Our team

CHAIR

The Hon. John Brumby AO is an experienced company and not-for-profit Board Director and is well known from his former roles as Premier of Victoria from 2007 to 2010 and Treasurer from 2000 to 2007.

John is Chair of a number of for-profit and not-for-profit organisations including Citywide Solutions Pty Ltd, BioCurate Pty Ltd, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust and In2Science. John was installed as Chancellor of La Trobe University in March 2019 and is also a Professor (Honorary) in the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Melbourne.

John was awarded an Order of Australia in 2017 for distinguished service to the Parliament of Victoria, to economic management and medical biotechnology innovation, to improved rural and regional infrastructure, and to the community. John is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Graduate (Advanced) of the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees.

"Breakthrough Victoria invests in innovation to deliver economic, social or environmental benefits to Victoria."

CEO

Rod has over 30 years’ experience encompassing the stockbroking, asset management, wealth management, agribusiness and not-for-profit sectors.

His previous roles include CEO of Sydney and Singapore-based VC firm Investible, CEO of ASX-listed Clime Investment Management Limited, MD of Infocus Wealth Management Ltd, CEO of environmental NGO Greening Australia and Chief Operating Officer and alternate MD of Australia’s largest retail stockbroker, CommSec. He also cofounded a business in the environmental management and carbon offsets space, delivering Queensland's first carbon trade in 2001.

Rod holds a BSc (Forestry) from the ANU and has completed post-graduate studies at the Australian Graduate School of Management and INSEAD.

DIRECTOR

Mark Johnson is a strategic advisor, board member, and executive coach who has worked with Australian technology companies for over ten years both in the US and across Australia.

Having worked in and with the venture capital community in Silicon Valley for the last two decades, Mark has a track record of building businesses and teams. With experience from early-stage start-ups to Fortune 500 companies across the United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific, Mark brings a global perspective on business, entrepreneurship, and product development. Mark has served in both operating and director roles in technology companies from pre-funding stages through IPO and acquisition.

Mark was CEO of SkyPilot Networks (acquired by Trilliant), a carrier-class wireless broadband systems provider and an Associate Partner at Mobius Venture Capital (SOFTBANK) with a focus on mobile and software infrastructure. Prior to that, Mark directed product strategy at Preview Systems (acquired by Aladdin Knowledge Systems), a pioneer in the field of digital rights management and content distribution and spent 10 years at Apple in a succession of technical, marketing, and international management roles building platform ecosystems.

DIRECTOR

Deirdre Blythe is an experienced NED, Audit and Risk Committee Chair and Executive with over 35 years of experience driving performance improvement and effective risk management across the government, commercial and not-for-profit sectors.

With broad expertise in health and life sciences, insurance, and arts and culture she has held executive roles including CEO, COO, CFO, and CRO as well as non-executive roles. A strategic thinker, Deirdre has worked effectively with multiple stakeholders in complex environments, balancing commercial return and sustainability with a values-based approach.

Deirdre has held a number of Board roles since 2003. Her current Board appointments include Cell Therapies, an innovative, globally active commercial contract development and manufacturing company, specialising in cell therapy, gene therapy, regenerative medicine, and cellular immunotherapy products, and the Audit and Risk Committee of the Victorian Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (DJSIR). Previous Board appointments include the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, where she also chaired the Audit and Risk Committee, Ansvar Insurance and BUPA Australia.

Deirdre held executive roles in BUPA, Alfred Health and Ansvar Insurance. Her most recent role was as Chief Operating Officer at Arts Centre Melbourne, where she led the finance, PMO, IT and digital, data and insights, risk management and compliance, legal and governance, and facilities management functions for eight years, including leading Arts Centre Melbourne’s response to the sudden loss of all commercial revenues following closure due to COVID-19, leading the work to manage and monitor solvency.

Deirdre holds a BSc (Hons) in Management Science and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (FCA) and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD).

DIRECTOR

Dr Joshua Funder is founder, CEO and Managing Director of Household Capital. Joshua was a director of Celladon Inc. (NASDAQ: CLDN) and spent over a decade as partner at GBS, Australia’s largest venture funds management firm.

Joshua has served as chairman and director of US and Australian companies, including Peplin (ASX: PLI) and Spinifex Inc. and is a winner of the AVCAL early stage investment award. Joshua previously worked at Infinity Inc (NASDAQ: INFI) in Boston, and at the Boston Consulting Group in San Francisco. Working with the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative, Joshua helped successfully negotiate reduced prices for anti-retrovirals and initiate pharmaceutical supplies across eastern and southern Africa.

