• BOARD & EXEC TEAM
  • DISTRIBUTION TEAM
  • SENIOR MANAGEMENT
  • ALL PROFILES

Warren Lee

Non-Executive Chair

Warren is Chair of the Warakirri Board and was originally appointed as a Non- Executive Director in July 2022. He has extensive experience in the Australian and international financial services industry. Warren’s two most recent executive positions were Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Funds Management Corporation and Chief Executive Officer, Australia and New Zealand for AXA Asia Pacific Holdings Limited. Warren is currently a Non-Executive director of the MyState Limited Group and MetLife Limited Group. He is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Jane Tongs

Non-Executive Director

Jane was appointed as a non-executive director in 2010. She has over 30 years of management expertise, serving on the boards of insurance, funds management, property and other financial services entities. She developed her leadership and management experience earlier in her career, specifically as Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Along with her deep expertise in finance, her board experience is vast with over 20 years’ experience as a Chair, Chair of Audit and Risk Committees and Non-executive Director. She is currently Chair of Columbus Capital Pty Ltd and a Non-executive Director of Lend Lease Real Estate Investments Limited, AMDA Foundation Ltd and Brighton Grammar School. Jane is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and of CPA Australia and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Wendy Thorpe

Non-Executive Director

Wendy was appointed to the Warakirri Board in February 2026 and brings deep experience in Financial Services. As a senior executive she led technology and operations across investment management, insurance, banking and wealth management, with her last 2 senior executive roles being COO for Australia at AXA and Group Executive Operations at AMP. Wendy is a highly experienced Board Chair and Non-Executive Director and currently serves as Chair of Epworth Healthcare and Online Education Services, and as a Non-Executive Director of IAG, RACQ Insurance, and People First Bank. She is a graduate member of the AICD, a Fellow of CISI and a member of Chief Executive Women.

Jim McKay

Managing Director

Jim joined Warakirri in 2017 as CEO and Managing Director. In this role he oversees all aspects of the Warakirri business, including overall responsibility for all Agriculture investments, partnerships and operations. During Jim’s tenure Warakirri has grown into one of the Top 10 Agriculture Managers in the world. Jim was an Executive Director of Aurora Dairies for 7 years – Australasia’s largest Dairy farming business in addition to being a Director on one of Australia’s largest Cropping businesses. He has more than 30 years industry experience.

Jim also advises several Charitable institutions and also sits on the Investment Committee for one of these.

Dan Mangelsdorf

Non-Executive Director

Dan Mangelsdorf has over 20 years of NED and governance experience in ASX-listed corporate, funds management, and not-for-profit sectors. He has extensive experience as a Chair of Audit, Compliance, Safety, and Risk committees. Dan is currently the Chairman of the Warakirri Cropping Trusts and a former board member of GrainCorp Limited. He holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics (Hons) and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Dan owns and operates agricultural interests in New South Wales and brings unique perspective, and hands on knowledge of the drivers that influence businesses that operate in the agribusiness sector, including tangible supply chains, soft commodity markets and production agriculture.

Russell Dmytrenko

Group Chief Financial Officer

Russell was appointed as Group Chief Financial Officer of Warakirri in 2024. Russell is a senior finance executive with over 20 years’ experience in agribusiness and the motor vehicle industry. Prior to joining Warakirri, Russell was the Group CFO & Company Secretary at Cobram Estate Olives Ltd and prior to that spent 15 Years at General Motors in senior executive roles including Controller – ANZ & ASEAN, Regional Internal Control Manager – GMAP & MENA and Holden Chief Financial Officer.

Russell holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Masters of Business Administration, both from Deakin University and is a Fellow of CPA Australia.

Adrian Goonan

Investment Director - Agriculture

Adrian Goonan joined Warakirri in 2008 and was appointed to his current role as Investment Director – Agriculture in 2023 after 12 years as CEO of Warakirri Cropping. Adrian is responsible for overseeing Warakirri’s Diversified Agriculture and Cropping business as well as leading the development of new investment strategies and opportunities. Adrian’s background and blend of professional experience is across three main areas; Project Management, Funds Management and Agriculture (particularly agricultural investments). Adrian holds a Bachelor of Applied Science Project Management and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Kristin Lamb

Head Of Human Resources

Kristin joined in 2014 and is currently Warakirri Asset Management’s Head of Human Resources. She has gained her experience in Cape Town, South Africa where she worked for a Training and Outsourcing company and then for an E-Commerce organisation.

