Our people

Chairman of the Investment Committee. Member of the Nomination Committee. Director of the Company’s associated entity, Australian Investment Company Services Limited (AICS).

Mr Paterson is a company Director who was appointed to the Board in July 2002, appointed Deputy Chairman in September 2009 and appointed Chairman in October 2013. He is also Chairman of Australian Foundation Investment Company Limited (AFIC). He also Chaired the Investment Committee of the Salvation Army Southern Region from 2003 to 2020. He was formerly a Director of Goldman Sachs JBWere and is a former member of the Board of Guardians of Australia’s Future Fund.

Managing Director and Member of the Investment Committee. Managing Director of the Company’s associated entity, Australian Investment Company Services Limited (AICS).

Mr Freeman was appointed as Managing Director in January 2018 having been Chief Investment Officer since joining the Company in February 2007. Prior to this he was a Partner with Goldman Sachs JBWere where he spent 12 years advising the Investment Companies on their investment and dealing activities. He has a deep knowledge and experience of investments markets and the Company’s approaches, policies and processes. He is also Managing Director of AFIC, AMCIL Limited and Mirrabooka Investments Limited.

Member of the Audit and Investment Committees.

Dr Edgar joined the Board in March 2015. Dr Edgar’s initial training was in Economics. He spent the majority of his business career at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. He retired as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Bank in 2009. He is a Non-Executive Director of La Trobe Financial Services. He also serves as the Chairman of the Hudson Institute of Medical Research and was a former Chairman of Federation Centres Limited. He was also previously a Non-Executive Director of Linfox Armaguard Pty Ltd, NuFarm Limited, Asciano Limited, Transurban Limited and three Asian Banks connected with the ANZ Group.

Chair of the Nomination Committee and Member of the Investment Committee.

Ms Fagg joined the Board in May 2014. Her executive and professional roles have been broad and diverse. She started her career as a petroleum engineer. She became a management consultant and then held a number of senior executive positions in the banking, steel and logistics industries across Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Ms Fagg is currently Non-Executive Chairman of Boral, Deputy Chairperson of CSIRO and a Non-Executive Director of National Australia Bank Limited. She is Chair of the Breast Cancer Network Australia and is a Board Member of the Grattan Institute, The Myer Foundation and the Male Champions of Change. Ms Fagg was previously a Board member of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Chair of Parks Victoria, President of Chief Executive Women, Chair of Melbourne Recital Centre and Non-Executive Director of Incitec Pivot Limited. She also has a number of other significant interests including as a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

Kathryn has been awarded Honorary Doctorates by the University of New South Wales in Business and in Chemical Engineering by the University of Queensland.

Member of the Investment and Nomination Committees. Non-Executive Director of the Company’s associated entity, AICS.

Mr Goldsmith was appointed to the Board in April 2013 and Deputy Chairman in May 2020. He is Chairman of SEEK Limited, Deputy Chairman of Gandel Philanthropy and a Panel Member of Adara Partners. Mr Goldsmith is a former Vice Chairman and a former Managing Director of Goldman Sachs Australia, and its predecessor firm Goldman Sachs JBWere. He was also previously the Chancellor of Swinburne University of Technology and a former Non-Executive Director of Zhaopin Limited.

Chair of the Audit Committee.

Ms Williams was appointed to the Board in May 2010. Ms Williams is a Director of Cooper Energy and Defence Health.

She was formerly a Director of Equity Trustees Limited, Victorian Funds Management Corporation (VFMC), Port of Melbourne Corporation, Guild Group, Airservices Australia, State Trustees Limited, Western Health, the Australian Accounting Standards Board, Telstra Sale Company, V/Line Passenger Corporation and Barristers Chambers Limited. She previously held senior management positions in the financial services sector including NM Rothschild and Sons (Australia) Limited and JP Morgan Australia and a former member of the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB).

Member of the Audit Committee.

Ms Wood was appointed to the Board in July 2016. Ms Wood is the Chair of South 32 Limited and a Director of the Library Board of Victoria. She is a former senior executive of BHP. During her executive career with that company she served in a number of global roles including as Group Company Secretary, Chief People Officer and President, Corporate Affairs. She retired from BHP in 2014. Following her retirement she chaired the BHP Foundation until 2019. She served on the Takeovers Panel from 2000 to 2012.

Mr Driver joined the Company in January 2003. Previously, he was with National Australia Bank Ltd for 18 years in various roles covering business strategy, marketing, distribution, investor relations and business operations. Mr Driver was formerly Chairman of Trust for Nature (Victoria).

Mr Porter joined the Company in January 2005. He is a Chartered Accountant and has had over 24 years experience in accounting and financial management both in the United Kingdom with Andersen Consulting and Credit Suisse First Boston, and in Australia where he was Regional Chief Operating Officer for the Corporate and Investment Banking Division of CSFB. He is the immediate former Chair of The Group of 100 (G100), the peak body for CFOs and remains on the Board, is a Director of the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (AUASB)and a Director of the Anglican Foundation.

Mr Rowe joined the Company in July 2016. He is a Chartered Secretary with over 15 years of experience in corporate governance with a particular focus in listed investment companies. He was previously a corporate governance advisor at a professional services firm which included acting as Company Secretary for three ASX listed companies. Prior to that Matthew was the Company Secretarial Manager for a Funds Management Company based in the UK.