Mentors

DARREN MANOLIS-COX

Darren Manolis-Cox is a seasoned and strategic client services leader, currently serving as Director for the ANZ region at IBISWorld. With extensive experience across business development, client engagement, and operational planning, Darren is committed to driving exceptional client outcomes and fostering high-performing, collaborative teams. Throughout his career, he has consistently delivered scalable, insight-driven programs that create measurable value across a range of sectors. His leadership style is grounded in empathy, continuous improvement, and a strong focus on aligning strategic initiatives with client needs. Over the past two decades, Darren has held senior positions at globally recognised firms across Australia and the UK, including Deloitte Australia, Grant Thornton International Ltd, and Baker McKenzie. These roles have shaped his deep expertise in strategic growth, global account leadership, and cross-market program delivery. Darren is excited to be part of the UTS IBISWorld 3Ps Program as a mentor and looks forward to supporting and learning from the next generation of emerging leaders.

Vivian Quinn

Vivian has established an enviable track record as a commercial CFO and executive director in many diverse industries such as technology, pharmaceutical, fast moving consumer goods and consumer services. Her broad functional responsibilities have included all aspects of Finance, Supply Chain, Procurement, Facilities Management and IT. She has led the design and implementation of various financial systems for multiple markets across the Asia Pacific region based on leading practice.

Richard Stewart (OAM)

Richard is a Partner at PwC where he has worked for 20+ years specialising in Corporate Finance and Valuation. Richard’s areas of expertise are: risk analysis, valuation, finance, forecasting and strategy. He has experience in the Financial Services (Banking, Insurance, Funds management), Retail, Mining and Commodities, Property, Consumer and Industrial goods, Education, Government Services.

JOSEPHINE TOO

Josephine is a seasoned Strategist & Certified Agile Growth Coach bringing clarity & confidence to Mid-Market Leadership Teams with Growth mindset to help design their Company Growth (Sofos Advisory) & Category (Category Design Advisors). With more than 20 years of experience in Strategy Consulting, Executive Management & Scaling Tech (NASDAQ) businesses across APAC & Europe, she was part of the 100M to 1Bn (6 yrs) journey of the iconic company Infosys (NYSE:INFY). She started both the Infosys Singapore & Germany offices; headed up Sales & Marketing for Greater China; and drove complex $100+ Million deals in Australia. While she was EVP, Group Executive APAC at Aurionpro, managing a portfolio of acquired companies, she 4X Revenue in 2yrs with no additional sales resources. Her first startup was in 2000, was the Programme Curator for Practical Entrep Track for The Churchill Club (2011-13), created the Entrep & Innovation SIG in Victoria for ACS (2013-15), and was a Lead Judge of the Premier National iAwards for ICT innovations for the Startup, CIO & Entrep Pearcy Medal categories (2012-2015) and was an ex-national athlete.

RHONDA MA

Rhonda is a globally experienced commercial leader specialising in accelerating sales growth and profitability through strategic change and expert category management. Over the past 15 years, she has successfully driven large-scale initiatives within leading Fortune 500 companies such as Wesfarmers, Staples, and Woolworths Supermarkets. Her leadership experience spans the Australian, UK, European, and North American markets. Rhonda's expertise extends across diverse industries, including FMCG Retail, Mining & Industrials, Fashion, and Business Supplies. She is passionate about the intersection of product, design, and sustainability.

PAUL BROWN

Dr Paul Brown is a national and international award-winning Senior Lecturer in Creative Intelligence and Innovation at Transdisciplinary School, University of Technology Sydney. He is course director of the Diploma in Innovation and specialises in innovation in sustainable production systems. Paul’s is passionate about new technology and how changes in technology can be integrated into new products, services and business models to transform society to become more environmental and economically sustainable. His work has been published in leading international journals including Journal of Cleaner Production, International Journal of Production Economics, International Journal of Production Research, British Accounting Review, Environmental Education Research and Business Strategy and the Environment.

MaZ Heidari

Maz is a seasoned entrepreneur with experience in sectors including fintech, commercial real estate, and hospitality. He's the co-founder and CEO of BizVision, a business buyers' agency that has secured over AUD 250 million for Australian SMEs. He has also co-founded a data analytics firm and a medical genetics lab, which focuses on the study of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) as biomarkers in colorectal cancer (CRC). He currently sits on the board of numerous social enterprises and startup incubators worldwide. Before embarking on these ventures, Maz worked at Fortune 500 and ASX100 companies. With over seven years of expertise in big data and AI, he contributes significantly to commercial real estate companies and serves as a sessional lecturer at universities in NSW. His doctoral studies align with his passion for big data and AI, using these to develop data-driven insights and strategies for business acquisitions and franchise expansions.

PREM ACHARYA

Prem Acharya, a seasoned entrepreneur and founder of Dented Code Academy, boasts over two decades of coding experience and a decade in the Australian tech sector. With a commitment to accessible education, he emphasizes practical skills, earning Dented Code Academy recognition, including a local business award. As a respected voice in the tech community, Prem appears on social TV channels and speaks at events, inspiring aspiring tech professionals. Dedicated to empowering others, his goal is to transform tech education into a pathway for opportunity and societal contribution.

JAMES LAU

James holds a PhD in Accounting and Finance and is a Chartered Accountant (CA), bringing a wealth of expertise to the field of education.  As CEO of 3C Learning, James leads an education technology company specialising in innovative AR software development. Under his leadership, 3C Learning remains at the forefront of the industry, delivering a curated science curriculum and cutting-edge solutions through its AR application. This unique application allows users to experience an immersive educational environment, enabling them to explore concepts beyond what is visible.

SANTO AHMED

Santo is an experienced executive with a background in chartered, commercial, banking and fintech sectors. He is skilled in business planning, financial reporting, commercial insights and transformation initiatives. He is known for his trusted executive and board-level reporting, and strategic financial leadership.  He recently commenced a new position as General Manager – Business Transformation & Performance at Resimac. 

MARK MACDUFFIE

With over 30 years of international experience in wealth management, institutional banking, and markets, Mark is a seasoned digital and innovation executive, a social impact CTO, and a start-up coach. He has a proven track record of delivering innovative business solutions to the financial services sector in five different countries, using agile project management, IT strategy consulting, and strong leadership skills.  Mark is the CEO and Co-Founder of Downsizer.com, a digital home-buying platform targeting the Australian property market, but built for scale and expansion to other similar markets, such as the UK, USA, Canada.

ALEX KOSHELIEV

Alex is the founder of Anicca Digital, a tech consulting agency helping small and medium businesses scale through smart, practical technology. In just over a year, Anicca has served nearly 100 clients and built a team of 8 across engineering, operations, and strategy. Previously, Alex contributed to the growth of two Australian startups - Checkbox, a no-code workflow automation platform, and Mutinex, a marketing mix modelling platform. Alex thrives at the intersection of product, operations, and growth, driven by a passion for building from the ground up and enabling impact through technology.