University of Technology Sydney

UNSW

Fort St High

M&A and Transaction Strategy at AMP Australia  -  Financial Planning Network

Managing Group level and Corporate M&A and divestment transactions across AMP's portfolio of businesses.

Key Focus Areas:
* Executing M&A transactions including due diligence and negotiations
* Identification of growth opportunities in fast growing digital models and platforms
* Complex financial analysis, valuations and deal structuring
* Stakeholder management and advice on key transaction decisions
* Driving shareholder and company value through transaction risk and value management

Group M&A & Corporate Development Manager

Fox and Monocle is an online and events based retailer specialising in pop collectibles and odd homewares for small apartments and small living spaces. A clear niche focus on furnishing small spaces, a niche that is becoming more and more important for Australia's inner city living.

We work with a number of local and international designers and product creators for homewares, furniture, small home and office accessories and sustainably designed decor.

We focus on three areas:
- Our own design + make range of small apartment furnishings
- A curated collection of boutique designer homewares
-Interior design for consumers and small office fit-outs

See Fox & Monocle online at https://foxandmonocle.com.

Fox & Monocle

Director & Co-Founder

Managing the M&A transaction strategy team for AMP's national portfolio of financial planning practices across multiple AMP licensees including AMPFP, Hillross and Charter. 

Key Focus Areas:
* Driving AMP's 'network reshape' program (Australia's largest ever M&A buyback/resale program)
* Implementation of industry standard M&A process and deal management standards
* Identfifying network strategies and growth opportunities
* Multiple stakeholder management in a complex regulatory and corporate environment
* Providing key decision makers advice on complex transaction decisions.

Achievements:
Key achievements include a range of strategic and deal related outcomes:
>> Signifcant uplift in the network of active buyers
>> Implementing transaction frameworks in a complex regulatory environment
>> Portfolio risk analysis and reduction
>> Team skill development and uplift
>> Establishing a liquid M&A market through a range of instruments

M&A Transaction Strategy Manager (AMP Australia, National Portfolio)

Corporate, strategic and token economics advisory lead for Transcendence Network (TSD) solar energy platform.

Transcendence (TSD) is a blockchain-based platform for the origination and development of large scale sustainable and socially valuable infrastructure projects. TSD is launching the TSD Token that will allow participants to interact on the project development platform.

Currently in whitelist and private stage for the TSD Token: See https://tsd.network and TSD Telegram https://www.t.me/tsdtoken.

Transcendence aims to empower companies, infrastructure entrepreneurs and professionals who wish to collaborate, raise capital and deliver sustainable infrastructure projects via smart contracts and asset tokenization.

TSD has a vision to help support and drive the development of  eco-friendly and renewable energy projects through a blockchain based model that offers a more equitable and transparent alternative to the incumbent solution.

Transcendence Network

Corporate Token Offering & Strategic Adviser

Strategic lead within entire Salmat organisation delivering the company's first ever strategic function and a unified strategy for repositioning Salmat from a declining traditional media (Letterbox distribution) towards a profitable digital media model and stable portfolio of assets.

Key focus on the corporate strategy, corporate finance, strategic projects execution and innovation development across the Salmat portfolio of businesses to help optimise existing assets, drive digital transformation and overall corporate performance.

Highlights:
-Transformation from traditional print catalogue distribution to digital marketing
-Developing a unique multi-channel marketing proposition and business model
-Product strategies across new revenue opportunities in data and integrated platform marketing
-Strategic planning for key assets including Letterbox, Lasoo and Call Centres
-Identifying growth opportunities through ops improvement and product gaps
-Leading the identification of key internal challenges and formulating solution pathways
-Long-term financial scenario modelling and portfolio risk evaluation

Salmat

Senior Manager Corporate Strategy and Innovation

Kapitalized is an advisor for early-stage ventures and SMEs seeking growth through strategy, innovation and capital. We have a strong focus on sectors such as Fintech, P2P, Blockchain and launching STOs, Tokenization  and fractionalization of assets projects.

