Board & Advisors

Professor Peter Shergold AC, BA (Univ of Hull), MA (Univ of Illinois), PhD (LSE)

Chairman

Peter Shergold received a B.A (First Class) from the University of Hull; an M.A. at the University of Illinois; and a PhD in Economics from London School of Economics. He has taught at the University of Illinois, Southampton University, London School of Economics and Pennsylvania State University and has twice been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship. He was elected a Fellow of The Academy of Social Sciences in Australia in 2005. He is also a fellow of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government and of the Institute of Public Administration Australia.

Peter was a CEO in the Australian Public Service for two decades. For five years from February 2003, Dr Shergold was Australia's most senior public administrator serving as Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. He served four Prime Ministers and eight Ministers in both Coalition and Labor governments.

Peter was made a Member in the Order of Australia (AM) for public service on Australia Day 1996. He was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2002. In 2007, he was elevated to Australia's highest award, the Companion in the Order of Australia (AC).

Peter has recently been appointed Professor in the Australian School of Business at the University of New South Wales. He is the Macquarie Group Foundation Chair at the Centre for Social Impact. In addition he is a Senior Visiting Fellow of the Singapore Civil Service College. He serves as a non-executive director on the Board of AMP.

Peeyush Gupta BSc (UC), MBA (AGSM)

Director

Peeyush Gupta, a founding director and Chief Executive Officer of ipac Securities Limited, leads one of Australia's best wealth management firms. Over the past 25 years ipac has build a global financial planning business that has helped people maximise their financial resources to achieve the goals that matter most to them. In fact, ipac's credentials were recognised when the firm was awarded the top ranking for one of its financial plans in the 2003 ASIC/Choice survey on the quality of financial advice in Australia.

Peeyush commentates regularly to industry leaders and clients on the importance of lifestyle financial planning that is supported by a best practice business model. Peeyush holds a degree in Computer Science and an MBA in finance from the Australian Graduate School of Management.

Vikram Sharma MSc (ANU), MSc Management (Stanford Sloan Fellow), PhD (ANU)

Founding Director & Chief Executive Officer

Vikram Sharma is founding director and CEO of QuintessenceLabs Pty Ltd. After realising the potential of quantum cryptography in the early 2000s in California, Dr. Sharma sought to commercialise the technology and returned to the Australian National University to work with the Quantum Optics Group in the Department of Physics. QuintessenceLabs emerged from the world-leading research conducted by the group.

Vikram brings with him 20 years experience in building and managing technology companies. Prior to QuintessenceLabs, he founded three successful start-up ventures in the information technology services and hardware spaces. He is a Sloan Fellow from Stanford University, California, and also holds an MSc in computer science and a PhD in quantum physics from the ANU.

Matt Barrie BE (Hons I) BSc (Hons I) GDipAppFin MSEE (Stanford) GAICD

Strategic Advisor to the Board

Matt Barrie is a technology entrepreneur with experience building and operating companies from concept to supplying global market leaders in network equipment, hardware, software, semiconductors, telecommunications and network security. He was recently founder and CEO of Sensory Networks Inc., the leading developer of OEM high performance network security processors, and prior to this cofounder of Dilithium Networks Inc., the global leader in converged video solutions for mobile and broadband networks with over 60% market share in media gateways in the telecoms market. At Sensory, Matt took the company from its genesis to over 70 employees, operating in four locations worldwide and supplier to vendors of network and security equipment including McAfee, LG, Astaro and others.

Matt is currently a non-executive director of Julius Finance, Inc., a New York based provider of advanced analytics for the credit derivatives market. He has raised over $32M USD in financing from venture capital, strategic investors and through government grants. For the last eight years has also been an external lecturer at the Department of Electrical and Information Engineering at the University of Sydney. He is the co-author of over 20 US patent applications. In 2006, he was awarded the State Pearcey Award for contribution to the IT&T industry.