Anthony’s career covers a broad range of financial services sectors, predominantly serving SME businesses, financial markets, wealth management, investment, and funds management. He graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Science and Graduate Diplomas in Economics and Finance.

Sought out as a change agent, he has led start-ups, growth businesses and turnaround situations, with a strong focus on growth, innovation, and cultural transformation.

Anthony lives in Melbourne with his wife Kate, a lawyer, and their two children, Patrick and Caroline. When he is not driving his children from one sporting event to the next, he finds time for cycling, the occasional game of golf or tennis, and sharing a nice bottle of wine with friends.

“I have worked with, supported and served SME businesses for most of my career, including serving on the board of the Icehouse, New Zealand’s leading growth fund and business accelerator. I love working with entrepreneurs and family-owned businesses, helping them grow and innovate – they are the heart and soul of the Australian economy. That’s why, in my previous role as Chief Customer Officer for NAB, I led the initiative to establish ABGF and why I was so excited to take on the role as founding CEO, to build Australia’s leading mid-market growth fund, and fill the gap in the market for long-term, patient (minority) growth capital for Australian SMEs.”

Ghazaleh grew up in Tehran, living through war and revolution, and moved to Australia as a teenager. She graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Science (double majors in Physics and Computer Science) and subsequently obtained an MBA from The Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University in Chicago. She now lives in Sydney with her husband and son.

Ghazaleh is a strong advocate for diversity and equity in the workplace, dedicating her spare time to mentoring female entrepreneurs as well as young women interested in business and finance. She also enjoys travelling and exploring the world, reading, and entertaining friends and family.

“ABGF is uniquely positioned to be a true change agent, fueling growth in the SME sector, while leaving control in the hands of the business founders and owners. The fund is built on a purposeful foundation and allows me, as the co-head of the investment team, to do what I love professionally while doing good for the country.”

Having led multiple Investments and chaired numerous SME boards over his career, Patrick has extensive experience across a broad range of industries with particular expertise in building products, industrials, mining technology and consumer goods. He graduated from Imperial College London, with first class honours in a Master of Aeronautical Engineering.

A citizen of the world with Belgian heritage, Patrick grew up in South Africa and Spain passing by France and the UK on his way to Sydney where he sought to combine his passion for surfing with investing in SMEs. His childhood abroad enabled him to become truly tri-lingual and is a native English, Spanish and French speaker. Married with three children, he spends most of his spare time trying to selfishly force his young family to indulge in his own passions of Real Madrid, surfing and mountain biking – in that order.

“I joined ABGF because the opportunity to co-lead the investment team of a newly created, for-purpose fund that enables Australian SMEs to execute their growth aspirations whilst always retaining control was too good and unique an opportunity to turn down. I feel truly privileged to be able to share this journey with all these incredibly gifted entrepreneurs and hope to assist them in achieving their goals with my own experience and perspective along the way.”

Fred’s functional expertise centers around organisational performance, business culture, talent and leadership. His background covers a variety of sectors including retail, higher education, healthcare, manufacturing and technology. Fred completed a post-doctorate in Law and Economics at UC Berkeley.

Fred lives in Sydney with his wife Coleen, a diversity consultant, and their two children, Alicia and River. A native French speaker, he grew up near Université de Montréal among a family of psychologists, while managing the operations of a 9-hole country town golf course during the summers.

“Aside from capital, what small businesses need most is access to expertise and talent. The thread that connects my professional journey is a constant curiosity about human behaviour, how it impacts the health of an organisation and ultimately, its performance. That’s why I joined ABGF: to provide SMEs with capable board members and advisors, and to assist small business owners in making decisions about their people and organisation in a way that will most effectively use our capital injection to support their growth.”

Rayna has worked in private equity and financial services for most of her career and has had exposure to a wide variety of investment structures, investees and investors, from both a finance and an operational view. Rayna is a Chartered Accountant (CA ANZ), has a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology Sydney, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment (FINSIA) and has completed an Executive MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management.

Rayna lives in Sydney with her husband and children. They have shared many interesting holidays both in Australia and abroad and are always planning their next adventure. When not out bushwalking in the local national parks, Rayna loves to read.

“There comes a time when you realise that there is more to work than just doing what you have always done. The opportunity to be a part of something bigger than yourself in a business as unique as ABGF is very attractive. It is very rewarding to be part of the leadership team and leverage my experience in private equity to shape a business that will assist SMEs.”

Stefanie has worked with a wide variety of businesses spanning multiple sizes and sectors during her time with Lazard and her time in private practice. Stefanie has a Bachelor of Commerce and Laws (Honours) from the University of Melbourne, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment (FINSIA) and has completed the AFMA/International Compliance Association AML/CTF Management Program.

