The Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce (CACC) is a not-for-profit organisation whose focus is to build and strengthen trade and business connections between Australia and Canada. The Chamber is pleased to present the volunteer members of the CACC New South Wales Committee.
To contact please email: [email protected]
As a part of Neu.Capital Joshua helps established companies raise $5m -$100m of debt and equity outside the big 4 banks by placing them in front a vast universe of professional investors. He spends time with clients educating them on the non-bank funding world. Previous to this, Joshua spent 7 years managing a digital marketing agency in Sydney that specialises in generating leads for mid-market companies.
Originally from Vancouver Joshua has spent the last 8 years living and working in Sydney.
Chris is the CEO of NextOre. He is an experienced engineer and corporate financial advisor for natural resources companies. For three years Chris had a leading role within RFC Ambrian’s technology & innovation portfolio, working with companies across sectors including renewable energy, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation and radio systems. He has experience in underground mine and open pit engineering, and specialised in planning & strategic resourcing of bulk methods and published a paper on production drilling in sub-level cave mines.
Elli Hanson is a Principal Investor at Side Stage Ventures in Sydney, Australia. Prior to investing, Elli was Global Director of Design Strategy at Ogilvy Worldwide and later led product design, brand and market launch as Co-Founder of Flaus (Electric Flosser). As an Industrial Designer by trade, Elli’s investment interests are focused on human-centred design in the age of AI, with a specialty in product design, consumer, brand and marketing technologies. Originally from western Canada, Elli is now based in Australia and investing globally.
David is a Director of the business advisory division at William Buck, a mid-tier, full service accounting firm with locations around Australia and New Zealand. Leading the team, David focuses on SMEs and mid-market clients, assisting subsidiaries of overseas businesses manage their administrative, reporting and tax compliance requirements in Australia. David was born in Montreal, Canada and grew up in Sydney. After working with KPMG Sydney, David relocated to Toronto spending 7 years with PWC in their audit and business restructuring divisions. The warm winters and beaches of Sydney eventually drew him and his family back to Australia.
Jessica is a patent and trade mark attorney based in Sydney, and predominantly works in the engineering and ICT fields. She manages a variety of intellectual property concerns from drafting, prosecution, portfolio review, due diligence, to freedom to operate and infringement analyses. She is involved with the local investment community, providing IP related support to Sydney Angels. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia, and sits on the Anti-Counterfeiting committee for the Australian group of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association.
David has enjoyed a varied career inside and outside the Government of Canada over the past 20 years. Where he has supported the growth of bilateral economic ties and strategic commercial partnerships between governments, investors and businesses.
Prior to his posting, David was Director General, Business Growth & Competitiveness at Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan). He joined PacifiCan in 2022 to stand up this new division and led investments in firms scaling globally including in the areas of AI, quantum, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and solutions for energy, mining and the climate.
Previously, David spent many years at Global Affairs Canada, including as Regional Director Pacific in Vancouver. He led development of a “China Agenda” at ISED during the Harper administration and was on the due diligence advisory team for the creation of Canada’s Superclusters, including those covering AI and digital technologies that today are producing mining related technology solutions. He led strategic policy elements at Canadian Heritage during preparations for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and at the Privy Council Office oversaw important shifts in healthcare, Info-Pacific trade infrastructure and export scaling.
Before government, David led strategy development at Societe Generale’s Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong and has been on the initial team of a technology startup that disrupted the world of contactless payments.
Claire is an Associate within the Priority Markets team at Investment NSW, with a focus on the Americas. The Priority Markets team aims to encourage mutual trade and investment, and enhance relations with key government and industry stakeholders.
Prior to joining Investment NSW, Claire worked in international trade policy as a Free Trade Agreement negotiator for the UK government. Through her work leading bilateral and plurilateral treaty engagement, she has extensive experience forging relations with both the Canadian government and with indigenous industry leaders.
Katheryne is a Director in KPMG Sydney’s Deals Tax team, with over 10 years’ experience advising domestic and international clients predominantly in the real estate and infrastructure sectors. Her previous experience includes commercial roles in finance and tax for a Canadian multinational asset manager, a medical services business, and a real estate advisory practice. She has extensive expertise in investment structuring, due diligence, reorganisations, project implementation, and ongoing tax advisory and compliance support. Katheryne has a particular focus on supporting Canadian capital into Australia, working directly with investors and fund managers, pension and superannuation funds, and a range of private and public groups.
Lilly Bojarski is a biotechnology and health/life sciences industry professional and PhD graduate of the University of Auckland. With 10+ years of biotech industry experience Lilly has worked with a variety of clients and products in roles ranging from biotech business development consulting, medical affairs, corporate team leadership and academic tech transfer, and currently manages a health-tech start-up incubator at Australia's largest Health Precinct. Lilly was born in Calgary, Alberta, and later moved to Toronto before arriving in Australia via academic training and work in New Zealand and Denmark.
Based in Sydney Australia, Sarah brings more than 20 years’ experience in the international aviation and travel sectors to her position as Air Canada's Sales Manager – Corporate. She also occupies a key regional leadership role within the airline, with responsibility for strategic development across Asia Pacific (APAC). Her ability to identify and secure commercial opportunities has helped Air Canada significantly expand its portfolio of corporate contracts across APAC and helped the airline establish pioneering relationships with travel management companies. Air Canada provides scheduled international services to more than 180 airports across six continents, and in Australia offers year-round, non-stop services to Vancouver from Sydney and Brisbane.
With more than 20 years experience working with the banking, tech and marketing industries, Michael is known as the IQ Gecko Strategist. He's obsessed with innovating new ways to create data-capture (ie: basket data) for content that's extremely useful and effective for his clients to develop loyalty platforms, gift cards and data analytics. He works with a team of highly experienced developers, contributors and clients as a campaign designer, editor, coach, and sometimes therapist.
Meredith is a Partner at MinterEllison. she has an in-depth understanding of the complexities associated with advising on high profile infrastructure projects, having worked on some of the most significant projects in Australia. Meredith advises on all project phases, including providing initial strategic advice, developing procurement structures, drafting and negotiating major project documents and advising on contract administration issues. Meredith is regarded by her clients as technical, strong and always available and ready to deliver commercially-oriented advice.
Meredith is recognised as 'Recommended', Leading Front End Construction,
Infrastructure & Major Projects Lawyers by Doyles Guide 2023 and 2025
Chris assists inward investing SME companies establish their operating presence in Australasia. Prior to this, as Managing Director, Multimap Australasia, he set up Multimap’s Asia Pac headquarters in 2004, before the global group’s sale to Microsoft in late 2007. He has over three decades’ experience in the IT and Management Consultancy industries, having worked in the UK, the US and, more recently, Australasia and the Asia Pac region. Chris is also a Co-Founder of Investrade.Info, a free collated and curated single channel market-entry platform of information, links and contacts for SMEs establishing businesses in Australia.
Ben is a corporate lawyer with extensive experience in M&A and capital markets. He has been working with clients from all over the Asia Pacific on their investments in Australia for many years. Ben has been active with Canadian clients in Australia and recently advised on the dual listed IPO of EuroManganese Inc. In the last 12 months Ben has advised Hengkang Medical on the divestment of their interest in PRP, China Mengniu on their proposed acquisition of Lion Dairy & Drinks and Nomura Research Institute on their proposed acquisition of Ausiex from CBA.
The CACC has various roles that we are recruiting for the New South Wales Committee. If you are seeking to volunteer and are based in NSW please submit your expression of interest to [email protected].