Kristin holds a degree in Psychology and Organisational Psychology and an Honours Degree in Organisational Psychology.

Ben James

CEO, Dairies

Ben joined Warakirri in May 2012 in the role of Operations Manager and has been the CEO for Warakirri’s dairies strategies since December 2012. He studied a Bachelor of Applied Science Agriculture at University of Adelaide. Ben has over 20 years’ practical experience within the agriculture industry and more specifically experience in large scale dairy and mixed farming enterprises.

Dale O'Neill

CEO - Warakirri Cropping

Dale joined Warakirri in 2021 and was appointed to his current role as CEO of Warakirri Cropping in 2023. Prior to Warakirri, he spent 11 years as General Manager Commercial at Burra Foods. More broadly, he has over 20 years leadership and management experience in various senior roles across both corporate and privately held Australian agribusinesses. Dale has a Masters of Agribusiness from Melbourne University, Leadership Training from Harvard Business School and completed Farm Business Management at Marcus Oldham. Originally from a family farming operation based in Gippsland in Victoria, Dale has spent time in Western Victoria and in Hong Kong where he was based for four years and successfully led and developed a geographically dispersed workforce across South Asia and Australia.

Luke Carey

General Manager - Agribusiness Investment

Luke joined Warakirri in 2015 in the role Investment Manager, Agribusiness. During his time at Warakirri he has overseen the identification, deployment and on-boarding of significant capital into agricultural investments. Prior to joining Warakirri, Luke was employed by Australian Unity Investments for 6 years as the Investment Operations Manager. Previous roles were in external audit and corporate advisory, in Melbourne, Perth and New York.

Luke is a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Deakin University.

Stuart Devlin

Head Of Distribution

Stuart joined Warakirri September 2018, with over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Warakirri, Stuart’s previous roles included Head of Family Office and IFA’s for Franklin Templeton, Head of Wholesale Distribution for ING and Region Distribution Manager for AXA. Stuart has a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) from RMIT and Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning from the University of Southern Queensland.

Stuart is also a committee member of a charity fund raising group “The Grassroots Club”, which mainly supports the Mirabel Foundation.

Conor Hayes

Head Of Institutional

Conor joined Warakirri in 2012 and has over 20 years experience in the financial services industry. He is responsible for client management and business development across Warakirri’s institutional client base, both domestically and overseas. In addition, Conor is a member of the Warakirri Investment Committee where he is actively involved in client portfolio asset allocation decisions as well as investment manager due diligence. Conor also has a long standing involvement with Warakirri’s not-for-profit client base. Prior to joining Warakirri, Conor spent close to 10 years working for Bank of Ireland Asset Management across a variety of roles in both Melbourne and Dublin. Conor holds a Master of Science in Investment & Treasury and a Bachelor of Business Studies (Finance, Honours), both from Dublin City University and is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Emmanuel (Mani) Papakonstantinos

Head Of Wholesale

Mani joined Warakirri in 2026 and has over 20 years experience in the financial services industry working across financial advice, business development and investment research. He is responsible for leading the expansion of the firm’s market presence and relationships with consultants, key dealer groups and platforms. Prior to joining Warakirri, Mani was a senior member of the distribution team at Copia Investment Partners. He has also worked in distribution roles at SG Hiscock and Company and Equity Trustees and in investment research roles at AMP and AXA Australia. Mani holds a Master of Applied Finance from Macquarie University, Bachelor of Laws / Economics (Major in FINANCE) from La Trobe University and a Diploma of Financial Services.

Ghazal Taghdir

Head Of Risk And Compliance

Ghazal joined Warakirri in 2014 and has 20 years’ experience across governance, risk management, compliance, internal audit and company secretarial roles in financial services and funds management. Ghazal is responsible for overseeing the governance, risk and compliance frameworks that support Warakirri’s managed funds and agriculture strategies and plays a pivitol role in ensuring that the business maintains a strong risk and compliance culture and adheres to its legal and regulatory requirements and industry standards.

