Executive Members
Simon McKeon, Chairman
Simon McKeon is Executive Chairman of Macquarie Group's Melbourne office and specialises in mergers and acquisitions. He has degrees in Law and Commerce from the University of Melbourne and prior to joining Macquarie Bank, Simon practised as a solicitor with Blake Dawson Waldron in Sydney. He is Chairman of MYOB Limited, MS Research Australia and Melbourne Cares. He is also President of the Australian Takeovers Panel. He is on the Board of VisionFund which is responsible for World Vision International's micro economic development activities. Simon is married to Amanda Jane and they have four boys.
"‘No man is an island’ and the same applies to nations, even island nations such as Australia. We are part of a global economy - connected to both the first and developing worlds.
Australian businesses, in general, have a reasonably good understanding of the first world but many have a way to go before they begin to appreciate the commercial opportunities arising out of the developing world. I'm interested to encourage them on this journey because of the enormous and positive impact they can then have on the poorest of the poor, particularly in our own region."
Mark Ingram, Executive Director
Mark Ingram recently completed his term as New Zealand Consul General and Trade Commissioner to Australia. During his term, Mark was instrumental in the establishment of the Australia New Zealand Biotech Alliance. Prior to his diplomatic posting, Mark worked for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise as an export consultant. Mark has also spent 10 years working in international trade for companies predominantly with the large Japanese trading house Kanematsu Corporation. He has been responsible for developing import/export opportunities throughout the Asia Pacific region. Mark is married to Niki and they have one young child.
"Australia’s future is firmly linked to the Asian economies. On the one hand, the Asia Pacific region is already larger than either NAFTA or the EU. By 2050 it is expected that China and India will become the largest economies in the world. On the other hand, two-thirds of the world’s poor live in the Asia Pacific. 640 million live on less than $1 a day and that number is growing. The emerging markets of this region therefore represent both an economic and a humanitarian imperative. Developing business within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals ensures that your business grows in a way that contributes to the alleviation of poverty."
Board Members
Tim Costello
Since February 2004, Rev. Tim Costello has been the Chief Executive of World Vision, Australia’s largest overseas aid organisation. Tim studied law and education at Monash University, followed by theology at the International Baptist Seminary Rueschlikon, Switzerland, and a Master’s in Theology at the Melbourne College of Divinity. In 2005 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), for "service to the community through contributions to social justice, health and welfare issues, international development assistance, and to the Baptist Church". Tim and his wife, Merridie, have three adult children, Claire, Elliot and Martin.
Dr Dan Evans
Dan has had two professional careers covering the mining and professional services sectors. After 26 years with WMC Resources where his final role was Vice President Exploration – Africa/Eurasia, Dan has spent the last 10 years in management consulting. He was a strategy partner in Accenture focused on the global mineral resources industry. Currently, Dan is the Principal of Executive Compass, a management consultancy he founded in 1991 and Non-Executive Chairman of RMDSTEM. Dan holds Bachelor, Masters and PhD degrees in geology from various USA and Canadian universities and an MBA from Melbourne Business School. He is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Vice President of the Australian African Business Council (Vic) and a member of Scope’s Risk & Audit Committee. Dan is married to Linda and they have three daughters and five grandchildren.
Paul Gardner AM
After a two-year stint with the Commercial Bank of Australia (now Westpac), Paul moved into advertising, eventually joining Grey in 1992 after holding both senior creative and account servicing positions at a number of Australia’s leading agencies. A holder of a Bachelor of Business degree from Monash University and a Certificate of Securities from the Melbourne Stock Exchange, Paul has been Chairman of Grey's Australian operations since 1999, expanding to cover New Zealand in 2006. He also sits on the Asia Pacific Regional Board. Outside of Grey, Paul is Patron of Open Family and a former Chairman of Malthouse Theatre and Melbourne Football Club. Paul is married to Genevieve and they have two daughters.
Bill Hurditch
Dr Bill Hurditch is a principal and director of The Fifth Estate, a Sydney-based corporate advocacy firm which specialises in strategic development and issues management for businesses, particularly in the natural resources and environmental services sectors. The firm acts in an advisory role for a number of major Australian companies. Bill holds a First-Class Honours degree and a PhD in Science (Ecology) from the University of New England. In 1990 and 1991, he was a visiting scientist at Oxford University. Bill was executive director of the NSW Chamber of Mines from 1993 to 1995, and executive director of the NSW Forest Products Association for the 10 years prior to that. Bill lives in Sydney with his wife Susan and they have three children.
Barry Pipella
Barry Pipella holds the position as Vice President for sectors and sales, IBM Global Technology Services (GTS) ANZ. He is responsible for the growth of infrastructure, application outsourcing and technical services in the region. Since joining IBM in 1996, Barry has held several sales and general management roles. His roles have included the management of teams to identify, qualify, develop and close large strategic outsourcing opportunities; and to support other services lines where outsourcing was a component of the solution.
Nola Watson
Nola Watson is the Head of Government and International Relations for Insurance Australia Group (IAG). She manages the Group’s relationships with governments, industry and non government organizations (NGOs) globally, as well as co-ordinating policy and regulatory issues for the company. Nola is currently a Director of the NRMA & IAG Superannuation Board, and a Director of the Australian Services Roundtable. She holds degrees from Sydney University and Australian National University in Canberra. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. In 2001, Nola was named the Telstra Australian Businesswoman of the Year in the community and government category. In 2002, she was awarded the Commonwealth of Australia Centenary Medal for services to Australian society in business leadership
Geoff Wilson
Prior to being appointed as KPMG’s CEO in January 2008, Geoff Wilson was the National Managing Partner of Audit and Risk Advisory Services for the Australian practice. In this capacity he also served as Chief Operating Officer for the Asia-Pacific Audit and Advisory practice and was a member of KPMG’s Global Audit Leadership Group.
A partner since 1990, Mr Wilson has extensive experience in dealing with accounting and auditing matters under Australian and United States regulatory regimes.
Mr Wilson is a Governor of the American Chamber of Commerce, holds Fellowships with ICAA and CPA Australia, and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a (US) CPA. He is also a council member of the Australian Business and Community Network, and a board member of Business for Millennium Development.
Summit '08
The inaugural B4MD Summit was held on 24 October 2008.
Click on Summit '08 for discussion transcripts, speaker information, images and program details.
