Board of Directors
ANTHONY BERTINI
Chair
Anthony Bertini has had a long career in business, holding senior positions with Australian and international publishing groups, global technology companies and in 1996 started his own internet business, BMC Media.
Anthony is the chairman of Thumper One Pty Ltd which was founded over 10 years ago to concentrate on the development and commercialisation of new ideas and business models. Working with scientists and inventors, Thumper One focuses on global food security, value added products, clean water and renewable energy. Anthony also founded ARCA Group Investments in 2010 to take advantage of the growing interest in Cleantech opportunities.
He has previously worked for the British Government as a Deal Maker for their Global Entrepreneur Program and he is a Non-Executive Director of the Australian Copyright Agency. He is a founder of 350.org Australia and The Climate Hub and is a past director of The Sydney Biennale. He is also a a co-founder and chairman of Organic Technology Holdings and chairman of Australian Omega Oils.
MARK TOOHEY
Founder & Director
Mark has been involved with technology throughout his career. After decades of experience in the television industry he became heavily involved in the startup sector. He is a legal expert on cryptocurrencies and digital currency regulation.
In late 2012, he recognised the potential of digital currency and Blockchain technology. The firm he founded, helped organise and lead blockchain conferences at Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Oxford and Cambridge universities.
Working in conjunction with the Commonwealth Bank, they organised the most significant blockchain event ever held in Australia: the five-day Sydney Blockchain Workshop. Over 40 industry leaders from around the world flew in for the event in 2015.
Speakers included: Vitalkek Buterin (founder of Ethereum); Joi Ito (director of MIT Media Lab); and Lawrence Lessig (Harvard law professor and former US Presidential Candidate).
Mark understands the legal, commercial, and the technical aspects of the technology. He has been a lecturer in a masters course on Digital Currency Regulation with the University of Nicosia since the end of 2015. The course has a strong international reputation for pioneering the field of cryptocurrency studies.
Mark was one of the first lawyers in the world to lecture on the technology and its commercial application. He has spoken at conferences nationally and internationally.
His knowledge of this cutting-edge technology is built upon a solid commercial foundation. In addition to working as a lawyer in some of Australia’s leading law firms, Mark has been General Counsel for a telecommunications company and a major television company which were both publicly listed.
Since founding Adroit Lawyers, Mark has helped dozens of companies turn their ideas into businesses. Many were technology companies focused on disrupting and transforming industry.
Mark brings extensive startup knowledge to TBSx3. He understands how to commercialise products and he knows the importance of strong contracts as a business development tool.
NICHOLAS ROWE
Director
Nicholas brings over 30 years of investment banking experience to assist TBSx3 on developing its corporate growth strategies and options. He is a founding partner and a managing director of the Sydney branch of an international investment advisory firm.
He advises clients on corporate structuring, capital raising, takeovers, and business acquisitions.
Over his career he has been the Head of Investment Banking with RBS (and prior with ABN AMRO) and later the Country Head for CIMB Australia.
Prior to that he worked with Credit Suisse First Boston and SBC Dominguez Barry. He began his banking career at Samuel Montagu in London.
He has advised media, brewing, financial services and banking companies and stock exchanges on a wide range of assignments including many cross border transactions. He holds a law degree and is also a chartered accountant.
STEVE EZZES
Director
Mr Steve Ezzes, was a founding member of the Goldman Sachs leveraged finance group with responsibility for Capital Markets and Distribution and High Yield securities, joined TBSx3 as a US based member of the Board.
Mr Ezzes has more more than 30 years investment and merchant banking experience including; senior positions as the Managing Director of New York based Marine Investment Group with more than $10 billion in assets under management, and as a Partner with Connecticut based Airlie Group, responsible for leveraged lending and CLO’s managing more than $2 billion in collaterized loan obligations. As Managing Director of Thomas H. Lee Capital, one of the oldest and most experienced private equity firms in the US, Mr. Ezzes managed the personal investments of Mr. Lee which exceeded $1 billion.
As a partner (together with Equitable Life Assurance, Drexel Burnham and members of the Bass family) in the multi-billion investment fund Bass Investment Ltd., Mr Ezzes was appointed head of the Restructuring Committee for the re-organization of John Fairfax. Tech investments with which he has previously been associated include: Ozemail, BMCMedia, Tenzing-a joint venture with Airbus and Bell Atlantic Mobile, which became Verizon.