Mike Baird was elected Leader of the NSW Liberal Party at a party-room meeting on Thursday 17 April, 2014, and was later that day sworn in as Premier by the Governor, Professor Marie Bashir. He was the 44th Premier of NSW.

Mike Baird was appointed Treasurer of NSW after the election of the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government on 26 March 2011. In September 2012 he was also appointed Minister for Industrial Relations. Mike had served as Shadow Treasurer since December 2008 and previously as Shadow Minister for Energy, Finance and Youth Affairs.

Mike was elected Member for Manly in 2007 after an 18-year banking career incorporating corporate banking, securitisation, debt capital markets and project finance in Australia, London and Hong Kong.

Career highlights include managing corporate finance transactions across a range of industries for Deutsche Bank and Head of Originations, debt capital markets in London for the NAB.

Prior to his election to Parliament, Mike was Head of Institutional Banking for HSBC in Australia and New Zealand.

Since the formation of Oaktree in 1995, Mr. Marks has been responsible for ensuring the firm’s adherence to its core investment philosophy; communicating closely with clients concerning products and strategies; and contributing his experience to big-picture decisions relating to investments and corporate direction. From 1985 until 1995, Mr. Marks led the groups at The TCW Group, Inc. that were responsible for investments in distressed debt, high yield bonds, and convertible securities. He was also Chief Investment Officer for Domestic Fixed Income at TCW.

Previously, Mr. Marks was with Citicorp Investment Management for 16 years, where from 1978 to 1985 he was Vice President and senior portfolio manager in charge of convertible and high yield securities. Between 1969 and 1978, he was an equity research analyst and, subsequently, Citicorp’s Director of Research.

Mr. Marks holds a B.S.Ec. degree cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a major in finance and an M.B.A. in accounting and marketing from the Booth School of Business of the University of Chicago, where he received the George Hay Brown Prize. He is a CFA charterholder.

Mr. Marks is a member of the Investment Committees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Edmond J. Safra Foundation; a Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum; Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Drawing School; and an Emeritus Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania (where from 2000 to 2010 he chaired the Investment Board).

Paul Keating served as Australia’s 24th Prime Minister, from 1991 to 1996, having been Treasurer between 1983 and 1991.

His political legacy includes fundamental social and economic reform that laid the basis for Australia’s last quarter century economic performance and included the deregulation of the financial, product and labour markets.  Paul Keating also established compulsory superannuation – now with more than $2.1 trillion under management.  He worked towards an inclusive social policy, for Australia to become a Republic and established the Native Title legislation.  His reforms in education included establishing the Australian National Training Authority.  In foreign policy, he established the APEC Leaders’ Meeting and worked to forge Australia’s place in the region, especially with Indonesia.

His book, Engagement: Australia faces the Asia Pacific (2000) was translated into Chinese and Japanese.  In October 2011, his book of post Prime-Ministerial speeches, After Words, was published and Keating, the book based on the 2013 four-part ABC interview series with Kerry O’Brien, was published in 2015.

Since leaving the Prime Ministership in 1996, Paul Keating has continued his interest in geopolitical and economic affairs and urban design.  He is the progenitor of the Barangaroo project in Sydney, including and especially, its Headland Park.

Leah Joy Zell (PhD, CFA) is a nationally recognized expert in international investing, and a pioneer in the international small-cap category. From 1992 to 2005, she was a co-founding partner and portfolio manager at Wanger Asset Management, a global small-mid cap equity specialist.

Ms. Zell is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Global Advisory Council of Harvard University, and the Wilson Centre Global Advisory Council in Washington, D.C. Ms. Zell also serves as a Director of the Horton Trust Company LLC, and a member of the Investment Committee of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Previously, she was on the Harvard University Board of Overseers and the Board of Trustees of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Mr Luciano has over twenty years’ experience gained as a portfolio manager, equities analyst and accountant. Prior to founding VGI Partners in 2008, Mr Luciano spent five years as an Executive Director and Investment Manager with Caledonia Investments in Sydney. Prior to Caledonia, Mr Luciano held positions as a Portfolio Manager at Allianz Equity Management and an equities analyst at BNP Paribas (formerly Prudential-Bache Securities Australia). Mr Luciano commenced his career as an accountant with BDO Nelson Parkhill in 1993.

Mr Luciano graduated from the University of New South Wales, with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Accounting & Finance where he later completed a Masters of Commerce, majoring in Advanced Finance. He is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia. Mr Luciano has completed the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Program and has been awarded the CFA Charter.

Mr Luciano is a Director of VGI Partners Global Investments Limited (ASX: VG1)

David is a founding director of Lanyon Asset Management, a value-oriented equity fund manager established in 2009. 

David co-manages both the Lanyon Australian Value Fund and the Lanyon Global Value Fund.   Since inception in 2010, the Lanyon Australian Value Fund has generated compound returns of 17.4% whilst maintaining average cash balances in excess of 50% of fund assets.

Prior to founding Lanyon, David was previously Head of Equities at institutional fund manager, CP2 (formerly Capital Partners).  He has over 18 years of funds management experience working for firms in Australia and the UK

David has an Economics degree from the University of Adelaide, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia (Finsia) and is a CFA charterholder.

Madeleine Beaumont has been serving as a Senior Portfolio Manager of Australian Fundamental Equities at BlackRock Asset Management Australia Limited since joining the firm on 1 June 2015.

She began her career in the stock-broking industry, and then transferred to the buy-side at SBC Brinson, where she covered media, food and retail. Madeleine spent 11 years in London, where she broadened her experience, covering the UK and Continental European markets. She worked for SEB and for M&G, the investment arm of Prudential PLC. While at M&G, Madeleine was rated the number 2 Consumer Analyst. She was head of European Equity research and successfully managed a Pan-European Equity Portfolio.

She is a CFA charterholder and holds a Bachelor’s of Agriculture (Hons). Madeleine is also a Graduate of AICD and is involved as a non-executive director in the not for profit sector.

Dr Nikki Stamp is a cardiothoracic surgeon based in Sydney, Australia. Nikki is a graduate of the University of Western Australia and has completed training in cardiothoracic surgery with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Nikki wants to share with people an approach to health and wellbeing that is backed up by science and good quality evidence. She has a particular interest in all things related to heart health and in particular, women’s heart health.

Nikki is also a strong advocate for women in surgery and other professional positions. She enjoys mentoring and encouraging young women into roles that are traditionally occupied by men. Nikki enjoys education and thoroughly enjoys teaching young doctors and other hospital staff. She also is committed to advocating to doctor’s well being and prevention and management of mental health issues amongst doctors.

Outside of work, Nikki is a Perth girl through and through, evidenced by a love of the beach and sunshine. Nikki is a (slow) runner and swimmer to help keep fit and healthy. Nikki also is an accomplished singer and can often be found belting out tunes from the music Chicago or Fleetwood Mac and hopes to one day make all four chairs turn around on The Voice.

Janchor Partners is an Asia-Pacific focused long-term investment firm based in Hong Kong, with around US$3b of assets under management. John Ho serves as a Deputy Chairman of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange Listing Committee, an independent body whose functions are to approve stock exchange listings and has independent oversight over the Hong Kong Exchange Listing Division.

Before founding Janchor Partners, John was the Head of The Children’s Investment Fund (Asia) Limited in Hong Kong, managing the Asia office and its business and investment activities. Prior to that, John was a senior analyst with the Citadel Investment Group in the U.S. and also a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Australia.

Before BCG, John was a lecturer in the School of Banking and Finance at the University of New South Wales Australia, where he graduated in Finance and Mathematics and was awarded the University Medal.  His final year dissertation on option pricing of physical assets was published in the Journal of Alternative Investments.

Patrick Hodgens is Head of Equities at Macquarie Investment Management and lead portfolio manager of the Macquarie High Conviction Fund, winner of the Money Management / Lonsec Australian Equities (Broad Cap) Fund Manager of the Year award in 2016.

With over 30 years’ experience in investment markets, Patrick has been instrumental in the development of the High Conviction team and the fundamental investment approach at Macquarie Investment Management. In his role, Patrick is responsible for the daily portfolio management of the Fund as well as driving process development across the business.

In his 27 years at Macquarie, Patrick has developed a comprehensive range of style aware equity strategies across a spectrum of risk/return profiles. Today, the Listed Equities business has over $18bn in assets under management, offering a range of products covering index, low risk, high conviction, small cap, long/short, Asian fundamental, and global funds.

Michael Messara is the Co-Chief Investment Officer at Caledonia. Michael started his career in 2001 as an equity research analyst at UBS AG in Sydney. During his time at UBS, Michael covered a range of industry sectors and was made the youngest ever Director of UBS in Australia.