Joshua is a co-founder and former chairman of Per Capita, an independent progressive policy think tank. Joshua is also author of the novel, Watson’s Pier (MUP 2015)and has a D.Phil in intellectual property for biotechnology from Oxford University where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar.

DIRECTOR

Monique Conheady is an accomplished leader in the Clean Economy sector with a degree in environmental engineering from the University of Melbourne and success as a sustainability entrepreneur. Monique has held leadership positions in technical organisations such as Melbourne Water, Energy Safe Victoria, and EPA Victoria, and start-ups like JET Charge, Phantm, DC Power Co and Flexicar.

Monique excels in developing and implementing long-term strategies, particularly in the transport and energy sectors, as she did serving on the Expert Advisory Panel for the Victorian Government's Zero Emission Vehicle Strategy. She has also contributed to waste reduction and recycling efforts with KeepCup and EPA Victoria.

With experience on numerous board committees, Monique understands the importance risk management and compliance, setting appropriate risk appetite and implementing mitigation strategies.

In capital projects, Monique has worked on long-term investments and regulatory requirements in the clean economy sector. As the ANZ Venture Partner with Wavemaker Impact, she developed networks throughout Southeast Asia in climate tech.

Monique has also chaired executive remuneration and people and culture committees, overseeing large organisational changes in government roles. Currently she is serving on the boards of Melbourne Water and Energy Safe, with previous experience at EPA Victoria and Commercial Passenger Vehicles.

DIRECTOR

Dr. Ian Meredith is a globally-recognised interventional cardiologist, professor of medicine, and executive leader in the medtech industry. With more than six years on the executive leadership team guiding decisions $1.0B USD Boston Scientific internal VC fund, Ian specializes in life science asset evaluation, diligence, asset management, governance, and M&A. Over 30 years, he has merged patient care, clinical research, and life science technology to create transformative healthcare solutions.

In 2003 he conceived and lead the development of the Victorian Heart Hospital, Australia’s first advanced heart hospital, until joining BSC in 2017. Serving as Professor and Director of MonashHeart for 12 years and practicing as an interventional cardiologist for 25 years, Ian has mentored many cardiologists and performed over 20,000 cardiac procedures. As a chief or principal investigator on 30+ major international trials, Ian has pioneered numerous cardiovascular treatment paradigms.

Last year he retired from the role of Executive Vice President and Global Chief Medical Officer at Boston Scientific Corporation, a global Fortune 100 company. In that role he lead clinical innovation and medical affairs, overseeing 17,000 medical devices, impacting 33 million patients in 130 countries. Currently he serves as a Non Executive Director for several international and national medtech companies.

Chief Operations Officer

Lauren is an accomplished Executive, responsible for corporate business functions including finance, corporate risk and compliance, IT systems and services, and people and culture.

She has a successful track record of commercialisation of innovation from her time in the innovation labs of NAB and ANZ, and brings extensive leadership experience from across the innovation, banking, startup and government sectors to ensure our processes, systems and procedures meet the needs of the company’s growing and changing operational environment.

Lauren holds a Master of Business Administration from Melbourne Business School.

GENERAL COUNSEL & COMPANY SECRETARY

Rosemary is a senior legal and governance executive, predominantly working in the private sector in professional services, engineering and agricultural companies. She has extensive experience in advising the C Suite, boards and board chairs across a broad range of legal, commercial and governance issues. Rosemary graduated in law at Monash University with honours and is a fellow of the Governance Institute.

CHIEF ASSET MANAGEMENT OFFICER

Sally is responsible for Breakthrough Victoria’s portfolio management across all five priority sectors. Prior to joining Breakthrough Victoria, Sally was a founding partner and the inaugural CEO of Bridges Australia, an affiliate of a global leader in impact investing, Bridges Fund Management.

With extensive experience in finance, funds management and strategy, Sally has spent many years working in and understanding Asia Pacific markets in senior roles at Accenture, JP Morgan Investment Management and SBC Warburg (now UBS).

Sally holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Graduate Diploma in Accounting and Finance from Monash University and was recognised in 2020 with an Order of Australia award for her work in ethical investment. She is also a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA) and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER

Brett is responsible for sourcing and investing in later stage investment opportunities, bringing over 30 years’ experience in funds management, mergers and acquisitions, sustainability and civil engineering. Having worked in multiple top tier investment banks across the USA and Australia, Brett has also previously set up and run his own consulting firm advising on sustainability and corporate finance.

Brett is the holder of two masters degrees (MBA in finance from the University of Melbourne and Engineering Science from Monash University) and an undergraduate honours degree in civil engineering from Monash University. He is also a Member of the Institution of Engineers, Australia and Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).