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

Warren Lee

Non-Executive Chair

Warren is Chair of the 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 Tower Limited, MyState Limited and MetLife Limited. 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 and has previously held the role of Chair of the Board. She has over 30 years of management expertise, serving on the boards of insurance, funds management, property and other financial services entities. Jane developed her leadership and management experience as a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Her board experience is vast with over 20 years’ experience as a Chair, Chair of Audit and Risk Committees and Non-executive Director. Jane is currently Chair of Columbus Capital Pty Ltd and of the Lendlease Australian Prime Property Fund Investors Committee and a Non-executive Director of Cromwell Property Group, Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd and Brighton Grammar School. She is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and of CPA Australia and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Jim McKay

Managing Director

Jim was appointed as Managing Director of Warakirri in 2017. Prior to joining Warakirri, he was most recently Head of Distribution for Franklin Templeton Investments, Managing Director of the wealth management division of Challenger, and the CEO of Boss Software International. Jim holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Tasmania, a Post Graduate Degree in Finance and Investments, and an MBA from the Melbourne Business School. Jim is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Graduate of their Company Directors program.

Dan Mangelsdorf

Non-Executive Director

Dan was appointed as a non-executive director in 2017. He is currently Chairman of the Warakirri Cropping Trusts and is a board member of GrainCorp Limited. Dan holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics (Hons) from the University of New England and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Dan owns and operates farming interests in New South Wales, and is an
experienced company director with agricultural, supply chain, international trade and risk management expertise. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics (Honours) from the University of New England.

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.

Matthew Borthwick

Chief Operating Officer

Matt joined Warakirri as Chief Operating Officer in early 2021 and brings more than 20 years’ experience in senior executive roles across Agriculture and Financial Services. His previous executive experience includes Chief Financial and Risk Officer – Westchester Group Australia, Chief Financial Officer – Hassad Australia and Chief Financial Officer at Deutsche Bank (Cayman).

Matt holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Commercial Law and a Graduate Diploma in Taxation both from Deakin University, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investments from Kaplan and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a graduate of their Company Directors program.

Ben James

CEO - Aurora Dairies

Ben James is CEO of Aurora Dairies. Ben joined Warakirri in May 2012 in the role of Operations Manager. 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. Ben commenced his current role in December 2012.

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 chair 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.

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.

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.

Scott Curtis

Regional Manager - NSW/QLD

Scott joined Warakirri in June 2020 and brings over 14 years’ experience working in financial services across Commercial and Business Development roles. Scott joined Warakirri from Liverpool Partners where he worked in the Origination team helping source private investments in the lower mid-market. Prior to this, he worked in business development roles at Microequities Asset Management, Business Spectator and in the operations team at Macquarie Bank.

Scott holds a Master of Commerce majoring in Business Strategy from UNSW.

Claudia Sheers

Business Development Manager

Claudia joined the Distribution team in March 2022 as a Senior Business Development Associate. Prior to joining Warakirri, Claudia worked at an independent financial planning firm (Planning Partners) as an Associate Adviser. Earlier in her career, she also spent time in the investment bonds space at Generation Life, as an Adviser and Investor Services Officer. Claudia holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Financial Planning) from Deakin University and has met all the requirements to become a Qualified Financial Adviser.

Tim Lang

Research Relationships Manager

Tim was appointed to his current role in 2021 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 and institutional asset consultant relationships. He is also a member 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.

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.

Lauren Pereira

Senior Business Development Associate

Lauren joined the Distribution team as a Business Development Associate in November 2020. Prior to Warakirri, Lauren spent her first few years of university working at The Travel Specialists as a Marketing Assistant and more recently spent the last two years as a Client Services Officer at Bridges Financial Services. Lauren holds a Bachelor of Business (Economics & Finance) (Applied) from RMIT.

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