Leadership
Brent Needham
Founder and Executive Chairman
Brent is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Kennedy Needham Corporate Advisors which was founded in 1987. Kennedy Needham merged with the BlueMount Capital group in 2017.
Brent has over 40 years’ experience in Corporate Advisory, Investment Banking and International Management Consulting. His career also included two periods as CEO of private enterprise organizations. Over his career, he has worked on projects involving capital raising, listing activities in a wide range of industries including life sciences, acquisitions, divestments, MBOs, and senior consulting assignments in Australia and overseas.
A commerce graduate from the University of Melbourne, Brent has wide industry experience having worked among others with clients in Financial Services, Food Manufacture, Records Management, Retailing, Engineering and Architecture Consulting, Building and Construction, and Marine & Aviation Insurance and Payment Services.
Michael Shaw
Managing Director
Michael has a both deep and rich experience garnered from working with leading securities firms in M&A in Australia that is now applied to assisting clients, to ensure they are continuously creating strategic value for their businesses.
- Value Added Food and Specialised Manufacturing
- Capital Raising and MBOs/MBIs
- Cross Border transactions in the Agriculture and Food Industries
- Growth capital for international Health and Life Sciences businesses
Michael specialises in assisting mid-market, growth-oriented private businesses to move through all phases of their life cycle – including creation, growth and transition.
His Corporate Advisory background spans merchant and investment banking, private equity and venture capital in the food industry, and specialist funds management in life sciences. He has acted in over 60 transactions in Australian and New Zealand major and mid-market segments – including capital raisings, acquisitions, MBOs and divestitures.
Michael has led several companies in the capacity of Managing Director and Chairman, in the commercial and not-for-profit sectors. He has also acted as a pivotal figure in the transfer of business skills to several leading Australian not-for-profits.
Sam Matara
Regional Director, Capital Projects
Sam’s unique experience covers the full spectrum of mining engineering spanning over 25 years in both Open-pit (11 years) and Underground (8 years) mining operations.
Since 2000, Sam has been working in capital project management, project valuations, mining contracting and consulting, renewable energy and essential infrastructure. He has led some green fields mining projects from conception through to completion while managing the full feasibility process from exploration to bankable documents.
Sam has also been working with reputable and large building corporates to provide land-and-house real estate solutions. He is a Senior Business Advisor who has held senior and executive appointments at the largest underground mining corporations in Southern Africa, and he has recently been doing substantial project work on renewable energy and essential infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa. He has extensive international experience and exposure, having worked in England, Australia and various countries in Southern Africa. He is also an elder and board member at his local church.
Sam holds a BSc. Mining Engineering Degree from the North Staffordshire University (UK) and a Master’s in Industrial and Administrative Sciences from the City University in London.
Dr Mona Chung
Executive President, BlueMount Capital Beijing
Mona is internationally recognised as Australia’s leading Chinese-Australian businesswoman specialises in cross-cultural negotiations and communication. She has rich and deep insights into the cross-cultural differences between China and Western businesses.
Mona has a PhD from Monash University, Australia. Her thesis was titled “The impact of cultural differences: An Australian business in China”.
Mona has extensive experience in Western-China business relationships in a broad range of industries including aged care, health care, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical science, higher education, manufacturing, professional services, mining, oil & gas, property development, construction etc. She also has depth experience in setting up joint ventures in China for foreign enterprises since the late 1990s and comprehensive knowledge in Chinese joint venture law.
In addition, Mona has a current role as Regional Director, China & Asia, for BlueMount Capital in Melbourne. Mona has a range of board experiences, from private organisations to government agencies. She has served on the executive board of the Victorian branch of the Australia China Business Council for many years. She is on international committee of Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. She is a frequent visitor to China, a regular guest speaker at private and public forums and is a well published author with over 90 publications.
Her prominent China business books are titled: “Shanghaied: why Fosters could not survive China”; “Doing business successfully in China”; “Doing business with China: Getting ready for the Asia century” and “Dancing with the dragon: Doing business with China” which are available on Amazon.
CT Johnson
Regional Director, Cross Border Transactions
CT is an American and now lives in Australia; previously he lived in the US, Russia and China. He started his career with Ernst & Young and later worked for Swedish telecom equipment-maker Ericsson. Most recently, CT worked for Huawei Technologies in China, acting first as the Head of Sales Operations and later as a member of the board of directors of several Huawei subsidiaries in Asia. CT was also a member of Huawei’s M&A team and served on the parent company’s Finance Committee. In addition to English, CT speaks German, Russian and Mandarin.
CT is an authority on cross-border transactions. He is the author of Riding The Dragon: Managing Your Chinese Investors, Partners & Employees. CT has spent the last 20 years working with and for multinational companies in Western Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia, the US and China. CT has been featured in the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian and the Daily Telegraph and appeared on radio and TV programs including A Current Affair, ABC News, and 2GB speaking about the spending and investing habits of Chinese in Australia.
