Speaker alumni

Jason graduated from University of Melbourne Medical School in 1994, and then undertook residency and cardiology training at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney. Jason then completed a PhD at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute (VCCRI) in Sydney in 2007, followed by a postdoc at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. He then moved to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, where he established his research program focusing on vascular diseases, while also practicing as a clinical cardiologist.

After over a decade in New York, in 2020 Jason returned to Australia to become Institute Director and CEO of the VCCRI. He now holds the position of the Robert M. Graham Chair and Professor of Cardiovascular Research at University of NSW and is also Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA.

He is the President of the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance (ACvA), and Co-Chair of the NSW Chapter of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI).

Michelle Simmons is CEO and Founder of Silicon Quantum Computing and Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology in Sydney.

She is internationally recognised as the creator of the new field of atomic electronics. For over a quarter century, she has pioneered new technologies to manufacture computing devices in silicon atom by atom. Her work led to the invention of the first single atom transistor in 2012, and to the world’s first integrated circuit in silicon manufactured at the atomic-scale, which is now being commercialised as the basis for a new generation of quantum computers. Michelle’s discoveries are powering the transition from the digital to the quantum age, placing Australia at the forefront of the global race to develop a quantum computer. 

Michelle has received over 30 globally recognised awards over her career to date and is a passionate advocate and mentor for young scientists in Australia.

Beeneet Kothari is the Managing Partner and Principal Portfolio Manager of Tekne Capital Management, a global fund manager he founded in 2012. Prior, he was a Managing Director at PointState Capital and Duquesne Capital, a global macro hedge fund founded by Stan Druckenmiller. Tekne Capital is a global technology investment manager based in New York with a footprint across several global Emerging Markets.

Tekne manages over USD$1 billion, and their investment focus is exclusively on tech-related businesses with a heavy tilt towards non-US/emerging markets in a concentrated portfolio with multi-year holding periods. Their flagship fund remains highly focused on owning a concentrated and diversified group of the leading non-US technology companies globally, where growth remains robust while public market valuations remain depressed.

Qiao Ma joined Munro Partners in February 2023 and is the Lead Portfolio Manager for the Munro Global Growth Small & Mid Cap Fund. She is responsible for championing stock ideas and managing these positions within each of the Munro’s strategies – absolute return, long only and climate.

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Prior to joining Munro, Qiao was a portfolio manager at the Melbourne-based Cooper Investors and has spent nearly a decade with well-known hedge funds in New York City, including Coatue Management and Jericho Capital.

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Key career highlights include:

• Over 15 years of financial services experience.
• 2018-2023, Portfolio Manager, Cooper Investors, Melbourne
• 2017-2018, Sector Head – Internet and Technology, Cooper Investors, Melbourne
• 2015-2016, Head of Asia Pacific, Jericho Capital, New York
• 2010-2014, Analyst, Coatue Management, New York

Qiao holds a dual degree of Bachelor of Science, Commerce (B.Sc) and Economics from the University of Virginia and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard Business School.

Eric is part of the founding team at Varda Space Industries where he is the Chief Revenue Officer. Varda Space Industries develops small reentry vehicles that are used both for the commercial development of pharmaceuticals in microgravity, as well as a test system for all manner of reentry related technologies. 

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Varda is currently in partnership with NASA Ames, NASA Langley, and multiple branches of the US Defense Department, as well as the commercial pharmaceutical industry. Varda recently completed their first end to end reentry mission and the W-1 capsule was the first commercial spacecraft to ever land on US soil.

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Prior to his work at Varda, Eric worked in similar roles at the drone logistics company Zipline International, operating mass-scale delivery drones in sub saharan Africa, and the payment processing company Stripe. Eric has a degree in Physics from Colgate University.

Anthony is the Chief Executive Officer and former Chief Operating Officer of Proto Axiom, a multi-stage life sciences investment firm with a strong focus on incubation.

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Previously, Anthony co-founded Applecart, a platform generating over $30 million in annual revenue, which helps advertisers connect with high-value business decision-makers. He has also held roles working with Malcolm Turnbull, the Tony Blair Institute, and on the presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney and John Kasich.

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Anthony serves as Chairman of the St. Vincent’s Hospital Discovery and Innovation Fund. He holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford (2020) and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the University of Pennsylvania (2014).

Simon Lucey Ph.D. is the Director of the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) at the University of Adelaide, Australia’s largest machine learning research group. His previous appointments were at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute (RI) in Pittsburgh USA, autonomous vehicle company Argo AI and CSIRO  
(2009-2014).

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He has received various career  awards including an ARC Future Fellowship (2009-2013). He has published over 300 articles, has over 18,904 citations with an h-index of 61. He has also registered 11 patents in computer vision.

