OUR PEOPLE: BIOGRAPHIES
Biographies
CPE Capital maintains one of the largest investment groups in the region. Supported by our functional and corporate teams, we have created an integrated team structure that allows us to achieve speed and flexibility on deals and an active partnership approach with our portfolio companies.
Our team also has access to an international network of partners and advisers, including Bill Ferris and Joseph Skrzynski.
JOHN HADDOCK
Chief Executive Officer & Chief Investment Officer
John has been integrally involved in CPE Capital's (CPEC's) investment program since joining the firm in 2002. He assumed overall responsibility for the business in 2014, when he was appointed CEO and CIO.
John’s direct operational experience has seen him perform interim management roles in portfolio companies, with a specific focus on effecting business improvement initiatives. He has also been responsible for a number of CPEC’s investments, including Accolade Wines (2018), Alleasing (now Maia Financial) (2016) and United Malt Holdings (2010), all of which won AVCAL Deal of the Year awards.
Prior to joining CPEC, he worked in the M&A and Equity Capital Markets divisions of Credit Suisse and the Structured Debt Division of Westpac Institutional Bank.
He is an Associate of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, an active member of Bronte Surf Life Saving Club and a board member of Lifestart, a leading provider of intervention and support services for young children with disabilities.
John holds a Bachelor of Economics (Economics and Finance) with Merit and a Master of Commerce (Advanced Finance) with Merit from the University of New South Wales.
CAMERON BUCHANAN
Managing Director, Investments
Cameron has been a member of the CPE Capital (CPEC) investment team for more than two decades. In his role as Managing Director, he is responsible for all aspects of the investment process, from deal origination through to exit management, Cameron is also a member of the Investment Committee.
Currently, he serves as a Director of Adventure Online (Pushys and Bikebug), a CPEC 9 investment. Previously, he managed investments in StraitNZ, Gourmet Food Holdings, Panthera Finance, Manassen Foods, LCR Group, Golding, Australian Pacific Paper Products and New Price Retail.
Prior to joining CPEC, Cameron had experience in corporate and project finance, valuations, capital raising and M&A with Citigroup and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
He holds a Bachelor of Business and a Masters in Applied Finance from the Queensland University of Technology (Dean's award for Excellence).
ADAM GORDON
Managing Director, Investments
For more than a decade Adam has been part of the CPE Capital (CPEC) investment team, having joined the business in 2009. He currently serves as a Director of Civilmart, Ambrose Construct Group and Direct Group, as well as being responsible for deals from origination through to exit.
Prior to their realisation, Adam was involved in Dutton Group, Jaybro, Study Group, Accolade Wines, Pepperstone, Centric Wealth, Gerard Lighting and Bluestar Print Group. In 2014/2015, Adam worked in New York at CPEC affiliate, Castle Harlan Inc, across a range of investments.
Before joining CPEC, he worked in the investment banking division of UBS, where he was involved in a number of transactions in the financial and general industrial sectors.
Adam holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) from the University of New South Wales.
KEVIN ROCHE
Managing Director, Capital Solutions
Kevin has more than twenty years’ experience in global capital markets and corporate advisory, encompassing all aspects of capital raising, associated structuring and risk management in public and private markets.
Kevin joined CPE Capital (CPEC) in 2018, where his responsibilities include the sourcing and execution of financing and capital solutions for CPEC’s portfolio companies and new transactions, as well as the broader fund raising and co-investment activities of CPEC.
Prior to joining CPEC, Kevin worked in investment banking, holding senior roles in the Global Market Solutions Group at Credit Suisse in London, Goldman Sachs Financing Group in Sydney and most recently at Greenstone Partners.
Kevin holds a Bachelor of Economics (with Honours in Economics and Finance) from the University of New South Wales.
JEREMY STEVENSON
Managing Director, Legal & Risk
Jeremy joined CPE Capital (CPEC) in July 2016. He oversees legal affairs for the Group and its investee companies, with a focus on transactions, risk management and governance.
Previously, Jeremy was General Counsel and Company Secretary at Accolade Wines, one of the world’s largest global wine businesses and part of the CHAMP III portfolio. In this role, he managed the legal, compliance, company secretarial, external affairs and government relations functions globally.
Jeremy qualified as a lawyer in 1997 and is admitted to practice in New South Wales, South Australia and the United Kingdom. He has broad legal experience, gained in corporate environments across the wine and finance industries, and from leading law firms in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Jeremy has held directorships in the private and not for profit / industry association sector. He is also a board member of the Australian Investment Council and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
STEVE WOOSNAM
Managing Director, Accounting & Finance
Steve joined the CPE Capital team in 2019, bringing with him more than twenty five years’ experience in accounting and finance. He has functional responsibility for deal-related finance and accounting activities, leading the financial due diligence on new deals and bolt on acquisitions. He also has oversight of the finance and accounting functions of portfolio companies.