Kelvin Templeton
Regional Director, MENA
Kelvin is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania (USA). He has been Managing Director of Abu Dhabi based corporate advisory Firm Templeton Galt for 15 years. For six of those years, he served as Chairman of the Australian Business Group (ABG) in Abu Dhabi. ABG is an initiative of the Australian Embassy to promote trade between Australia and the UAE. Prior to founding Templeton Galt, Kelvin served as Chief Executive Officer of the Sydney Swans Football Club.
Previously, he acted for 10 years as General Manager of the Medical Clinics division of Australia’s largest private health insurer, the Medical Benefits Fund of Australia (now BUPA), where he was responsible for medical clinics in New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania.
Kelvin is a former elite sportsman and a winner in 1980 of the Brownlow Medal, the highest individual honour in Australian Football.
Lawrence Tamarkin, Ph.D.
Regional Director, North America
Dr. Tamarkin has over 30 years’ experience in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry.
During his tenure in the companies he founded, Dr. Tamarkin was directly involved in product creation/development (having held over 60 patents issued in the U.S. and in other Western countries), product testing, product manufacturing, and clinical testing, all focused on producing the necessary documentation for regulatory approval. From that experience, he understands the challenges, both technical and financial, in getting a product into the marketplace and in building a successful, financially rewarding business that meets the goals of all stakeholders.
As a Regional Director for BlueMount Capital Victoria in North America, Dr. Tamarkin is focusing on identifying high growth potential companies, looking to launch their products and/or services in the U.S. or internationally, with an eye to accessing the public financial market in Australia.
Dr. Tamarkin holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in biology from SUNY Stony Brook and a Ph.D. degree in endocrinology/physiology from the University of Connecticut.
Gavin Whiteley
Director, Agribusiness & Food
Gavin is a highly experienced professional in the fields of agribusiness, primary production, food production and processing, property, funds and business management, commodity trading, government business enterprise and in the agri-food supply chain.
Mr Whiteley is the Founder and Managing Director of the Micketymulga Group, an agri-business advisory group located in Bungendore, New South Wales. Previous roles at major agri-business operators and investors included Westchester Group (Chief Financial and Risk Officer), Bartter Enterprises, Dunavant Enterprises and Heytesbury Beef, as well as number of Government positions in the sector.
Mr Whiteley holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics (Hons) from the University of New England and Associate Diploma in Farm Management from Orange Agricultural College as well as many relevant graduate programs.
Mr Whiteley is a CPA qualified accountant and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Yang Song
Director, Corporate Advisory
Melbourne based and Director of Corporate Asian activities, Yang provides timely service, particularly on major Merger & Acquisition activities in industries where she has deep experience.
Yang has many years of experience working with Asian clients and has previously worked on various major projects in the property and nutraceuticals sectors. Two of these buy-side transactions had a total enterprise value in excess of AUD 1 billion each.
Yang specialises in cross border M&A transactions, Mezzanine Financings, Management Consulting in industries which include Medical, Pharmaceutical, Nutraceutical, Agriculture, New-Technology and Property Development & Construction. She has strong connections in Hong Kong, Australia and China.
Graeme Lavelle
Director, Financial Advisory & Valuations
Graeme is a Chartered Accountant (Fellow) with over 3 decades of experience in professional practice within the accounting profession. He worked with Coopers & Lybrand for some 25 years, 16 years as a Partner.
Graeme has a background in providing audit and assurance, investigation services, forensic accounting, expert evidence, investigating accountants and independent expert reports for public companies, as well as valuations and due diligence reviews, for a wide range of businesses and industry sectors. He has specialist experience in the mining, manufacturing, financial services, property and securities industries.
During his career Graeme has been involved in a wide variety of assignments covering financial investigations, expert reports, valuations, corporate reconstructions, takeovers, rights issues and public company share floats. He has been responsible for audit and assurance of companies in the mining, finance, property construction, property syndication, telecommunications, transport and manufacturing industries. He also has experience in company listings on the Australian, Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Nasdaq and London Stock Exchanges.
Robert Bolton
Director, Major Projects
Robert is an internationally experienced business transformation executive with engineering, project management and governance qualifications and experience. He is an international thought leader in the implementation of complex projects and programs.
Robert has more than 30 years’ experience, including successful implementation of infrastructure, mining, oil & gas, capital markets, banking and information technology projects. In addition, he has acted as Chairman and Executive Director of ASX listed companies.
Robert holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) from the University of Sydney and a Master of Business Administration from Ashridge Management College (UK).
Robert is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, he is certified by the Theory of Constraints International Certification Organization and the International Supply Chain Education Alliance.
Caroline Antonio Samuel
Senior Advisor, Africa
Caroline is approaching 10 years’ operating experience in banking, business and business development.