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Simon’s research interests span computer vision, machine learning, and robotics. He enjoys drawing inspiration from AI researchers of the past to attempt to unlock computational and mathematic models that underlie the processes of visual perception.

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Babak Poushanchi is a Founder and Managing Partner of Cota Capital, an investment firm based in San Francisco, focused on the technology sector.
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Babak has spent the majority of his career investing in private and public companies. Prior to founding Cota, Babak was a Co-Founder and Co-Portfolio Manager of Newbrook Capital, a global equity long/short fund based in New York City. Previously, Babak was an Investment Analyst at Karsch Capital, a global long/short fund based in New York City. He was also a Venture Partner at Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, an early-stage technology accelerator with over 100 portfolio companies, and an Investment Associate at lndosuez Capital, a U.S.-based merchant banking fund investing in private companies across the capital structure.
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Babak holds a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University.

Professor Fay Johnston is a public health physician and environmental epidemiologist who heads the Environmental Health Research group at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania; and is a senior Specialist Medical Advisor for the Tasmanian Department of Health.

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She has made major contributions to global knowledge about the health impacts of bushfire smoke, and her expert testimony shaped many recommendations for government policy following the air pollution emergencies during Australia’s Black Summer bushfires in 2019/2020.

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Professor Johnston’s team developed AirRater, a real-time environmental and symptom surveillance system designed to support self-management for people with health conditions sensitive to outdoor airborne hazards like smoke and pollen. AirRater was downloaded more than 50,000 times during the Black Summer emergency and has won multiple awards for innovation, impact, and community disaster resilience.

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Professor Johnston frequently provides expert advice for government agencies, community organisations, media, and legal proceedings for issues and incidents relating to air quality.

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Photo Credit: Nikki Davis Jones, The Mercury

Craig is a Portfolio Manager at Regal, specialising in health care across Australia and Asia. Prior to Regal, he was head of Health Care at Macquarie Securities Group, has worked at Boston Consulting Group in Sydney and New York, and practised medicine for five years in Australia and the UK.

Greg Mauro is the Founder and Managing Partner at Learn Capital and oversees the investing practice of the firm. Greg previously managed an affiliate of Founders Fund and co-founded several venture-backed startups used by millions across the education, wireless, and media sectors. Greg has helped lead Learn investments in companies such as Coursera, Udemy, General Assembly, OnDeck, Ascent, Wave Neuro, and MindPortal. Greg is the co-founder of Edmodo, the world's largest social network for learning with over 100M users. Greg also helped incubate and co-found Higher Ground Education, the world's largest Montessori operator, where he serves on the board and is the largest investor. Greg has served on the board of NewGlobe — where Learn is also the largest investor — as the company has grown from serving one school to over 8,000, transforming the lives of over 3M students across Africa and India.  

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Prior to Learn, Greg was the co-founder of Founders Fund backed SmartDrive, a WSJ Top 50 Startup that was purchased by Vista Equity; Tachyon, a predecessor to SpaceX’s Starlink used by GE, the US Dept. of Defense, and Burning Man; and Nextivity, a provider of coverage solutions for over 120 mobile carriers globally. Greg’s ventures have collectively raised over $500M in venture capital. Greg started his tenure in education in 2000 as an eight-year foundation board member for High Tech High, the ‘MIT of charter schools’, where he financed their second campus by founding a facilities fund for high-performing charter schools.

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Mauro began his career as a strategy consultant for Monitor Group and is a graduate of UCLA’s College of Honors. Greg is the owner of Powder Mountain, the largest ski resort in the United States. Greg’s exploits — visiting over 100 countries, surfing on six continents, buying his local ski mountain — have been covered in The New York Times, Financial Times, The Atlantic, Surfer Magazine, and Ski Magazine.

Michael Novogratz is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Digital.

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He was formerly a Partner and President of Fortress Investment Group LLC. Prior to Fortress, Mr. Novogratz spent 11 years at Goldman Sachs, where he was elected Partner in 1998. Mr. Novogratz served on the New York Federal Reserve’s Investment Advisory Committee on Financial Markets from 2012 – 2015. Mr. Novogratz serves as the Chairman of The Bail Project and has made criminal justice reform a focus of his family’s foundation. He also sits on the Board of Overseers at NYU Langone Medical Center and is a board member of Princeton Varsity Club and Jazz Foundation of America.

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Mr. Novogratz received an AB in Economics from Princeton University and served as a helicopter pilot in the US Army.

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Nick Molnar is the co-founder of Afterpay. As a young serial-entrepreneur, Nick’s vision for Afterpay was to create a global payment solution that would allow consumers to pay for things they want and need over time, using their own money. As a millennial himself, he recognised that his generation has an aversion to credit cards and compounding debt.