Prior to CPEC, Steve spent 15 years as a Transaction Services Partner at Deloitte and was the leader of their national Private Equity Group. Through this role, Steve established a long-standing association with CPEC – he also gained significant experience in deal execution across Australian mid-market private equity firms.
Steve holds a Degree in Economics from Warwick University and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in London in 1995. He is also a Member of Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants.
SHABAREESH AJITKUMAR
Director, Investments & Commercial
Shab has more than ten years experience across private equity and management consulting. He joined the CPE Capital (CPEC) investments team in 2014 and is responsible for the assessment of potential investment opportunities, transaction execution and the ongoing monitoring and management of investee companies. He is also responsible for leading commercial and operational due diligence on all transactions undertaken by CPEC.
Shab currently serves as a Director of Direct Group. Shab previously served as a Director of Gourmet Food Holdings, Axieo and ATF Services, and has been involved with investments in Containerchain and Bradken.
Prior to joining CPEC, Shab worked at Sydney-based private equity firm, Pacific Equity Partners and management consulting firm, Portland Group.
Shab holds a Bachelor of Science (with First Class Honours) in Business Information Technology from the University of New South Wales, where he was awarded the Co-Op scholarship.
NICK HAWTHORNE
Senior Legal Counsel , Investments
Nick joined CPE Capital in November 2022, and provides legal support to CPE Capital and its investee companies on transactions and other legal matters.
Prior to joining CPE Capital, Nick spent over 10 years as a lawyer at global law firms King & Wood Mallesons in Sydney and DWF LLP in the United Kingdom, and specialised in private equity, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, corporate restructures/ re-organisations and corporate governance.
Nick qualified as a lawyer in 2011 and is admitted to practice in both New South Wales and England & Wales. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Manchester and a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice (with Distinction) from the College of Law.
ALICE HUA
Director, Investments
Alice has more than ten years' experience in private equity and investment banking. She joined the CPE Capital (CPEC) investment team in 2014. Her responsibilities include the identification and assessment of potential investment opportunities, transaction execution and the ongoing monitoring and management of investee companies.
Alice currently serves as a director of ASDAM, Banksmeadow Recycling and Civilmart. She was previously a Director of Accolade Wines prior to its realisation and received an AVCAL award in 2018. Alice was also involved in Panthera Finance and Alleasing (now Maia Financial), which received an AVCAL award in 2016.
Prior to joining CPEC, Alice worked in the investment banking divisions of Barclays and Macquarie Capital, where she was involved in a number of transactions across the infrastructure and telecommunications sectors.
She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (with Honours) and Bachelor of Laws (Honours), both from the University of Sydney.
ANASTASIA KOZYREVA
Associate Director, Investments
Ana joined the CPE Capital (CPEC) investment team in 2021. Her responsibilities include identifying, analysing and executing investment opportunities as well as the ongoing monitoring and management of investee companies, including ASDAM (Marand).
Prior to joining CPEC, Ana worked at Sydney-based turnaround private equity firm, Allegro Funds. Previously she worked as a lawyer, with experience at Risk Capital Advisors and King & Wood Mallesons.
Ana holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons I) from the University of Technology Sydney and a GradCert (Finance) from Macquarie University.
FRED MACDONALD
Associate Director, Investments
Fred joined CPE Capital (CPEC) in 2018 and is responsible for identifying, analysing and executing investment opportunities. He is also involved in the ongoing monitoring and management of investee companies.
Fred was involved in Gourmet Food Holdings, a CPEC 8 investment.
Prior to joining CPEC, Fred worked in the Leveraged & Acquisition Finance team at ANZ in New Zealand, where he was involved in several public market and private equity M&A transactions.
Fred holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Otago.
AJA MANU
Associate Director, Research & Data Science
Aja has been a member of the CPE Capital (CPEC) team for more than twelve years. He leads the company’s data analytics and research function, which includes assisting with the assessment of potential investment opportunities and the management of CPEC's investee companies.
Prior to joining CPEC, Aja worked at BIS Shrapnel, where he was involved in macroeconomic research and forecasting. He also worked as an Associate Lecturer in the Economics Faculty at the University of Sydney.
He holds a Bachelor of Economics (with First Class Honours) from the University of Sydney.
WILL MIDDLETON
Associate Director, Investments
Will has more than ten years’ experience across private equity and mergers and acquisitions. He joined CPE Capital (CPEC) in 2014 and is responsible for the origination and assessment of potential investment opportunities and the ongoing monitoring and management of investee companies.
He is currently a director of Ambrose Construct Group and Adventure Online and has worked on realised investments including Jaybro, StraitNZ, Pepperstone and CHAMP Ventures’ investments in Macpac and BMT.
