NSW Current and Future Leaders 2023

Gordon currently serves as a Regional Director at Judo Bank, focusing on Greater Western Sydney corridor.

He is a career business banker with a passion for working closely and building long term relationships across a diverse range of industries with a specialisation in hospitality.

Gordon has had 40+ years in Corporate and SME finance and has had a range of roles including relationship banking, people leader, credit risk and brokerage.

Alongside his role, Gordon is a Chartered Banker with FINSIA and also involved with the Australian Hotel Association, several commerce chambers and other finance bodies.

Samantha Clarke, SA FIN, is a committee member on the FINSIA NSW/ACT Regional Council and has been a member of FINSIA since 2018. Samantha is the Co-Founder and CEO of Advice RegTech and is an industry recognised expert in financial services policy and regulatory technology. Advice RegTech’s Supervision and Monitoring Intelligence software (the SAMI platform) is used by Australian financial services organisations for good governance, risk and compliance efficiency and effectiveness. At the FinTech Business Awards 2019, the SAMI software was awarded Compliance Innovator of the Year. SAMI was also demonstrated at the ASIC RegTech symposiums including the inaugural RegTech demonstration event, the Financial Advice File Review event, and the Responsible Lending RegTech event.

Nathan Krieger serves as Dimensional’s Co-Head of Client Group, Australia. Together with Kevin Kandasamy, Nathan sets the strategic direction for Dimensional’s client business in Australia and New Zealand.

He joined Dimensional in 2004 as a Regional Director, forging strong and productive relationships with Australian and New Zealand businesses and helping them build client-centric investment solutions on the sound foundation of financial science. Before joining Dimensional, Nathan gained extensive experience in financial services, holding positions as a client development manager at BT Financial Group, as an advisor consultant at MLC Investments, and managing a trading team at Commonwealth Securities. Nathan holds an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM). He has a graduate diploma in applied finance and investment from the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA) and remains affiliated with the institute as a fellow. He earlier graduated from Macquarie University, Sydney, with a bachelor of commerce

Lisa Wade is the CEO of DigitalX Limited (ASX: DCC), a digital investment management company operating at the intersection of technology and finance.

She has over 30 years of experience in finance and financial markets, and a strong background in blockchain project development and funds management. Prior to her role at DigitalX, Lisa served as the Head of Digital Innovation & Sustainability at National Australia Bank (NAB), she has also held positions at The ESCOR Group and Citigroup. In addition to her professional roles, Lisa has been actively involved in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace through her involvement as the Co-Chair of the NAB Pride Group

Navinesh Chand is Managing Director of Synpulse, an international financial services management consulting firm. Prior to his appointment at Synpulse, he led the Customer Experience and Digital Strategy efforts of Infosys Consulting, as a Senior Principal.  

Chand brings over 18 years of experience in consulting and in-house leadership roles across Australia and the United Kingdom with particular focus on customer experience, innovation, and digital strategy. His career has seen him work in consulting at Partners in Performance, KPMG and Deloitte, as well as financial services industry players CBA, UBS, and Westpac.

Alongside his role at Synpulse, Chand is also actively involved in advising startups, helping not-for-profit organisations, and working closely with universities and business schools on digital strategy and innovation.

Sharon Williams is a personal branding expert and regular speaker to universities, graduates, experts and even high calibre CEO’s with over 27 years experience. She was the first to launch her own trademarked and award-winning personal branding offering, TaurusProfile™. She’s lived through a number of crises and even in the darkest moments has come out the other side. She has seen these moments as opportunities to strengthen focus, tenacity and of course the key is - to never give up – values which helped shape Taurus today.

Matt has led the way in financial services recruitment for over 15 years. With a background in investment consulting and funds management, Matt is highly sought for his unrivalled industry knowledge and extensive connections. Matt holds strong relationships with c-level executives, human resource leaders and the very best in industry talent across funds management, investment consulting and superannuation.

Matt is known for uncompromising dedication and energy in his work. With a commitment to excellence in professional standards, Matt has a continued-on servicing industry participants through sponsoring, presenting, mentoring and advisory positions with FINSIA, CFA, AIST, and RCSA.