Michael then joined Caledonia in 2006 and over the last 10 years has been responsible for some of Caledonia’s most successful investments. Caledonia is a global equity fund manager that was founded in 1992 as one of the first boutique fund managers in Australia. Caledonia has compounded the original capital invested at a rate in excess of 17% per annum.

Michael is now based at Caledonia’s office in New York. Michael is currently on the Board of Directors of Caledonia (Private) Investments Pty Limited and Arrowfield Group Pty Ltd and was previously a Non-Executive Director of Grays eCommerce Group Limited

Kerr Neilson has over 40 years of experience in financial markets both in broking and funds management.  This has involved a stint in London, followed by managing the research department for a stockbroker in South Africa.  Upon migrating to Australia he joined Bankers Trust, where he made important contributions to the development of that company’s highly successful retail funds management division.

Kerr left Bankers Trust Australia as an Executive Vice President to form Platinum Asset Management in February 1994.  In addition to managing Platinum’s global mandates, Kerr held the position of Chief Investment Officer until May 2013.  Kerr remains Chief Executive Officer and as portfolio manager for the global mandates at Platinum and is the principal shareholder.

BCom (UCT).

John Pearce joined UniSuper as Chief Investment Officer in July 2009. UniSuper is the superannuation fund dedicated to people working in Australia’s higher education and research sector. With more than 410,000 members and $50 billion in net funds under management, is one of Australia’s largest super funds. UniSuper has about 35 investment professionals involved in allocating funds and investing directly across all asset classes both domestically and globally.

John has over 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry both in Australia and Asia. He has held several senior positions including Chief Executive Officer and General Manager, Investments of Australia’s largest asset management company, Colonial First State, from 2000 to 2006. From 2006 to 2008 John was the Head of Global Asset Management for Ping An, which is China’s second largest insurance company.

Anthony is the Portfolio Manager of the SHARE-PLUS Long-Short Fund.

Anthony has 13 years’ experience outside of Perpetual, most recently at Ellerston Capital where for two years he was the Portfolio Manager for the Ellerston Capital Global Equity Management Fund. Prior to this role, he spent 3 years as an analyst working on a long/short strategy. Prior to joining Ellerston Capital, Anthony worked as an Analyst at UBS Investment Bank for 8 years.

Anthony has a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney and has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

BEc, CFA

Years of experience: 17

Years at Perpetual: 4

Shane Finemore is the Managing Partner of Manikay Partners and serves as the firm’s Chief Investment Officer.

Prior to founding Manikay Partners, Mr. Finemore spent 17 years at UBS and predecessor firms. Mr. Finemore was Managing Director and Head of the UBS Fundamental Investment Group, UBS’s Proprietary Multi Strategy Arbitrage and Investment business in the Americas, from 2002 to 2007, and served on the UBS Investment Bank board from 2006. Mr. Finemore was Head of Australian Equities at UBS from 1999 to 2001.

Mr. Finemore began his career with a predecessor of UBS in Interest Rate and Equity derivatives in 1990. He was a member of the board of the Australian Securities Exchange Limited from 2007 to 2013.

Dr Itescu has served on the Mesoblast Board since the Company’s founding in 2004, was Executive Director from 2007, and became CEO and Managing Director in 2011. Prior to founding Mesoblast, he established an international reputation as a physician scientist in the fields of stem cell biology, autoimmune diseases, organ transplantation, and heart failure. Dr Itescu has been a faculty member of Columbia University in New York, and the University of Melbourne and Monash University in Australia. In 2013, Dr Itescu received the inaugural Key Innovator Award from the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture for leadership in translational science and clinical medicine in relation to adult stem cell therapy. In 2011, he was named BioSpectrum Asia Person of the Year. Dr Itescu has consulted for various international pharmaceutical companies, has been an adviser to biotechnology and healthcare investor groups, and has served on the Boards of several publicly-listed life sciences companies.

MBBS, FRACP

Geoff Wilson has over 37 years’ direct experience in investment markets having held a variety of senior investment roles in Australia, the UK and the US. Geoff founded Wilson Asset Management in 1997. Geoff created Australia’s first listed philanthropic wealth creation vehicles, Future Generation Investment Company and Future Generation Global Investment Company. Geoff is Chairman of WAM Capital, WAM Leaders, WAM Research, WAM Active and WAM Microcap. Geoff holds a number of additional directorships with investment companies and non-profit organisations.