Prior to joining the CPEC team, Will worked in the investment banking division of Nomura, where he supported several public market and private equity M&A transactions. Earlier in his career, he worked at Ernst & Young Transaction Advisory Services across the Mergers & Acquisitions, Valuations & Business Modelling and Transaction Support teams.
Will holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Adelaide.
ALEX NOON
Associate Director, Investments
Alex joined CPE Capital (CPEC) in 2023 and is responsible for the ongoing management of investee companies, including Adventure Online. He is also involved in assessing and executing investment opportunities for CPEC funds.
Prior to joining CPEC, Alex worked at the National Rugby League where he was responsible for the digital business. Earlier in his career, Alex worked in the Corporate Strategy Team at Nine Entertainment Co. and held roles within Deloitte’s M&A division where he worked across Transaction Services and Integrations & Separations.
Alex holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) from Griffith University. He is also a member of Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand.
DENIS YANG
Associate Director, Accounting & Finance
Denis has more than 17 years’ experience in accounting and finance across audit, financial due diligence and SPA accounting advice. He joined the CPE Capital (CPEC) team in February 2022 and his responsibilities include providing transactional accounting and finance support on new investments, bolt-on acquisitions, divestments and other material corporate transactions, as well as accounting and finance support to portfolio companies.
Prior to CPEC, Denis was a Principal in the Transaction Services team at Deloitte in Sydney and was the leader of the national SPA Services team.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) from the University of New South Wales. He is also a member of Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand.
ARTHUR CHRETIEN
Associate, Investments
Arthur joined CPE Capital (CPEC) in 2023. His responsibilities include the identification, assessment and execution of potential investment opportunities. Prior to joining CPEC, Arthur worked in the Investment Banking team at Allunga Advisory, where he worked on several private equity M&A transactions.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Advanced Studies (Finance and Mathematics) from the University of Sydney.
MALCOLM LUCAS
Chief Financial Officer
Malcolm has more than twenty five years’ experience in due diligence, financial and management accounting, taxation, corporate governance and reporting across a wide range of industries. He joined the CPE Capital (CPEC) team in 2017 and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the finance function. This includes monitoring of investee companies with a focus on their accounting, reporting and governance. He has also serves on the audit committees of the portfolio companies and oversees investor reporting.
Previously, Malcolm was the Group Finance Manager for Consolidated Press Holdings, a role in which he was responsible for managing the finance and reporting functions for a diverse portfolio of investments, including Perisher Ski Resort and Pretty Girl Fashion Group. Earlier in his career, he was Chief Financial Officer of Hoyts Cinemas and Val Morgan Cinema Advertising.
He holds a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University and is a member of both CPA Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
DANIELLE WOODS
Chief Operating Officer
Danielle joined CPE Capital (CPEC) in 2019, to support the business in delivering best-practice enterprise-wide services, including marketing, human resources, IT, procurement and office administration.
Prior to joining CPEC, Danielle held business services and marketing roles at Maia Financial and was the Director of Marketing & Corporate Affairs at Dun & Bradstreet (now Illion). Her responsibilities were varied and included strategic communications, brand and marketing, e-commerce, industry relations, sales support, client documentation and on-boarding, as well as human resources.
Earlier in her career, she worked with the Commonwealth Bank and global communications agency, Hill & Knowlton.
Danielle holds a Master’s Degree in International Business, a Bachelor’s Degree in Media & Communication and a Graduate Diploma in Organisational Communication.
BEN WACHER
Senior Legal Counsel, Funds & Compliance
Ben joined CPE Capital (CPEC) in 2019 and provides legal, compliance and company secretarial support for the CPEC group of companies and CPEC Funds. He is also involved in the acquisition and divestment of investee companies. Ben qualified as a lawyer in 2004 and has over 15 years’ experience in financial services and corporate law.
Early in his career, he worked at JPMorgan Chase Bank followed by a role as Senior Legal Counsel within the ASX Compliance Executive Office for over six years. Most recently, he was the Legal & Compliance Manager at the ASX-listed Moelis Australia Group, a role in which he was responsible for legal, compliance and company secretarial support across its funds management, corporate advisory, and principal businesses.
Ben holds an LLM, LLB and BA (Media) from the University of New South Wales.
RORY MACDONALD
Fund Accounting Manager
Rory has more than 25 years’ experience in financial services, including audit, accounting, hedge fund administration and fund accounting/unit pricing. He joined CPE Capital in 2021 and is responsible for fund accounting and investor reporting for the CPEC funds.
Previously Rory held roles as a fund accounting manager with JP Morgan, State Street and Goldman Sachs and has worked in financial services in Sydney, Toronto, Panama and the British Virgin Islands. He also worked in the Audit team at KPMG in Australia and the Caribbean and as acting project financial controller for an NGO based in London and Kenya.
Rory holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting major) from Charles Darwin University and is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand as well holding being a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder.