Mentors

Vivian Quinn

Vivian has established an enviable track record as a commercial CFO and executive director in many diverse industries such as technology, pharmaceutical, fast moving consumer goods and consumer services. Her broad functional responsibilities have included all aspects of Finance, Supply Chain, Procurement, Facilities Management and IT. She has led the design and implementation of various financial systems for multiple markets across the Asia Pacific region based on leading practice.

Richard Stewart (OAM)

Richard is a Partner at PwC where he has worked for 20+ years specialising in Corporate Finance and Valuation. Richard’s areas of expertise are: risk analysis, valuation, finance, forecasting and strategy. He has experience in the Financial Services (Banking, Insurance, Funds management), Retail, Mining and Commodities, Property, Consumer and Industrial goods, Education, Government Services.

JOSEPHINE TOO

Josephine is a seasoned Strategist & Certified Agile Growth Coach bringing clarity & confidence to Mid-Market Leadership Teams with Growth mindset to help design their Company Growth (Sofos Advisory) & Category (Category Design Advisors). With more than 20 years of experience in Strategy Consulting, Executive Management & Scaling Tech (NASDAQ) businesses across APAC & Europe, she was part of the 100M to 1Bn (6 yrs) journey of the iconic company Infosys (NYSE:INFY). She started both the Infosys Singapore & Germany offices; headed up Sales & Marketing for Greater China; and drove complex $100+ Million deals in Australia. While she was EVP, Group Executive APAC at Aurionpro, managing a portfolio of acquired companies, she 4X Revenue in 2yrs with no additional sales resources. Her first startup was in 2000, was the Programme Curator for Practical Entrep Track for The Churchill Club (2011-13), created the Entrep & Innovation SIG in Victoria for ACS (2013-15), and was a Lead Judge of the Premier National iAwards for ICT innovations for the Startup, CIO & Entrep Pearcy Medal categories (2012-2015) and was an ex-national athlete.

annie Qi

Annie is the Founder of Mercif, the digital agency for early-stage startups and small businesses. Having dedicated over 10,000 hours to the art of social media marketing and content creation, Annie's insights and understanding of the digital landscape make her an invaluable resource for entrepreneurs seeking to amplify their online presence and drive growth. Annie also holds a Bachelor's degree in Business and a Diploma in Innovation from UTS, showing her commitment to staying at the forefront of industry trends.

PAUL BROWN

Dr Paul Brown is a national and international award-winning Senior Lecturer in Creative Intelligence and Innovation at Transdisciplinary School, University of Technology Sydney. He is course director of the Diploma in Innovation and specialises in innovation in sustainable production systems. Paul’s is passionate about new technology and how changes in technology can be integrated into new products, services and business models to transform society to become more environmental and economically sustainable. His work has been published in leading international journals including Journal of Cleaner Production, International Journal of Production Economics, International Journal of Production Research, British Accounting Review, Environmental Education Research and Business Strategy and the Environment.

MaZ Heidari

Maz is a seasoned entrepreneur with experience in sectors including fintech, commercial real estate, and hospitality. He's the co-founder and CEO of BizVision, a business buyers' agency that has secured over AUD 250 million for Australian SMEs. He has also co-founded a data analytics firm and a medical genetics lab, which focuses on the study of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) as biomarkers in colorectal cancer (CRC). He currently sits on the board of numerous social enterprises and startup incubators worldwide. Before embarking on these ventures, Maz worked at Fortune 500 and ASX100 companies. With over seven years of expertise in big data and AI, he contributes significantly to commercial real estate companies and serves as a sessional lecturer at universities in NSW. His doctoral studies align with his passion for big data and AI, using these to develop data-driven insights and strategies for business acquisitions and franchise expansions.

PREM ACHARYA

Prem Acharya, a seasoned entrepreneur and founder of Dented Code Academy, boasts over two decades of coding experience and a decade in the Australian tech sector. With a commitment to accessible education, he emphasizes practical skills, earning Dented Code Academy recognition, including a local business award. As a respected voice in the tech community, Prem appears on social TV channels and speaks at events, inspiring aspiring tech professionals. Dedicated to empowering others, his goal is to transform tech education into a pathway for opportunity and societal contribution.