Nick launched Afterpay with his co-founder, Anthony Eisen, in Australia in October 2014 and listed the company on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2016. The company expanded into the U.S. in May 2018 and soon after, expanded into Canada, France, Italy, Spain and the UK. As of December 2023, Afterpay had more than 24 million customer accounts globally and was offered by more than 340,000 merchants globally.  

In August of 2021, Afterpay was sold to Block (NYSE: SQ) for US$29 billion. Nick currently co- leads Afterpay’s business at Block.

Flavia Tata Nardini is Co-founder and CEO of Australia’s leading space exploration company, Fleet Space Technologies. A rocket scientist, former propulsion test engineer at the European Space Agency and holder of two patents, Flavia has worked across a broad range of innovative space projects. Along with her team, Flavia led the development and launch of Fleet Space’s pioneering Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation - Australia’s first - and continues to push the boundaries of exploration by delivering high-value, real-time satellite-enabled solutions in mining, space exploration, and defence. Flavia is also a highly engaged leader in the global space and mineral exploration sectors as Chair of the Australian Space Agency Space Industry Leaders Forum, Mission Chair of the 7 Sisters Moon Mission, and director on the board of Austmine - the leading industry association for Australia’s mining equipment, technology and services (METS) sector, representing over 700 companies advancing mining innovation around the world. A strong advocate for women in STEM, Flavia also regularly speaks at events to empower the next generation of leaders.

Mark Nelson is Chairman and Co-founder of Caledonia, a specialist global investment manager founded in 1992 and based in Sydney, Australia. Mark was educated at the Universities of Melbourne, and Cambridge, receiving his Doctorate in 1986.

Dr Nelson has over 35 years experience working in Australian and International investment and equity markets, analysing and assessing the business models of global companies in a wide variety of industries, and successfully placing Caledonia at the forefront of Australian-based equity investment firms.

He is currently Chairman of Art Exhibitions Australia, and a Director of Kaldor Public Art Projects. He is also a governor of the Florey Institute of Neuroscience, a Director of the MindGardens Neuroscience Alliance, and a Director of Telix Pharmaceuticals. He serves on the International Council of the Tate Museums in London, and the Directors Council of The Getty Museum in Los Angeles , and is Chairman of the Cricket New South Wales Foundation. He has previously interviewed several keynote speakers at the Hearts & Minds conference including Howard Marks (twice), Michael Milken, Scott Bessent, and Charlie Munger.

John O'Loghlen is the Coinbase Country Director, Australia and Managing Director Coinbase APAC. Prior to joining Coinbase, John led the expansion of Alibaba Group and Ant Group in Australia and New Zealand as well as overseeing the WorldFirst cross border payments business. Before relocating to Sydney in 2014, John spent the previous 11 years in China building businesses in the food delivery space following on from a career in investment banking with Goldman Sachs in London, New York and Beijing.

Ashish co-founded Aikya along with a few colleagues in March 2020. Previously he worked for Stewart Investors in London.

Ashish joined the predecessor business of Stewart Investors in 2014. During his time at Stewart Investors Ashish was Lead Manager on Emerging Markets and Asia Pacific strategies, including Stewart Investors Emerging Markets Leaders Fund. 

He was with Fidelity between 2004 and 2014. In 2008, he launched an Emerging Markets Equity Strategy with high-quality companies, which became Fidelity Institutional Asset Management (FIAM) EM All Cap in 2010. He managed this strategy until his departure in 2014.

Ashish has a degree in Electronics & Communications Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, a Post Graduate Diploma from Indian Institute of Management, and holds an MBA from INSEAD in France.​

Fred is the Founder of Samuel Terry Asset Management, which manages a $500m fund. The fund invests in a concentrated portfolio of about 20 names in Australia and overseas. It invests across the capital structure, including debt, equity and options. Samuel Terry does not consider itself an activist investor, but has been involved in a variety of proxy fights and has made several takeover bids.

Prior to establishing Samuel Terry in 2003, Fred worked in London as a Director and Portfolio Manager of Hunter Hall, an Australian fund manager. Before that, he ran a family office in Monaco. Fred started his career in 1981 as an office boy in a stockbroking firm and then worked on the trading floor of the Sydney Stock Exchange.

Fred has an Economics degree from the University of Sydney.

Hamish Douglass is Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Magellan, and Lead Portfolio Manager of Magellan’s Global Equity strategies. Hamish is a former member of the Australian government’s Financial Literacy Board, the Australian government’s Takeovers Panel, the Australian government’s Foreign Investment Review Board and the Forum of Young Global Leaders – World Economic Forum. Hamish is a Director of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.

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.

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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.

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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.

Professor Sally Dunwoodie leads the world in the discovery of the genetic and environmental causes of birth defects. She was appointed to the International Rare Disease Research Consortium Task Force; founded the International Consortium for Vertebral Anomalies and Scoliosis; and established the largest research program identifying the causes of congenital heart disease in Australia.

