Sector Discussions: SMEs & Start-up Boards

John Allen
John was a Partner in Allen, Allen & Hemsley, Lawyers, for 16 years and Executive Director of Technology Transactions Limited for two and a half years. He was a member of the Australia China Council from 1998 to 2007. John was also the National President of the Australia China Business Council in 1996 - 97 and a Senior Vice President through to 2003. He was a Director of CITIC Australia Pty Ltd from 1986 to 2004, and has been a Director and Chairman of a number of public and private companies. He is Chairman of the China Research Centre at the University of Technology, Sydney.

John's expertise is in providing strategic advice on joint ventures and strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, equity, hybrid and debt raisings and complex commercial transactions in Australia and Asia.

Brookes McTavish
Brookes has been raising capital for unlisted companies for over 20 years. Throughout the 1990s she facilitated capital-raising, mergers & acquisitions in Australia and Asia, largely for public-listed companies, but until recently, acted as a professional non-executive director. She was lured back to an executive role by the Australian Small Scale Offerings Board Limited, where she is the Managing Director, in early 2007.

Brookes also has a long history in dealing with government bodies as many of the transactions she has facilitated required cross-sector and international negotiations, particularly in Asia where large projects often spanned several different regulatory environments. Brookes has been charged with the job of taking ASSOB through its next phase of development, which is likely to include a float on a suitable stock exchange in the next 12-18 months.

Robert Sakker
Robert Sakker is an Executive Director of Globalstar Australia and its related companies. He was instrumental in the purchase and successful turnaround of the Globalstar business in January 2003. Globalstar is now established as Australia's leading mobile satellite services provider. Robert has approximately 11 years experience in the telecommunications industry, and prior to the purchase of the Globalstar business held various general management and senior executive positions in Vodafone. He holds an MBA, and undergraduate degrees in both engineering and law..

Tracey Ah Hee
Tracey is a successful business woman who co-founded innovative consulting firm Genroe in 2002. Her current initiative is social networking project www.helpinghero.com which has a particular focus on tools for the not for profit sector.

Prior to establishing her own business Tracey held senior marketing roles with Telstra, Optus and the Colonial Group.