We work with entrepreneurs and investors building startups including concept evaluation, financial projections, pitching and hands-on building the venture and tracking and improving performance.

- Strategy planning for competitive markets and growth
- Pitching for partners and capital raisings
- Product design and product strategy
- Financial modelling and DCF/Multiples valuations
- M&A / exit planning and due diligence
- Innovation design and structuring for organisations

Raising Capital
We help you raise capital for concept, early stage and late stage ventures:

- Preparation for raising startup and enterprise capital
- Preparation for IPOs (Initial Public Offerings)
- Venture capital - Convertible notes, equity and venture debt
- Preparation for developing a Security Token
- Pitchdecks, financial modelling and due diligence to support the project

Key Sectors:
- Financial services and Fintech
- Block chain and P2P lending models 
- Healthtech
- AgTech
- Digital media, online classifieds
- eCommerce and online retail
- Education and science based technology

Key recent client projects have included:
- Strategy and advisory for Transcendence and Block.Loan blockchain based projects
- GoWell Health, a mobile app based platform connecting consumers with chiropractors
- P2P (peer to peer) residential property fintech - startup advisory and market strategy
- Hive Communications M&A advisory, business planning and Product Development
 - Strategy, planning and M&A execution for Ben & Jerry's Openair Cinemas, trade sale to Fairfax Media
 - Strategic planning at Roads & Maritime Services NSW
 - Willy Weather minority shareholder due diligence, valuation and exit negotiations

Kapitalized

Managing Director - M&A and Strategy Advisory

Lending Hub was Australia's first P2P (peer to peer) lending platform that allowed people to lend directly to people who needed personal loans (predating SocietyOne, Ratesetter and other recent p2p players).

Business model - Loans structured as unsecured personal loans of 3 years duration. Lenders could bid an amount to lend and a specified interest rate against loan listings. Borrowers are able to obtain better interest rates than those offered by the banks through a reduced cost overhead typical of large traditional financial institutions.

LendingHub was too early for the Australian market, before ASIC even had regulatory guidelines - there was limited investor appetite and significant resistance from institutional lenders and banks. Overall a great concept that was too early for its time, however the LendingHub IP has recently morphed into another p2p platform that is currently under development.

Lending Hub

Founder, Managing Director

Identifying the strategic development pathway for Fairfax Media group through:

- Identifying and assessing digital and high-growth opportunities
- Portfolio and capital structuring
- Problem solving major operational challenges

A senior role working with the CEO, CFO and the business unit executives of Fairfax Media with a primary skillset in strategic planning, M&A origination and execution and senior stakeholder management.

Key projects and areas of expertise:
*  Future portfolio financial modelling - first time in Fairfax's corporate history predicting current earnings declines
* Online classifieds growth and market positioning (Drive and Domain)
* Corporate strategy pathway including sale of print plants, investment in Domain and IPO of Trademe
* Identification, launch and execution of new online ventures
* Digital , events and business media M&A opportunity identification and execution
* Identification of the need to divest radio portfolio and key proponent to the FXJ board
* Debt and equity capital raisings post 2008 GFC

Fairfax Media Ltd

Group Strategy, M&A & Corporate Development

Mergers and acquisitions advisory and execution across a range of sectors - media, telcos, banking and industrials with a focus on private equity and leveraged buy out transactions.

* Financial modelling and valuations expert
* Leveraged buy-out modelling and IRR rate of return models for private equity sponsors
* Commercial due diligence team lead on a number of Private Equity buy-outs
* Sale of Westpac's sub-custody business

ABN AMRO

Investment Banking Executive

Small cap equity capital markets, initial public offering and business development advisory.

Development Capital Corporation

Corporate Finance - Manager

Founder and owner of Nova Tuition, an education business for private coaching of high school students in Physics, Chemistry and Maths based at Bondi Junction in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs.

Nova Tuition was my first enterprise which I launched, funded and grew from just a handful of students to twelve weekly classes and seven tutors and teachers. Nova filled a niche demand for premium tuition based on an after-school hours course format.

Ivan Mantelli