Ghazal holds a Bachelor of Commerce with majors in Accounting and E-Commerce from Deakin University and is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia.

Steve Jarrott

Portfolio Manager, Diversified Agriculture

Steve Jarrott joined Warakirri in 2019 as Portfolio Manager of Warakirri’s Diversified Agriculture platform. Steve is one of Australia’s leading Agricultural investment professionals with a career spanning over 20 years in this asset class, including a decade of high-quality experience as Portfolio Manager with Westchester, now Nuveen Natural Capital, one of the world’s largest farmland investment managers. Steve is highly skilled in investment strategy and asset allocation, deal origination and negotiations, valuation and analysis, portfolio management, governance, risk management and ESG programs. Steve holds a Bachelor of Agriculture and Graduate Certificate in Applied Finance and Investment and maintains an active personal interest in agriculture via his family farming interests in New South Wales.

Rory Irvine

Business Development Manager - NSW/ACT/QLD
Rory joined Warakirri in March 2026 responsible for developing and managing relationships with financial advisers and dealer groups across NSW, ACT and Queensland, supporting investment discussions and the distribution of Warakirri’s investment capabilities. He has over 10 years’ experience in the financial services industry spanning business development, investor relations and client relationship management. Prior to joining Warakirri, Rory held roles at Nanuk Asset Management, Ellerston Capital and AMP Capital, where he worked closely with financial advisers and institutional investors across capital raising, relationship management and client servicing. Rory holds a Master of Commerce (Finance) from UNSW Business School, Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Finance and Decision Science from Macquarie University.

Trent Faehndrich

Business Development Manager - NSW/QLD

Trent joined Warakirri in January 2025 bringing over 25 years’ experience working in financial services. Prior to Warakirri, Trent worked at La Trobe Financial where he was State Manager – Client Partnerships NSW. His previous experience also includes business development and relationship management roles at National Australia Bank and Macquarie Bank. Trent holds a Diploma of Financial Markets, Diploma of Financial Services, Diploma of Financial Planning and is RG146 accredited.

Tim Lang

Head Of Research/Consultant Relationships

Tim was appointed to his current role in 2025 and is responsible for engaging with platform and dealer group researchers across all aspects of Warakirri’s funds in their model and implemented portfolios, as well as managing the firm’s retail research house, institutional asset consultant and charitable client relationships. He is also the Chair of Warakirri’s Investment Committee contributing to client portfolio asset allocation decisions, portfolio analytics and day-to-day management of the Warakirri Cash Deposits Trust. Tim joined Warakirri in 2012 and was previously an Investment Specialist where he worked closely with Warakirri’s institutional clients to develop and deliver tailored investment solutions to meet their needs. Tim holds a Bachelor of Business Administration majoring in Finance from Stetson University (USA). He is a CFA charterholder, having completed the program in 2019.

Sachin Thenakaran

Senior Client Services Officer

Sachin joined the Warakirri Distribution team as a Client Services Officer in January 2025. Prior to joining Warakirri, he gained valuable experience in a range of customer-focused roles during his university years. Sachin graduated from Monash University in 2024, with a Bachelor of Commerce and Economics, majoring in economic policy and marketing science.

Joe Marassa

Head Of Managed Funds Platform

Joe joined Warakirri in March 2020 as Head of Marketing and Product and was appointed to his current role in July 2024. He is responsibile for the development and execution of Warakirri’s managed funds strategy, as well as overseeing external manager selection, marketing and product, and the distribution of Warakirri’s capabilities into the wholesale and institutional markets. In a career spanning over 25 years in financial services, Joe has worked for organizations including Franklin Templeton Investments, ING Investment Management, Colonial First State and Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

Joe holds a Bachelor of Economics and Finance from the University of New South Wales and a postgraduate diploma in marketing from Monash University.

Cliff Wheatley

Chief Technology Officer

Cliff joined Warakirri in October 2023 as Chief Technology Officer. Prior to joining the team, he held management roles in a number of global companies across industries such as legal, health and finance. He brings significant experience in building strong IT teams and managing cyber security for critical infrastructure organisations.

Cliff has an MBA (Technology Management) to compliment his Bachelor of Information Science. He also holds a number of technical and project management certifications in Information Technology. These include ITIL, Prince2 and Agile.

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