Caroline is an Executive Board Member for the Australia Zimbabwe Business Council where she has been actively involved for 5 years. She also sits on the Zimbabwe Australia Business Council as a board member.
Caroline has considerable banking experience, having worked for the Commonwealth Bank in business and private lending/banking.
Over the years she has honed her advisory, business development and client relationship skills and management expertise through involvement in significant capital raising projects.
David Carnell
Senior Advisor, Corporate Finance
David has more than 40 years’ experience in international banking and finance, corporate advice, intellectual property licensing and application, renewable energy, waste water, food production, healthcare, private family offices and many other industries.
Dr Darren J Grubb
Senior Advisor – Innovation & Life Sciences
Dr Grubb carries more than 20 years expertise in the Venture Capital, Funds Management and Life Science sector, encompassing funding, corporate strategies, clinical and operational planning, budgeting, M&A, and many other capabilities required for start-up and small to medium sized enterprises.
Previously, he held positions with IB Managers, Intersuisse, the Queensland BioCapital Fund and the Queensland Investment Corporation, as well as executive roles with various emerging life science companies. Notably, Dr Grubb engaged with the executives and the board of various innovation companies, leading to the execution of positive funding outcomes or enhanced corporate activities.
Dr Grubb has a PhD from Melbourne University, an MBA from the Queensland University of Technology and a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance.
Dr Rob Kozma
Senior Advisor, Molecular & Cell Biology and Genetics
Rob has more than 30 years’ experience in molecular and cell biology and genetics. His roles have included research and development, business development, intellectual property licensing, commercialization of spin-off companies from universities including Oxford, Imperial College, UCL and national research institutions including the Genome Institute, A*Star and the National University Hospital (NUH) Singapore.
Geoff Small
Senior Advisor, Renewable Energy, Base Oils & Steel
Geoff has more than 30 years’ international experience in base oils, steel, biofuels, renewable energy and wastewater treatment industries. His roles have included raw material procurement, production planning and control, research and development, sales and marketing, capital works management and intellectual property development and deployment.
Geoff Dale
Senior Advisor, Strategy & Business Performance
Geoff specialises in helping businesses achieve sustainable results in any environment. His approach is focused on the combination of key business performance attributes of any successful organisation – Embracing Change, Strategic Focus, with a strong Operating System, and line-of-sight Accountability for Delivering Results.
By acting as personal advisor to Directors, CEOs and senior leaders, Geoff focuses on the best ways to implement and operationalise change and strategic business thinking to achieve exceptional results.
Previously, Geoff held senior global leadership roles in GE, one of the world’s ‘most admired companies’ – a business environment that demanded results. In these roles, he was involved with some of the best global thinking on business performance.
In recent times, he has been engaged in assignments involving change leadership, strategy development, building a shared culture, business simplification, outsourcing and shared services, creating a global procurement hub, improving performance review processes, improving Board Reporting and facilitating board and management annual strategy session, to mention a few.
Yajun (Devon) Li
Business Consultant
Yajun successfully completed her Master’s Degree in Accounting and International Finance at Deakin University, graduating in 2018.
Yajun is currently undertaking a wide variety of international investment banking, Corporate Advisory and Business consulting activities which are occurring in Australia, China and New Zealand.
Working directly with the BlueMount Capital Group’s National Chairman, Yajun is responsible for management of the encrypted data base/information storage used in Melbourne Office, and she is also responsible for the preparation of all Mandates, external corporate presentations such as investment flyers, Information Memoranda and oversees several Virtual Data Rooms. She is also involved in many current BlueMount Capital projects, directly participating in meetings with senior executives of our clients and provides practical business strategies, such as risk analysis, security analysis and financial analysis etc. In China she has a most important role directly supporting the Executive President of our Beijing based Joint Venture with timely business analysis, preparation of financial budgets, monitoring/reporting, negotiation support and actioning. More recently she sourced a leading Chinese manufacturer of specialist medical devices which are used in COVID19 antibody testing.
Additionally, Yajun, who speaks fluent Chinese and English, actively supports the Managing Director of the Melbourne office with various assignments in New Zealand and Australia. She has strong interest in China stock markets, trading and cross border business flows between China and Australia.
Consultant Legal Counsel
Peter Nevile – B. Juris & L.L.B.
Senior Legal Counsel
Peter has practiced law for more than 45 years primarily in the commercial corporate areas with a significant involvement with inbound investment from a number of countries especially China. He has dealt with joint ventures, complex commercial arrangements and negotiations as well as advising on the acquisition and sale of numerous major business transactions, including hotels, hospitals, international engineering firms, agribusinesses and wineries. Peter also presently advises a number of start-up companies in the biomedical and technology areas and advises a number of charities and not for profit organisations.
Peter and his company have many years of experience in serving clients in China, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Dubai, Italy and the United States of America.