time in the Hunter and Sydney with her young family.
Brendan is Co-Head of Technology, Media & Telecoms for UBS Australasia, with a particular focus on the software/internet side.
He has approx. 15 years investment banking experience, the last decade of which he has covered the Technology and TMT sectors.
Most recently, Brendan has advised the likes of ELMO Software, Nitro Software, Siteminder, Domain Holdings, Hansen Technologies and Class Ltd .
Brendan has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.
Andrew Joyce, Partner
Andrew Joyce joined is a Partner at Potentia and has been with the firm since 2019. Andrew has over 16 years’ experience in M&A, Management Consulting and Technology.
Within the Potentia portfolio, Andrew is a director of Linkly and Commerce Vision.
Prior to joining Potentia, Andrew was the Co-Founder of two technology businesses, across both software and hardware.
Prior to this, Andrew was an Investment Manager at Archer Capital, an Australian mid-market Private Equity fund based in Sydney. Andrew commenced his career at Bain & Company, where he worked across clients in the telecommunication and banking sectors.
Andrew holds a Bachelor of Engineering with First Class Honours from the University of New South Wales, where he was a Malcolm Chaikin Scholarship recipient.
Rob Clow is a senior reporter with Infralogic in Sydney, covering energy mergers and acquisitions, project finance and trading in the Asia Pacific region.
A financial journalist with over 20 years’ experience in London, New York and Sydney, Rob has previously worked on the staff of the Financial Times, The Australian, The Australian Financial Review, the New York Post and Institutional Investor magazine.
Michael is General Manager, Corporate Strategy, Development & Planning at Origin Energy. Michael’s responsibilities including overseeing M&A, corporate strategy, financial planning, and Origin’s investment office. Prior to his current position, Michael has had various roles within Origin across M&A, strategy and treasury and prior to joining Origin worked in private equity and investment banking. Michael holds a BCom (Hons) Finance/Economics from UNSW.
Frank Maniere – Head of Corporate Development, Endeavour Energy
Frank is a seasoned professional with nearly 20 years’ global experience in corporate finance and management consulting, with particular focus in the energy sector, encompassing infrastructure and private investment.
He joined Endeavour Energy as Head of Corporate Development in 2019 and plays a pivotal role in driving commercial opportunities and strategic partnerships for the group as it evolves from a traditional ‘poles and wires’ electricity distribution network to a modern grid, connecting over 1.1 million homes and businesses across Sydney’s Greater West, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, Illawarra and the South Coast of NSW.
Prior to joining Endeavour Energy, Frank held management roles with Societe Generale Corporate and Investment Banking, and a range of companies ranging in size from start-ups to listed multi-nationals with international exposure in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.
Frank holds a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering, MSc Finance from Imperial College London and an MBA from Instead.
Executive Director, Head of ESG
Katherine leads Gresham’s ESG advisory capability and specialises in transactions with significant environmental, social or governance opportunities or challenges. Katherine has more than 20 years’ experience executing M&A transactions, restructuring initiatives and capital raisings, worth over $25 billion across a broad range of industries including asset management, banking, energy, infrastructure, consumer products, healthcare, aged care, industrials and agribusiness. Katherine has held investment banking roles as well as in-house M&A advisory roles with some of Australia’s largest banks and asset managers. As a result she has a strong understanding of M&A from both an internal corporate and an external advisory perspective.
In addition to M&A advisory, she has strong strategy, ESG and sustainable finance credentials. Prior to joining Gresham, Katherine was responsible for leading National Australia Bank’s (NAB’s) Corporate and Institutional ESG advisory capability, and has also led strategy and ESG functions within AMP Capital, Challenger Funds Management and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
Tim Burroughs is managing editor of Asian Venture Capital Journal, having joined the publication in May 2011. He is responsible for all editorial content put out under the AVCJ brand, including Asian Venture Capital Journal, AVCJtv, AVCJ Awards and AVCJ.com. Tim previously spent five years at China Economic Review, serving as editor-in-chief and then editorial director. Located in Greater China since 2003, during which time he has lived in Beijing, Qingdao and Hong Kong, Tim has been a China-based contributor for publications including The Sunday Times, Sunday Telegraph, BBC and China Daily. Prior to moving to China, he trained and worked as a journalist in the UK. He was honored at the Society of Publishers in Asia awards in 2007, 2008 and 2010, and at the State Street Institutional Press Awards - Asia in 2012.
Michael Blickstead is a Senior Managing Director in the Private Equity Group based in Sydney and Head of Australia / New Zealand Private Equity.
Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Blickstead was a Division Director / Managing Director and Head of Principal Finance Asia Pacific for Macquarie Group where he invested across the capital structure. Prior to that, he was an Investment Director at Archer Capital, one of Australia’s leading domestic private equity firms. Mr. Blickstead started his career in the Private Equity Group at Goldman Sachs in New York and London.
Mr. Blickstead received a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude in Economics, from Harvard University as well as an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Katie Wood is a Managing Director at Adamantem Capital. Katie has investment banking, corporate development and strategy experience from her time working for Macquarie from 2011-2015. Katie sits on the board of Linen Services Australia and NAK.
She received a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) from the University of Queensland.
Simon Pither joined Quadrant Private Equity in May 2008 from Melbourne-based mid-market private equity fund, Advent Private Capital. Prior to this Simon worked for Credit Agricole Indosuez Private Equity in London, investing in mid-market private equity and mezzanine opportunities.
Simon works in the Quadrant Growth Fund, currently investing the $530m QGF2, and is on the Board of QGF1 and QGF2 portfolio companies across consumer, healthcare and technology sectors.
Matt Robinson - Managing Director - Buyout and Secure Assets
Matt joined Pacific Equity Partners in 2009. Prior to joining PEP, he was a consultant with Bain & Company in Australia. Matt was an Innovation Scholar at Macquarie University where he received a Bachelor of Commerce (Actuarial Studies) and was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Commendation for Academic Excellence.
Symon joined Advent in 2007 and has more than 21 years of experience in the private equity and financial advisory industries. While at Advent, he has partnered with numerous founders to help them with strategy, growth and building their businesses. He also co-heads Advent’s Responsible Investing program. Symon is currently a director of Zero Latency VR, Flintfox and Frosty Boy. Prior to joining Advent Partners, Symon was a corporate advisor with KPMG in Melbourne focusing on capital raisings, M&A, turnarounds and restructurings. He holds a Master of Applied Finance from Macquarie University and a Bachelor of Commerce from Melbourne University. He is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a Senior Associate of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia. He is also a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.