Matt McKendry, Deloitte, Panel Member

Matt specialises in assisting businesses to develop and implement strategies and access capital funding for growth. He leads two national Deloitte programmes; GrowthPLUSTM, an innovative system that helps clients clarify their business drivers to create shareholder value and Escalator. Matt has a range of practical experience and worked in the technology industry in New Zealand and London prior to joining Deloitte. Prior to Deloitte Matt was the CFO of an Internet Start-up company in the UK with responsibility for operations and finance, including the raising of Venture Capital and angel investment funding and managed an award winning business (part of JADE Corporation Limited) that developed educational programmes aimed at the teenagers market, which sold in the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand.

John Quirk - Panel Member

John is a Director and Partner of Howard & Company, a strategic investment and corporate advisory company. John has had an extensive experience in the ICT sector where he has held numerous senior management roles, including Chief Executive, General Manager, executive director and regional manager positions within a number of landmark companies. John now acts as a senior management advisor and mentor to a number of companies. He is Chairman of Axon and SMX and has a number of other directorships in high growth companies. He is a member of The Institute of Directors.
At Howard & Company, John is also involoved in capital raising, M&A and strategy work

John Cunningham - Ignition Partner - Panel Member

John established Ignition Partner Limited in June 2002 to advise companies on strategies for growth from innovation, with an emphasis on Technology, IP, Structure and Capital Planning. He has been a director of Caltech Capital Limited since 1996 and non-executive Chairman since 1999. John spent several years in company development, operations management and senior executive roles in listed corporates. He spent 15 years with Fernz Corporation, the last 12 years as the Corporate Development Manager with responsibilities including local and offshore initiatives in start-up, joint venture and acquisition strategies. He is a director of several unlisted companies. John lectures in technology management at Waikato Unversity and is on the Board of Massey nanotechnology. He is deputy chair of the advisory group for Technology NZ and was President of IPENZ in 2001.

Andrew Turnbull, The Op Shop

The Op Shop helps provide strategic options and opportunities for startups and SMEs. The Directors David Booth, Andrew Turnbull and Duncan Ledwith have strong complimentary expertise and hands on experience in identifying, growing, developing and exiting (IPO and Trade Sales) businesses. We have seen the good the bad and the ugly of doing business on the world stage and have strong networks both within New Zealand and through the US, UK, Europe and SE Asia.

Together we are able to offer a broad and strong commercialisation support and advisory service to our clients. Our expertise and experience covers engineering, intellectual property protection, software development and commercialisation, web and mobile commerce, governance, biotechnology and drug development, grant funding, fund raising, strategic partnering and international commercialisation.

David Miller

David Miller has long experience in business investment, planning and research. After a significant period in organisational, industry and business research, he moved into the financial sector. His experience encompasses corporate banking, venture capital (including a short secondment in California) and angel investment.

James Anderson

James Anderson is the principal of Seltec Advisory. He advises on capital raising, technology licensing and commercialisation and business management. James brings 15 years management and operational experience from within a range of NZ and Australian entities where he has raised capital, led companies, commercialised new products and developed business within 28 countries. He has started up and financed four life-science start-ups, and has been a director on five early-stage technology companies.

Bill Murphy

Bill is a Chartered Accountant (NZ) and Certified Public Accountant (USA) with 25 years commercial business experience. Bill is Chairperson of the Bay of Plenty Angel Group and has been assisting business people prepare their businesses and find investors since 2001.

Phil Nevell

Phil Nevell is a Director of Frontier Group Holdings Limited, a boutique investment bank, where Phil specialises in raising capital for high growth business opportunities.

We have been successfully raising capital for New Zealand businesses for over six years and as a result hold an in-depth knowledge of investor and capital markets.

This experience enables us to lower the hurdles you face as an entrepreneur looking to raise capital. The strength of our networks within the investment market will save you time and ensure that the eventual financial or strategic partner is well suited to your business.

Sectors of particular interest include technology, specialty manufacturing, biotechnology, greentech and food and beverage.

Dr Helen Cross

Hi, I'm Helen - Managing Director of Cross Ventures
Like most of our customers we live on the edge of the globe - and we are passionate, energised and focused on taking unique ideas from the edge to the commercial capitals of the major continents.
Cross Ventures is a boutique advisory firm that specialises in working with born global start ups, existing businesses taking on the challenge of new export markets and high growth international businesses.
Our strategic framework built from years of entrepreneurial experience helps our clients change the way they look at the world.

Mark Talbot - Diablo Management Ltd

Mark has been providing financial and consulting services to technology companies and investors since arriving in New Zealand in 1999, including working in the role of Chief Financial Officer for biotechnology, software, and renewable energy/materials companies. He originally qualified as a Chartered Accountant in the UK. Prior to relocating to New Zealand he worked for several years in Bermuda with offshore hedge funds, investment holding companies and trusts, initially in the business services group of Ernst & Young, and later managing the Bermuda office of a Moscow-based investment bank. He also spent time with a NYSE listed company establishing a suite of investment products targeted at the Bermuda captive insurance market.

Mark’s expertise is in investment and financial management, and in working with executive management teams, boards and investors to optimise financial strategies for business growth. Mark was CFO of Proacta Therapeutics Limited in 2004 when it won the New Zealand Biotech Company of the year at the New Zealand Hi Tech Awards.

Mark is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW) and the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (NZICA).

Brent Ogilvie

Brent S. Ogilvie is co-founder of Pacific Channel, which through its access to expertise and financial capital, facilitates the growth of commercially viable biotechnology companies in Australia and New Zealand: emerging global centres of agricultural, nutritional and biomedical sciences. Pacific Channel was formed as a "channel" between Australasia and the world’s largest market - the United States, acting as a conduit toward long-term, global growth and success.

Mike Horne - Deloitte, Dunedin

Mike has a diverse range of consulting and work experiences within organisations undergoing significant change and now leads the Dunedin operational consulting team. Mike has undertaken consulting assignments for a wide variety of clients, both in NZ and the UK, including project management, performance assessment and strategy, due diligence, risk management, contract development and negotiation, outsourcing reviews, and financial and operational reporting. In addition to operations consulting, Mike has wide experience in our Business Solutions, Corporate Finance and Assurance and Advisory service lines providing a broad range of skills and knowledge.

Rob McDonald, Deloitte, Christchurch

Rob is an Associate Director in the Christchurch office with more than eight years experience with Deloitte. Prior to joining Deloitte Rob was with tourism company The Mount Cook Group Limited for fourteen years in the roles of Finance Manager, Planning Executive and CFO. As well as being involved in executive management, these roles also involved the acquisition and disposal of a number of significant assets. At Deloitte’s Rob has experience in providing a range of advisory and consulting services to clients. He specialises in providing valuation, business planning, operational reviews, due diligence and transaction execution, governance and management advice to a wide range of New Zealand businesses.

Doug Wilson, Deloitte, Hamilton

Doug is a Partner in the Hamilton office with over 13 years experience in Deloitte. Doug’s primary expertise is in the areas of capital raising, business structuring, financial advisory and business sales/acquisitions. In addition to his financial acumen, Doug has developed a variety of skills in the areas of Strategic and Business Planning, Succession planning, Process design and improvement, IT selection and implementation and Project management.

Rory MacGillycuddy

Rory holds a MA Hons from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. He graduated in 1994 and worked in investment banking roles for Royal Bank of Canada and Banque Paribas, London. He spent a year as a stockbroker in Dublin prior to emigrating to New Zealand in 1999.

Rory worked with ANZ Corporate & Institutional banking as a relationship manager. In 2004 Rory joined the newly formed Corporate Banking division of ASB Bank where he built a portfolio of clients across a number of industries and geographies.

In early 2008 two well known Hamilton business men, John Birch & Gary Mollard invited Rory to join them in establishing Central Capital with a view to provision of expansion capital and expertise to mid-market provincial companies. This led to consulting work in this area. Rory also serves as independent director of AngelLink, a national angel network based in Hamilton.

Well networked and creative Rory is well placed to assist in capital raising having worked on both debt and equity roles across a number of industries.

Mark Clare

Mark is a co-founder of Wellington-based boutique investment bank Woodward Partners. Woodward Partners provides capital raising assistance, mergers and acquisitions transaction services, valuation advisory as well as strategy and marketing advice. The other principals of Woodward Partners are Nick Lewis and Mark Donnell. Mark is also the founder and CEO of Valuecruncher, a web-based software application that provides interactive valuation tools for publicly-traded companies. Mark founded Valuecruncher as well as successfully completing two capital raising rounds from Wellington angel investors.

Prior to Valuecruncher Mark worked for New Zealand investment banks - Cameron Partners, Clare Capital and Morel & Co (sister firm of venture capital fund No 8 Ventures). He has led capital raisings, advised on strategy and business development activities, as well as completing merger and acquisitions and IPO transactions. Mark has been entrepreneur as well as an adviser to early-stage and growth companies. Mark has been on both sides of the entrepreneur/investor equation and can bring insights to client companies. Mark has a Bachelor of Business Studies (Accountancy) from Massey University and an MBA (awarded with Distinction) from Victoria University of Wellington. Mark is based in Wellington but operates across all of New Zealand.

Leon Grandy - Director of Armillary Private Capital

Armillary Private Capital is a specialist investment banking, funds management, financial training and advisory firm dedicated to the advancement of the NZ private capital markets. Our directors have strong commercial expertise and hands on experience in working with owners and managers to identify, develop and execute on capital raising, M & A, and other commercialisation strategies like joint venturing and licensing.

Our extensive experience across all stages of the value creation process combined with the discipline of our approach, our networks and commitment, allows us to be an active part of the value proposition for parties looking to benefit from exposure to the private capital markets. We have a track record of solving capital-related problems and are committed to providing honest assessments coupled with innovative and deliverable solutions to our clients.