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In 2017, Professor Dunwoodie announced one of the most significant discoveries in pregnancy research in decades. Professor Dunwoodie and her team identified a cause and possible prevention of multiple types of birth defects and recurrent miscarriage. This discovery could prevent thousands if not millions of cases of birth defects worldwide.

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Sally is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of NSW. She received her Bachelor of Science (Hons) and PhD from the University of Sydney. She trained as an embryologist in London before joining the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in 2000. With women filling just 15 percent of senior roles in science, Professor Dunwoodie is also an inspiring mentor for young female scientists.

William joined Milford in 2010 and has been working from Milford’s Sydney office since its establishment in 2014.

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William is the Portfolio Manager of the Australian Absolute Growth Funds and the Milford Dynamic Funds. He visits and speaks to hundreds of companies every year and conducts detailed financial analysis to uncover high quality investment ideas.

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William has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland majoring in Finance and Economics, and is a CFA Charterholder.

Samir has over 34 years' industry experience and joined JOHCM in May 2011.

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Prior to joining JOHCM, he was a Partner and Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at a firm specialising in Asian equities – Silver Metis Capital Management Pte Ltd. Samir was previously at Lloyd George Management where he worked as CIO. Prior to joining LGM, he worked at Peregrine Securities and ANZ Grindlays Bank for close to eight years as an Analyst specialising in India.

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Samir is a CFA Charterholder and holds a BCom from Bombay University.

Emerson Moore founded Ampfield Management in 2016 and serves as its Portfolio Manager.  He represents Ampfield Management on the Election Committee of Momentum Group.  Previously, Emerson worked at Apax Partners, a global private equity firm, where he focused on the business services sector.  Emerson began his career in investment banking at Citi.  Emerson is a graduate of Princeton University.

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Outside of work, Emerson is an avid racquet sportsman, skier, and student of history, and is working on his surfing and kitesurfing.

At just 18 and 22, brothers Nick and Mat Mowbray co-founded ZURU from a tiny apartment in China - armed with ambition and grit, not funding. Two decades later, ZURU is a global powerhouse in toys, consumer goods, and tech-driven construction, with 30+ offices, distribution in 120+ countries, and nearly $4 billion in annual revenue.

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Nick and Mat have launched world-leading toy brands like Bunch O Balloons, X-Shot, and Mini Brands, disrupting the industry through relentless innovation, automation, and speed. In 2018, they expanded into consumer goods with ZURU Edge, building challenger brands like MONDAY Haircare, Rascals, and Daise Beauty. Their consumer-first approach made ZURU the third-largest contributor to U.S. CPG growth in 2024, earning major retailer accolades.

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Their latest venture, ZURU Tech, uses robotics, AI, and proprietary 3D design to revolutionize housing - making it faster, smarter, and more sustainable. Bold and visionary, the brothers continue to redefine industries worldwide.

Robert Mullin is the Founder & Chief Investment Officer of Marathon Resource Advisors and has been investing in the energy and natural resource sector since 1994. Over the last three plus decades, he has been a portfolio manager at the Franklin/Templeton Group, The Cypress Funds and Tocqueville Asset Management, as well as running his own firms focused on the sector. 

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Mr. Mullin received his B.A. in Economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1991. He was born and raised in Northern California, lives in San Francisco with his wife and three children and enjoys cooking, keeping up with his relentlessly athletic kids and attending the French Open whenever possible.

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In 2022, Mr. Mulin established the Marathon Statera Project, which allocates a portion of fund management and performance fees to causes focused on global conservation and food security, as well as supporting Bay Area female immigrant food businesses and local youth development.

Christopher joined Montaka in January 2015 after spending more than four years at LFG, the private investment group of the Lowy family, where he was a senior member of the research team based in New York. Prior to this Christopher worked at One East Partners, a hedge fund based in New York, and as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs in Sydney.

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Christopher holds a Bachelor of Commerce with Distinction, majoring in Actuarial Studies and Finance, from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, under the Co-Op scholarship program.

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Eleanor is a Founding Partner at Firetrail, a boutique investment manager specialising in high conviction equity investing. Her primary responsibility is Investment Manager of the Firetrail Australian Small Companies Fund. Eleanor has a unique background in both Commerce and Science, with majors in Finance and Immunobiology. She has deep analytical experience in the Australian Healthcare, Technology and Consumer Sectors.

Prior to establishing Firetrail in 2018, Eleanor and senior members of the Firetrail investment team worked together at Macquarie, managing the highly successful Macquarie High Conviction Fund. Eleanor is a passionate investor, who loves uncovering both undervalued companies and companies with significant long term growth potential. In her spare time, Eleanor is an avid tennis player and runner. She holds a Combined Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Sydney and is a CFA Charter holder.