Corporate Governance

Michael has extensive experience in financial markets and the financial services industry having held a range of senior positions including Vice Chairman of ASX Limited, and directorships of several of ASX’s subsidiaries including Australian Clearing House Pty Ltd. Currently, Michael an independent director of Investsmart Group Limited, and is an independent Compliance Committee Member for UBS Global Asset Management (Australia) Limited. Michael is also a Senior Fellow (SF Fin), Life Member and past President of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

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Mr Darke was previously a Managing Director at Macquarie Group Limited, where he worked for 24 years in its global Asset Management and Investment Banking Groups until July 2022, when he established Arch Advisors, an independent investment management consultancy focused on advising boutique asset managers.  He brings substantial experience in the alternative asset management sector, having established, managed and facilitated capital events for emerging and established investment managers and venture backed businesses globally.  Having worked in New York, London and Sydney, he returned to Australia in 2018 after 12 years in the US, where he co-managed the Sass-Macquarie Financial Strategies fund, a New York-based private equity fund which established eleven alternative asset management firms globally.  

Mr Darke began his career as a lawyer at Allens in Sydney. He holds a Bachelor of Law (Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance/Accounting) from Bond University.

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Sean co-founded Navigator’s operating subsidiary, Lighthouse Partners, and has served as President and Co-Chief Investment Officer since inception. He supports the investment team in the manager search, selection and review process and is the Chairman of the Investment Committee. Sean joined Asset Management Advisors (‘AMA’), a multi-family office as Chief Investment Officer in August 1996. Lighthouse was formally spun out of AMA in 1999. For over 20 years, Sean has been investing in various alternative investment strategies. Prior to founding Lighthouse, Sean was the Director of the Outside Trader Investment Program at Trout Trading Management Company and was responsible for the allocation of the fund’s assets to external alternative asset strategies. Prior to Trout, Sean worked for Price Waterhouse and passed the Certified Public Accountant examination.

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Nicola has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and is a specialist in alternative investments. She has significant knowledge and experience of strategic business development and investment management in hedge funds and private markets. In 1990 Nicola founded TASS, which became one of the market’s leading global data and research firms specialising in hedge funds. She then became MD and member of the Investment Committee of Blackstone Alternative Asset Management between 2001 and 2004. Based in London, she established and managed the development of the group’s hedge fund activities outside the US. From 2008 to 2012, Nicola was CEO of Alpha Strategic Plc, the UK listed company which provided independent, owner-managed investment managers with access to passive minority equity capital. She currently runs Dumas Capital Ltd, a company she founded in 2004 which provides strategic advisory and research services in the alternative investment sector. Based in Ireland, she is a Member of the Conseil de Pilotage Stratégique of BlackRock France S.A.S, chairs the Executive Committee of the Capital Holdings Funds Plc and serves as an independent director on alternative investment funds.

Suvan has had a long and well-rounded career in the Australian wealth management industry. As a co-founder of ipac Securities Limited and ipac Asset Management (collectively ipac), Suvan played a central role in creating one of Australia’s pre-eminent wealth management businesses. During his more than 25 years at ipac, Suvan undertook a number of senior executive roles, including as head of several departments, acting CEO and sitting on ipac’s executive committee. Most recently Suvan has been involved with Chancellor Portfolio Services, where he is currently the Non-executive Chairman. Suvan is also an independent non-executive director of Monash Absolute Investment Company, which until recently was listed on the ASX, and where he continues to Chair its Audit and Risk Committee. Suvan has both an accounting and legal background. Suvan obtained a Bachelor of Science (Economic) Honours from the University of London, after which he spent two years in accountancy at KPMG in London. After relocating to Australia, Suvan obtained a Bachelor of Law from the University of Sydney. Suvan was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in July 1984, and also holds a Graduate Diploma from the Securities Institute of Australia and a Diploma in Financial Planning from the Financial Planning Association. Suvan was a certified financial planner for 25 years and is also a fellow of both the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

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Lindsay has substantial experience in the alternative asset management sector with over 30 years’ experience across financial services and asset management value chains. In her current role as CEO of Sun Hung Kai Capital Partners, the Funds Management division of Sun Hung Kai & Co in Hong Kong, Lindsay executes the funds management strategy for the Group which held HK$41.4 billion in total assets as at 30 June 2023. Lindsay began her career at Bankers Trust/Deutsche Bank in New Zealand after completing a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Auckland. During her 15 years with the Deutsche Group, Lindsay held challenging senior executive roles in Australia, Tokyo, Singapore and New York in the asset management division with a focus on organic and inorganic strategy, business development, restructuring and realignment of strategy to maximise business opportunities. More recently Lindsay has been based in Asia in key senior management and leadership roles with Harvest Fund Management in Beijing and regional APAC roles with Invesco, BNY Mellon Investment Management and Matthews Asia based in Hong Kong. Lindsay’s international career has given her valuable insight into a variety of global operating regimes.

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Mr Marc Pillemer joins the NGI Board as a Director nominated in accordance with the Shareholders Agreement between the Company and Neuberger Berman Australia Limited as trustee for Dyal Trust I. 

Mr. Pillemer is a Managing Director of Blue Owl and a member of the GP Strategic Capital Investment Team.

Before joining Blue Owl, Mr. Pillemer was a Managing Director at The Blackstone Group in its GP Stakes business. In this role, Mr. Pillemer was a senior member of the Investment Team responsible for sourcing, evaluating and executing investments, and Mr. Pillemer led the Strategic Support Team focused on delivering value to partner firms.

Prior to that, Mr. Pillemer was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs & Co in the Financial Institutions Group within the Investment Banking Division. In this role, Mr. Pillemer was responsible for the coverage of the alternative asset management sector in the U.S. and was focused extensively on providing strategic advisory services to leading traditional and alternative asset management firms. Mr. Pillemer also held various prior roles in Goldman Sachs’ Investment Management and Securities divisions. Mr. Pillemer earned a BCom in Actuarial Studies and Finance from Macquarie University at Sydney, Australia. 

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