Stefanie lives in Melbourne with her husband Neil, and their children. Stefanie and her family love to travel and enjoy the spectrum of experiences it brings.

“I really enjoy working as a lawyer and I feel strongly that organisations need to create legal and compliance frameworks that are fit for purpose. In joining ABGF from the early stages I have the opportunity to apply that to the fund itself as well as share my knowledge and experience in this area with SMEs.”

Dries has led numerous investments with Australia’s leading middle-market private equity funds across various industries. He labels himself a “just-in-time” expert, being able to quickly get up the curve on the industry or nuances a business operates in. He’s a Chartered Accountant and spent 10 years working in hospitality, so knows his way around a set of financial statements and a bar (behind it of course).

He lives in Sydney with his wife and two children. They are always out and about, either bushwalking, at the beach or catching up with friends. Dries grew up in South Africa, loves rugby, travelling and single malt whisky (Islay).

Dries’s passion for investing in SMEs stems from his father who worked for an African business development bank and helped SMEs at grassroots level. “My father was immensely proud of all the businesses he helped start and grow. I firmly believe SMEs are the growth engine of the Australian economy. They help countless people put food on the table, invest in innovation and technology, and contribute positively to their local communities. They will drive Australian prosperity for generations to come. I am excited about how ABGF can contribute to this great purpose and feel immensely privileged to be part of this journey”.

Trisca has over 20-years’ experience working across financial and professional services in business and consumer marketing. She is an Industry Advisor to the Australian Data-Driven Marketing Association (ADMA), the Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia (IAPA), and Deakin University School of Marketing.

Trisca was awarded #5 most innovative Chief Marketing Officer in Australia by the CMO Council and Marketing Executive of the year by CEO Magazine. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Industrial Relations, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Marketing, with Distinction.

Trisca lives in Melbourne with her husband, three children and Cavoodle. She finds her serenity hiking the mountains. Her greatest accomplishment was surviving 10-days exploring the Kokoda Trail in Papa New Guinea.

“SME’s play a critical role in Australia’s future to drive innovation and growth. Their success is dependent on their ability to engage meaningfully with customers. I am honoured to work directly with the businesses we invest in, advising on how they can maximise their marketing efforts to drive business outcomes.”

Before joining Westpac, Nicole was an M&A lawyer with Herbert Smith Freehills and Clifford Chance and has over 15 years’ experience advising on deals in Australia, the UK and Europe. During that time Nicole worked on a wide variety of transactions covering a diverse range of industries. Nicole has a Bachelor of Economics, Social Sciences (Honours) and Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Sydney and has recently completed the Graduate Certificate of Executive Leadership with the Australian Graduate School of Management.

Nicole lives on the Northern Beaches in Sydney with her husband and two young children. When not attending swimming lessons, gymnastics classes and rugby practice with the kids, Nicole and her family love going to the beach, visiting local cafes and restaurants and exploring the trails around Narrabeen lake.

“I joined ABGF because the mission of the fund, Backing Australian Business to Thrive, is so compelling. Small and medium-sized businesses are the centre of the Australian economy and I am excited to be part of an organisation which supports these businesses, through both capital and access to the talent network, to help unleash growth opportunities.”

Greg has worked as an adviser to SMEs across a variety of industries for most of his career, on aspects of accounting, finance, risk and operations. Greg is a Chartered Accountant (CA ANZ) and has a Bachelor of Economics and an MBA from Macquarie University.

Greg lives in Sydney with his son. When he is not indulging his son’s pursuits he can be found on a soccer field. Greg also enjoys movies, reading, sport and catching up with friends and family.

“My career has been focused on SMEs and I was captivated by ABGF’s mission to support the growth of the sector through financial investment and access to its talent network. I enjoy the passion and energy entrepreneurs bring to their business. I’m also inspired by the high quality and capabilities of the ABGF team, who are dedicated to its mission and the Australian SME sector.”

Prior to entering the commercial world, while studying, Lori trained and practiced as a Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) therapist focusing on targeted behavioural outcomes for children diagnosed with Autism and was able to complement this with a range of academic internships. She graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Biochemistry.

Lori was born in Johannesburg and moved to Sydney with much of her extended family at the age of three, where she has been lucky to live ever since. In her spare time, Lori enjoys long bush walks with her husband Dovi, cooking, dance/barre classes, reading and thoroughly spoiling their 1 year old disabled rescue cat Oliver.

“In joining ABGF I not only get the incredible opportunity to work with entrepreneurs and founders of SMEs to help them achieve their goals and dreams, but I get to do so through the industry leading framework ABGF is bringing to the market. ABGF is truly unique in its patient equity, minority investment and partnership approach which puts as much focus on doing good for society and business owners as it does for investors.”

Prior to joining ABGF, Alex had the opportunity to work at non-profits in the US and India focusing on economic empowerment and childhood education. He studied and lived in the US and China before graduating from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies), majoring in Finance, Economics, and Chinese Studies.

Alex was born and raised in Western Sydney. Being the younger brother of two sisters, he enjoys keeping himself busy – riding his motorbike, competing on the tennis court, and dabbling in photography to stimulate his creative side.

“I’m attracted to great people and ideas. I’m also a big believer in working to lift up those who need the most help. SMEs are the lifeblood of the Australian economy but an underserved sector. It’s my ambition to help founders and their teams make a splash!”

Dev has over 16 years’ experience in banking, including his time at NAB, ANZ, and Commonwealth Bank. Dev’s banking experience spans across business and corporate banking with focus on SME clients across various industries and up to turnovers of $150M, specialising in cash flow lending. Dev has an MBA from University of Technology Sydney, and a Bachelor of Commerce, Financial Accounting from the University of Mumbai.

Dev grew up in Mumbai and came to Sydney as a 20 year old to pursue further studies after his graduation. He lives in Gables, which is about 40km northwest of Sydney CBD, where he lives with his wife, Shruti, and 5 year old son, Kiyaan.

Outside of work, his passion is music, and he is also a trained Indian classical vocalist and has performed at various music festivals in Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. He also enjoys going on long walks with his better half and being a travel enthusiast – he cannot wait to visit his next holiday destination, the Maldives!

“I am absolutely amazed by the opportunity I have been given to spend 12 months at ABGF. The core values of this fund resonate with me personally, and I am honoured to be able to add value and help grow businesses and stimulate growth and create employment in the SME sector which is the true heartland of the Australian economy.“

During his ten year tenure at AUA Private Equity Partners, Jack specialised in investing in founder and family-owned SMEs across the United States, partnering with entrepreneurs to accelerate growth in their businesses. Jack has a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from University of Sydney and studied at Cornell Law School.

Jack recently returned to Sydney from New York with his wife Susie, having grown up on the Northern Beaches. He regularly plays in weekend soccer leagues, likes to uncover new audiobooks, and enjoys learning about new technology innovations around the world and thinking about how they can be applied locally.

“Purpose, passion, impact, and a drive to make our lives better – SME entrepreneurs are the unsung heroes of our society. The past ten years in New York taught me an incredible amount about scaling SMEs and the meaning of true partnership with entrepreneurs. I am incredibly excited to share these lessons and my experiences with Australian entrepreneurs in supporting them to realise their visions.”

Ashley lives in Melbourne with her partner Ilan, her three boys, Eamon, Jack and Hugh and two Newfoundland dogs, Vida and Georgie. Ashley and Ilan share a passion for travel, shopping for fresh produce in the market, cooking, and nature walks. Ashley grew up in Sydney where her family continues to run a small upholstery business in Lane Cove. Ashley spent much of her teenage years in Coolangatta, QLD as well as a couple of years in Fremantle, WA where she enjoyed the beautiful Australian beach lifestyle.

“I am so thrilled to be part of ABGF, a company that will make a difference to many Australian SMEs which I am incredibly passionate about. It is amazing to be able to work alongside a dedicated team and in a company with a strong culture of integrity and ethical behaviour, delivering outstanding business results to all those inspiring entrepreneurs out there. For me, this is the dream job.”

Having worked in both financial services and commercial businesses, Mark brings a broad range of experience including valuations, risk and operations. Mark is a Chartered Accountant (CA ANZ) and graduated with a Bachelor of Business in Accounting & Information Systems from Edith Cowan University.

Mark lives in Melbourne with his wife and they both enjoy travelling and dining out with friends. Mark grew up in Western Australia where he enjoyed the perks of being part of a family fishing business – eating good seafood!

“I joined ABGF because I’m inspired by entrepreneurs who take a leap of faith to start their own business. I wanted to be part of a unique fund that not only offers entrepreneurs long-term patient capital, but also a network of strategic advisors to help achieve their growth objectives. I’m looking forward to working with the ABGF team to build a fund that has a positive impact on SMEs and the broader community.”

Born in the Philippines, Catherine migrated to Australia and grew up along the NSW coast, and now lives in Manly. In her spare time she loves diving, cooking with family and friends, and the English classics.

“I get to work with interesting people, and despite their many sacrifices they have incredible drive and passion for their business and the industries they are in – I never fail to learn from them. I joined ABGF as there are few chances in finance to create meaningful change in family businesses with the capacity and capability that we have with the fund. Because our business owners retain majority ownership, the fund is in a unique position to partner with mid-market businesses and help with Australia’s growing succession and innovation needs. I’m excited that our SMEs have access to the support needed to succeed as they are key to helping our business communities thrive.”

Having joined NAB in 1999, Steve has developed a wealth of experience supporting a diverse range of customers across NAB’s consumer, business and private, and corporate and institution banking businesses. Steve holds a Bachelor of Business, Banking and Finance from Victoria University of Technology and a Master of Applied Finance from FINSIA.

Steve lives in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne with his wife and two young children. Outside of providing a first-rate taxi service to the myriad of kid’s sporting activities, Steve is an enthusiastic cyclist, middle distance runner, and occasional triathlete, and loves immersing himself in various culinary adventures in the kitchen, sometimes to reasonable effect.

“The opportunity to join ABGF and play a part in connecting Australian businesses with the capital to help them grow is a great privilege. ABGF provides such a unique opportunity for Australian businesses to access the patient capital required to continue their growth stories, whilst accessing talent and networking opportunities that will see them thrive. Having spent my career dedicated to the growth of Australian businesses, I’m passionate about enabling the health, happiness and prosperity of the communities that surround us, and thrilled with the opportunity ABGF provides to deliver upon this purpose”.

Munpreet’s expertise includes advising businesses on legal and commercial aspects across a variety of sectors, including energy, retail, healthcare, financial services and mining. Munpreet has a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Finance, and a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) from Bond University and spent time studying abroad at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.

Munpreet lives in Sydney with her partner Manish, an engineer, and their Cavoodle puppy, Archie. She grew up in South East Queensland among a family of business owners. On weekends you can find her on a coastal walk or bike ride, at the latest new restaurant or planning her next getaway.

“I enjoy working with a wide variety of businesses, helping them manage their way through significant commercial transactions. Joining ABGF is an exciting step for me as it allows me to use the skills I’ve gained in my career to not only help businesses on their growth journey but also help support Australia’s SME community, economic growth and employment. Our minority ownership model allows for true partnership with entrepreneurs as we support them to succeed.”

Prior to business, Elliot had experiences working in industry as a geologist with BHP and as a geophysicist conducting research on coal seam gas in Central Queensland, planetary sciences with NASA in California, and on climate change and extreme physical environments in the Antarctic. He graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Geoscience and Geophysics.

Elliot now lives in Sydney having grown up in country New South Wales, Adelaide, Canberra, Brisbane and the UK. A self-professed geek, on weekends when he is not out with friends running, eating or lifting weights you will find him buried in a good history book or learning new programming skills.

“I love meeting talented and industrious management teams and hearing about what motivates them. Whether the business is doing something new or doing something better, they are disrupting the status-quo in a big way and this is incredibly exciting. SMEs drive employment and economic activity in Australia, and as a community we are all invested in their success. Where there are great but traditionally overlooked businesses looking for support, I hope we can be there. ABGF is about doing something new, and it is my opportunity to help this critical segment and to see founders, their businesses, and their employees develop and prosper.

Prior to this, Mike was the 44th Premier of New South Wales, representing the electoral district of Manly in the NSW Legislative Assembly. Mike entered NSW state politics in 2007. He held several shadow ministries before serving as Treasurer from 2011 to 2014, and then as Premier from 2014 to January 2017, when he retired from politics.

Mike is passionate about family, sport and looking after community’s most vulnerable. He is Chairman of the Australian Business Growth Fund and sits on the Boards of Surfing NSW and Cricket Australia. He is also an ambassador for Bear Cottage and Southern Youth Family Services.

Mike holds a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from the University of Sydney and a DipCS Regent College Vancouver, Canada. He has also completed executive management courses at Harvard and Duke University.

“SMEs are the backbone of our economy and essential for our nation’s growth. We look forward to supporting more Australian businesses that will play an important role in our economic recovery and stimulate our key national industries.”

He has broad experience across Business Banking, including senior leadership roles in Commercial Lending, Transaction Banking, Asset Finance serving key sectors of the Australian economy in metropolitan and regional areas. Grant has completed AsiaLink’s Leaders Program and holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Accounting and Finance, as well as a Master of Applied Finance. He is also a Chartered Accountant and Vice President of FINSIA.

“Australian SME’s contribute over 50% of Australia’s GDP and are critical to Australia’s economic growth and recovery. To help grow, SME’s need capital and the ABGF is an ideal growth capital provider and partner to help successful and fast growing businesses employ more Australian’s, invest in expanding operations and open new markets”.

Even though Bakers Delight could now no longer be classed as a small business, the many franchisees across the network are small business operators. Lesley understands small business and she is committed to the success of Bakers Delight franchisees. They are part of the backbone of the communities they serve.

Community involvement has been important and over the years Lesley has been involved in many community activities ranging from serving on school boards to chairing advisory committees at Swinburne and Monash universities.

Along the journey, Lesley has been awarded 2006 OAM Order of Australia Medal; 2013 Fellowship from Monash University where she gained an Honours Degree in Science and a Diploma of Education; 2014 Champion of Entrepreneurship at the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Southern Region awards; Honorary Doctorates from both Swinburne University of Technology (2018) and Monash University (2021).

‘This fund is committed to helping small and medium sized businesses prosper leading to more employment and ultimately stronger more cohesive communities’.

Nathan’s career in banking began in 2004 when he first joined NAB as a graduate in the mergers and acquisitions team. He re-joined NAB in 2013 and has led major strategic initiatives for NAB, including the divestment of NAB’s UK and US businesses, the divestment of NAB’s MLC Wealth business and the refresh of the Group’s strategy.

He previously worked in the investment banking teams at Goldman Sachs and is currently a Director of MLC Limited, Pollinate and the Australian Business Growth Fund.

“I’m delighted to be a part of the Business Growth Fund which has an important role to play in providing small businesses with access to long-term equity finance as well as in helping to drive confidence in the small business community.”

Ms Kelley is the Deputy Secretary Corporate and Foreign Investment Group in the Department of The Treasury. She is a career public servant with over 30 years experience working at State and Commonwealth government levels, in social welfare, national security and central policy agencies with responsibilities that have covered service delivery, cross-government policy development, regulatory compliance and enforcement, organisational re-design, change management, corporate governance and HR.

Ms Kelley said “the ABGF as a public-private partnership between the Federal Government and six major banks is helping Australian small and medium-sized businesses access capital to create jobs and accelerate economic growth.”

Since 2016 he has held the role of Chief Risk Officer for HSBC Australia. In this capacity he is responsible for the oversight of enterprise risks across HSBC’s operations in Australia and a member of HSBC Australia’s Executive Committee and HSBC Asia Pacific’s Risk Executive Committee.

Noel held the role of Chief Executive Officer for HSBC New Zealand between 2011 and 2015, and before this was Head of Commercial/Corporate Banking for HSBC Australia from 2007 to 2011 .

HSBC is one of the founding shareholders of the Australia Business Growth Fund (ABGF) where Noel has served as HSBC’s nominated Director since late 2020.

“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to be part of the ABGF’s effort to support local SMEs. HSBC’s experience as a shareholder in both the UK and Canadian business growth funds shows that access to alternative sources of equity and capital can be a significant enabler of growth for these companies. It also allows management to retain ownership and control of their strategic goals and ambitions.

I see no reason why this experience cannot be replicated in Australia. Over time, I expect that SME partnerships forged with the ABGF will help to stimulate job creation and, in turn, support the broader Australian economy.”

Commercial Banking serves a broad and diverse range of businesses in terms of size and industry focus, from start-ups through to established businesses. This includes sole traders, speciality health and agribusiness, property developers & investors and a diverse range of small to medium enterprises.

Private Banking & Advice provides banking and investment services for ANZ’s high net worth clients and family offices across Australia.

Isaac joined ANZ in 2007 and has significant experience leading customer-facing teams in ANZ’s Institutional and Commercial banking businesses. Prior to ANZ, Isaac held a number of senior banking and finance roles in Perth, Melbourne and New York.

Isaac is a member of ANZ’s Ethics and Responsible Business Committee.
Isaac holds a Bachelor of Business degree from Curtin University (WA) and a Master of Applied Finance degree from Macquarie University (NSW).

“ABGF really does seek to close an existing gap in the market. It’s longer-term approach suits business owners looking to grow and expand and who want someone to back them without taking a controlling interest of their business”

Serving as President of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Karyn is also a board member of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry where she chairs the Economics and Industry Committee.

Previously Chair of Victorian Chamber’s Small Business Taskforce, she has a significant appreciation for the challenges and opportunities for SMEs. Other directorships include publishing company Riskinfo, the Telstra Licensee Association, University College (Melbourne) and business advisors SKS Hub.

Chairing the Audit and Risk Committee for the ABGF, Karyn holds a BA, a Master of Commercial Law and is a Fellow of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Governance Institute of Australia.

“SME’s are the engine room of the Australian economy and Australia’s biggest employer, and I am honoured to be able to help drive the development of this important sector through the Australian Business Growth Fund.”