Rachel has 20 years of business leadership experience within industry and professional associations and the financial services sector. With a background in digital and traditional communications, media, marketing, sales, partnerships, product management, and events, she has implemented effective organisational strategies and coached teams to excellence. 

Her key roles in Cuscal, St George Bank, Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), and Governance Institute of Australia has shown her the importance of careful investment and good governance.

Rachel has a Master of Business Administration (Executive), a Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance and Risk Management (Chartered Governance Professional), and a Bachelor of Business (Industrial Relations). She is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia

Suzanne Bentley is an experienced executive with broad experience within the financial services industry with focus on investment management operations, performance, client reporting, banking, compliance and investment fund administration.

She has managed numerous successful teams. She is focused and ensures the job gets done on time, with accurate results and with low risk to the organisation. She has a keen interest in operations, project design and implementation. She is a fun, positive and energetic person who likes to work with a team.

Mark is a finance professional, an educator, a consultant, and a non-executive director who works with businesses and individuals to help them to excel.

With over 25 years in investment management in both listed and unlisted markets, including 10 years in senior management, Mark has worked with large institutions to develop bespoke investment strategies, led sales efforts, managed back-office functions, and has traded in the derivative and equity markets.

As a consultant Mark has assisted companies and individuals to achieve their goals through serving as the General Manager and Company Secretary of a finance industry body, chairing the Risk Committee for a Retail investment manager, and providing strategic advice to small and medium sized businesses.

Mark has been teaching for over 30 years at the tertiary and post-graduate levels, working for universities, superannuation and finance industry bodies, and private education institutions to teach subjects in business, finance, investment management, derivatives, strategy, risk management, and communications. In addition to teaching, Mark has authored papers on finance, investment, and risk management, he is a blogger on investment-related topics, and is a regular speaker on finance topics for continuing education providers.

Mark’s community service work is through directorships in the arts, youth, sports, and financial services sectors, where he has successfully steered each entity to grow whilst reducing risk through developing risk policies, risk management frameworks, improving financial processes, and leading the development of organisational strategy.

Julia is an intuitive money mindset and finance expert.

With many years experience as a Chartered Accountant, Tax Advisor, and Wealth Management Specialist, Julia is also certified in Money Mindset and Feng Shui. This is her unique point of difference.

Her passion for female financial empowerment led her to addresses the gap in the market for female sensitive financial education and advice. 

Julia helps women all over the world let go of money blocks so that they can earn more, scale their businesses, and build lasting wealth.

Chris Whitehead has broad experience in financial services, information technology and other industries in a wide range of roles. He is a strategic thinker with exceptional collaboration skills who has established successful new businesses and joint ventures. He was recognised for excellence in people leadership as the HR Champion CEO in the 2012 Australian HR Awards. Chris is currently Non-Executive Director of IMB Bank and Non-Executive Chair of 1st Group Ltd. He was previously CEO and Managing Director of FINSIA.

David has more than 20 years’ experience in Australia, New York and the Middle East. David has a strong knowledge of the financial services sector, having worked with a broad cross section of the industry, including banks, brokers, exchanges, fintechs, leasing companies, payment providers, private equity and non-bank financiers. 

He is also a recognised regulatory expert, having advised a range of local and international banks. 

David has previously served as a member of the Consumer Finance Advisory Group and as Chair of the Institutional Markets Council. 

Yasser was appointed FINSIA Chief Executive & Managing Director in April 2022. Previously, he was Chief Executive of Australian Investment Council from November 2013 to April 2022 where he was responsible for leading the strategic direction of the organisation’s work in representing the private capital investment industry in Australia.

Prior to joining Australian Investment Council, Yasser was the General Manager of Policy and Advocacy for Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand. He has more than 20 years’ experience as a business adviser and public policy expert, through his previous roles with PwC, Rio Tinto, Frasers Property Australia, as well as the Department of Treasury in Canberra. Yasser is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the Australian National University and a Master of Taxation Law from University of New South Wales. In April 2016, Yasser was appointed by the Federal Government to the Medical Research Future Fund Advisory Board where he advises on the strategy and priorities for medical health research funding from the $20B fund.