Team
Viburnum has assembled a highly experienced team of executives and Directors with a combination of direct equity investment and “real world” business experience. The collective experiences of this group are drawn on both in investment decision making as well as where required in an investee’s own strategy.
Marshall Allen – Managing Director
Marshall began his investment banking career in the 1991 UK recession working on UK Leveraged and Acquisition Financing for Dai-lchi Kangyo Bank - the precursor to Mizuno.
During this time he worked on several steering committees of poorly structured and over geared buyouts of the 1980's as well as some of the most successful buyouts of the 1990's. During this period, he developed a taste for contrarian investment philosophies which still hold to this day.
Returning to Australia in 1994, with Bain & Company (ultimately to become Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Australia) in a time when there was almost no institutional Private Equity in Australia, he arranged Research and Development funding for Western Australian corporates.
A 2 year secondment in 1997 to Asia by Deutsche Bank, ultimately became 8 years between Hong Kong and Singapore with Deutsche, Societe Generale and equity derivatives boutique Credit Agricole Lazard Financial Products (as Deputy Managing Director for Asia).
In 2004 he returned to Perth to re-establish ANZ's Private Equity business in Western Australia overseeing numerous investments including the origination, management and exit of the management buyout of Nomad Building Solutions Ltd and the investment in ThinkSmart Limited; two of the Group's most successful investments.
Over a 18 year banking and investment career he has invested in, arranged or managed over USD 2 billion in investments for multi-nationals, or corporate and institutional Investors spanning UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, PRC, India, Korea, Philippines and Australia.
A native of Perth, Marshall was educated at the University of Western Australia (BCom) and Cornell University (MBA).
Melanie Hay – Investment Director and Company Secretary
Melanie joined Viburnum as an Investment Director in 2008. Melanie is responsible for managing all stages of the investment process, from the initial due diligence of investment opportunities, structuring of transactions, through to execution of the documentation, management of the Investee companies and the subsequent exit.
Melanie has considerable experience in Private Equity transactions. Prior to joining Viburnum, Melanie held the position of Senior Investment Manager in ANZ's Private Equity diviSion, ANZ Capital. Located in Perth, Melanie worked on several expansion capital and management buyout transactions, including the investment in Nomad Building Solutions Ltd in Western Australia, which was one of the ANZ Capital's most successful investments.
She was an inaugural member of ANZ Capital's Private Equity Management Committee which was established to oversee all proposed Private Equity transactions throughout Australia and New Zealand. She has a broad industry background, having analysed investment opportunities across a range of manufacturing, services, wholesale and retail businesses.
Prior to joining ANZ Capital, Melanie had a ten year career as an economist, most recently as Senior Economist for ANZ, with the key responsibility of developing detailed economic and financial forecasts on the Australian economy. In this role, Melanie was a regular economic commentator on Sky News, Channel Seven, Lateline and ABC News. She has also previously worked as an economist for the National Australia Bank and the Commonwealth Treasury.
Also a Perth native, Melanie was educated at University of Western Australia BEc (Hons) and Macquarie University (MAppFin).
Rob Huth - Senior Investment Analyst
Rob has built up a wide array of investment analysis and fund management experience over his 9yr career, having worked on multiple sectors and asset classes in a variety of investment contexts.
Prior to joining Viburnum Funds was a Senior Investment Analyst at CP2 (Global Infrastructure Fund) where he worked on numerous Infrastructure investments, including the $2.1bn consortium bid for ConnectEast launched in July 2011.
Before CP2, Rob worked as an independent investment analyst on a consulting basis for the Wyllie Group covering a range of sectors including a significant number of industrial companies based in Western Australia.
Rob has also held roles as Partner/Analyst for Pegasus Securities (Institutional Equity Research & Corporate Advisory House), Portfolio Manager/Analyst for Attunga Capital (Alternative Fund Manager), Industrial Analyst for State One Stockbroking and Analyst for Oasis Asset Management (Global Equity Fund Manager).
Rob holds a Bachelor of Business Science (Finance Hons) from the University of Cape Town and is a CFA charterholder.
Craig Coleman – Executive Chairman
Craig is a Non-Executive Director of the Wyllie Group, and former Managing Director of Home Building Society Limited. Prior to joining Home Building Society, Craig held a number of senior executive positions and directorships with ANZ including Managing Director Banking Products, Managing Director Wealth Management and Non-Executive Director of E·Trade Australia Limited.
Craig's other current appointments include Non-Executive Director of Bell Financial Group Ltd, Bell Direct Ltd, Amcom Telecommunication, Pulse Health and Non-Executive Chairman of Amadeus Energy and Rubik Financial Ltd.
Craig was born in Melbourne and educated at the University of Western Australia (BCom).
Melissa Karlson – Non-Executive Director
Melissa is Executive Director of the Wyllie Group and is responsible for the Group's extensive national investment portfolio and the management and financial performance of the company. Melissa has experience in the property industry, financial markets, and the acquisition and disposal of investments.
Melissa holds a Bachelor of Business degree from Edith Cowan University where she majored in Accounting and Finance.
Tony Howarth AO – Non-Executive Director
Tony has spent over 35 years in the banking and finance industry including executive positions in government, regional and major banks as well as the building societies and stock broking covering London, Hamburg, New York and Australia.
Since 1991 Tony has held public company roles including Chairman of Alinta Gas Ltd (leading the Company through a privatization), Managing Director of Challenge Bank (including their acquisition by Westpac), interim CEO of broker Hartleys Ltd (overseeing the Management Buy-Out of the braking business) and Chairman of Home Building Society Ltd (during the acquisition of StateWest Credit Union and Home's subsequent acquisition by Bank of Queensland) and until recently was a Non Executive Director & Deputy Chairman of Bank of Queensland and AWB Ltd.
Tony is currently Chairman of Mermaid Marine and St John of God Healthcare Inc and a Non Executive Director of Wesfarmers Ltd and Alinta Energy.
Tony is also involved in a number of community and business organisations including the Senate of the University of Western Australia, Chairman of the Committee for Perth Limited, a member of the Rio Tinto WA Future Fund, a director of Western Australian Community Foundation Limited, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (Inc).