The Hon Andrew Robb AO
Chairman
Until his recent retirement from politics, Andrew Robb was Australia’s Minister for Trade, Investment and Tourism.
In this role Mr Robb negotiated Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Japan and China, as well as the 12 country Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement and the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Singapore. Additionally, he conducted 85 investment roundtables with 28 countries.
Mr Robb is currently Chairman of The Robb Group (corporate and investment advisory company), a Board Member of the Kidman cattle enterprise, CNSDose, Mind Medicine Australia, CLARA, CDMA and strategic advisor to Seafarms Ltd as well as a range of national and international businesses.
In the 70s Mr Robb worked as an animal health officer and then as agricultural economist. In the 80s he was Executive Director of the Cattle Council of Australia, and later, Executive Director of the National Farmers’ Federation.
From 1990 to 1997 Mr Robb was the General Secretary and Campaign Director of the Liberal Party. The highlight of that time was directing the successful 1996 federal election campaign which brought former Prime Minister, the Hon John Howard AC, into government.
From 1997 to 2004 Mr Robb worked for Kerry and James Packer (leading the digital TV negotiations for Channel 9 in 1997/98), as well as advising major companies around Australia and overseas. During this time, he also built an Australia-wide data technology company, was on the investment team for the Gorgan Gas Project, and was a Board Member of Sinclair Knight Merz, then Australia’s largest consulting engineering company.
Mr Robb has also been Chairman of Asialink and the Australian Direct Marketing Association, a Board Member of the Garvan Medical Research Foundation, the Menzies Research Centre, the Big Brother Big Sister mentoring organisation, a member of the YWCA Leadership group and was honorary Treasurer of the Liberal Party in NSW.
In 2003 Mr Robb was awarded the Office of the Order of Australia (AO) for his service to agriculture, politics and the community.
In 2004 Mr Robb was elected to the Federal seat of Goldstein holding positions as Chairman of the Government’s Workplace Relations Taskforce, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs and then Minister for Vocational and Further Education. In Opposition, he held positions as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Climate Change, Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee and Shadow Minister for Finance, Deregulation and Debt Reduction.
Following the Coalition victory at the 2013 election, Mr Andrew Robb was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister for Trade, Investment and Tourism.
Mr Robb has qualifications in Agricultural Science and a first-class Honours Degree in Economics, and lives in Sydney with his wife Maureen and has three adult children Tom, Joe and Pip.
Andrew is the author of “Black Dog Daze: Public Life, Private Demons” (Melbourne University Publishing).
BILL MOSS AO
Deputy Chairman
Bill Moss AO is a well-respected and highly regarded Australian businessman, philanthropist, and polymath.
Bill has extended over 45 years in business development and Senior Management in the areas of; Banking, Corporate Finance, Investment Banking, Real Estate Funds Management, Asset Management, Development Management, Mortgage Securitisation, Tourism, Hotels, Leisure, Medical Research, Biotech, and Innovation.
Bill spent 23 years as a senior executive, Executive Director, and Group Head of Macquarie Banking and Real Estate Group, and a member of Macquarie’s Executive Committee for the last 10 years.
He built an international business and created new global business partnerships that were highly successful. Initially he employed one-person in1984 with limited access to capital, which grew to over 12,000 staff in 2006, located in 9 countries. Bill was a director of over 200 companies within the group.
On his retirement in March 2006, Macquarie had joint ventured, financed, or managed in excess of $50 billion of global assets in Direct Real Estate and Real Estate Funds Management in either its own capacity or with global partnerships.
In 2007, Macquarie was voted No.1 Investment Manager in Asia, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the USA in Euro Money, Liquid Real Estate Awards.
In 2006, Bill Moss AO left Macquarie Group to pursue both business and philanthropic initiatives which included the establishment of the FSHD Global Research Foundation, Australia’s first not-for-profit organisation focused on finding treatments and a cure for Facioscapulohumeral Dystrophy (FSHD) from which Bill suffers, and to manage and expand the Boston Group of Companies investment portfolio.
Michael Cook
Michael Cook until recently was a Group Executive at Investa for 20 years, and has been actively involved in commercial development, capital transactions and leasing across the group.
Prior to joining Investa in 2003, Michael was based in Hong Kong working on the $5 Billion International Finance Centre project. Prior to that, Michael worked at AMP as the Manager of Commercial Asset Management, principally concerned with co-owned assets such as 600 Bourke Street and Darling Park.
Michael was previously Senior Asset Manager at BT Funds Management, where he was responsible for the development and asset management of hotels, shopping centres, industrial buildings, and office buildings. Michael was involved in the initial hostile takeover of the Grosvenor Trust in 1994 (BT Office Trust/Principal Office Trust) and the subsequent takeover of the Principal Office Trust in 2003.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science), a Graduate Diploma in Applied Economics, and a Graduate Diploma in Urban Estate Management.
DAVID KENNEY
Working since 1986 in both medium sized and Big 4 Chartered Accounting firms, David is respected as one of Australia’s most reputable and capable strategic business advisors.
A regular presenter of business and taxation seminars, David is an integral part of both the Australasian accounting and start-up landscape.
He is regularly consulted on corporate transactions with accelerating over $100 Million in capital raising. He has also recently been appointed the Start-up Grind director for the Sydney, Australia chapter.
David’s expansive client base includes a range of listed companies, listed startups and private equity firms. He has skills in the areas of startups, property development, international business and family offices specialising in both audit and taxation issues.
David is passionate about design and accelerating business growth plans. His depth of knowledge to exemplifies him to be a complete business advisor to his clients.
David cultivates a people-centric business strategy through his delivery of honest, authentic and practice advice.