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Prof. Darrell Mahoney
Chair
Darrell has held many senior positions in higher education including Dean of the highly innovative Bowater Faculty of Business at Deakin University; Chairman, Department of Accounting, David Syme Business School; Director of International Programs and Postgraduate Programs for the Faculty of Business and Law at Deakin; and, National Director of the Australian National Business School Ltd. Darrell has worked with Arthur Andersen & Company and General Motors-Holden. He has acted as a consultant to the Pratt Group, the Bowater Group, Telstra, Cycling Victoria and other organizations. He has undertaken lecture tours in Asia for CPA Australia and training projects in the former Soviet Union for the Australian Ambassador in Moscow. For a decade he ran annually in Malaysia the Asian Intensive School for Advanced Management program for Australian MBA students. Darrell has written on topics as diverse as international business, corporate planning, management accounting, financial modelling, education, and mental retardation. He was principal author of the award winning text International Business: A Managerial Perspective. At the community level, Darrell was Chair of the Monash Community Foundation and is a Member of Plan Australia. Darrell is a trustee of the Bowater Trust and is a board member and Treasurer of the Self Help Addiction Resource Centre (SHARC). Darrell is an Emeritus Professor at Deakin University.
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Sunil Jadwani
Vice Chair
Sunil Jadwani joined the EIBC’s Board of Directors in November 2015. He is the founder of Kodeworks, which develops custom software solutions specifically designed to automate and streamline business operations. He also advises small-business owners on their overall Information Technology (IT) strategies. He trained as an Electronics Engineer and has designed and developed software and electronics for a wide range of applications across several industries, including, banking and financial services, light manufacturing, automated industrial testing, home security and automation, health care, legal, human resources and the not-for-profit sector. Sunil is evangelical about helping small-business owners maximize their operational efficiency and staff productivity.He advocates an integrated, business-orientated approach to implementing software solutions using the most appropriate and cost-effective technology available.He is particularly attuned to the non-technical aspects of IT implementation and the constraints of time, money and human resources under which small businesses typically operate. He is confident that the unique business+IT perspective that he brings to the EIBC Board will support effective application of IT within the EIBC as well as the businesses that the EIBC hosts.
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Tina Manolitsas
Secretary
Director & Founder, Future Focus Marketing Group Tina is a Marketing Strategist and Strategic Digital Marketing Adviser to Business leaders and Marketing professionals. She has worked across multiple industry sectors for over 20 years including B2B and B2C audiences across corporate, agency, not-for-profit, government and consultancy environments, producing award-winning results for local and global organisations. Tina is a professional advisor and confidant to company CEOs, Business leaders, Marketing professionals and a strategic marketing consultant to Agencies. She forms a critical bridge between business leaders, and customers to communicate complex topics with radical clarity. Tina is an academic and senior lecturer who has taught marketing and business in leading Australian and overseas universities and currently lecturing in digital marketing. She is a published author and advisor to various not-for-profit organisations and small business owners. Tina is a Board Member of Eastern Innovation Business Centre (EIBC), Women In Supply Chain (WISC), Marketing Strategist for Her Heart Charity and Judge for the Manningham Business Excellence Awards.
Dr Jeff Chamberlain
Treasurer
Director of Industry Engagement, Department of Management, Dea..
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Dr Jeff Chamberlain
Treasurer
Jeff joined the Board of the Eastern Innovation Business Centre in July 2016. He is an academic with the Deakin Business School (DBS) having transitioned to Deakin University in 2002 after a twenty year industry career. He is particularly passionate about connecting industry with academe – believing this to be the fundamental imperative for any business school. He is presently the Director of Industry Engagement in the Department of Management of the DBS. He has taught mainly post graduate MBA units including Strategic Management, Project Management, IT Strategy and Management, Professional Practice and Electronic Commerce. In 2009, in response to the global financial crisis and a pressing need to change the ways in which business students think, understand and interact, he created and still leads, what has become the very popular and award winning post graduate unit titled Business Process Management which is now integrated with 20 post graduate courses at Deakin University. When it comes to business schools, Jeff believes that one cannot teach what one has not experienced and he recommends that every academic should accumulate at least 10 years of professional experience before transitioning to academe. Before moving to the university sector, Jeff had worked at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for two decades. First experiencing an array of auditing and management roles, he then elevated to the executive level and was involved in the leadership of national and international online initiatives. A culmination of this was receiving a National Australia Day Council achievement medal for excellence in the delivery of an innovative, hi-tech, Internet centric, multi-national knowledge collaboration project in a partnership between the ATO and the OECD’s Forum on Strategic Management. Whilst Jeff contends that experience is truly the best teacher, he believes that formal learning and development expedites profound thinking, understanding and interaction. He has earned a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) (B.Bus Acc.); Graduate Certificate of Ecommerce (GCECom); Graduate Diploma of Ecommerce (GDECom); Master of Electronic Commerce (MECom); Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (GCHE); and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) (in Strategy, ICT and Business Process Management). He has also completed the CPA Program and holds the prestigious CPA Australia Professional Accreditation as a Specialist in Information Technology. Jeff is a Fellow of CPA Australia (FCPA) and of the Australian Institute of Management (FAIM) and is a Certified Professional with the Australian Computer Society (MACS CP). For a nation to prosper economically, socially and environmentally, engendering security for its future generations, Jeff considers that there has never been a better time to concentrate the energies of its thinkers and innovators to create exciting new processes, products and perspectives that improve the ways we experience life. The Eastern Innovation Business Centre is an exemplar vehicle for this.
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Nicci Rossouw
Director
Nicci is a robotics solution innovator and disrupter, founder and owner of Exaptec. Specialist in robotics automation solution design and delivery using Robotics as a Service as a business model. Specialist in client engagement and passionate in delivering the highest quality of service that unlocks high value ROI for enterprises. She is a thought leader in the application of Robotics technology and how we as humans interact with robots in a social workplace context. She is also passionate about using technology for wellness; * whether it’s a child that can’t attend school because he/she has leukaemia, * a father taking paternal leave and dial into a meeting or * a disabled person being introduced into the work force, these are examples of where telepresence is being used today.
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Kathleen Lawler
Director
Passionate about startups, social innovation and continuously learning, Kathleen leads Australian Government's Landing Pads. Kathleen Lawler’s previous experience spans Australian and international tech startups. She was the strategy and innovation manager for Daimler Truck and Bus Australia/ Pacific. Kalthleen is a member of Women in Technology Australia and Startup Victoria, a board member with Eastern Innovation Business Centre and several tech startups and passionate about mentoring and supporting women in STEM.
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Ryan Babbage
Director
Ryan is the latest addition to the board of the EIBC. He is the true definition of the word entrepreneur. Ryan has successfully founded and exited out of some very impressive ventures and is now giving back with time and knowledge to emerging entrepreneurs at the EIBC. Ryan currently is the founder of Strategy Hubb, Onstem Technology and MindGo. Business is what makes the world turn. The thrill, chase and opportunities that lay just beneath the surface are the very things that get Ryan out of bed in the morning. The most exciting part of Ryan’s achievements has been his successes in Asia and Africa. He has successfully transitioned numerous businesses into hotspot pockets of Asia; predominantly South Korea, Singapore, Japan and Taiwan. His understanding of international trade, the distribution networks established and the capital partners he has aligned with over the prior 18 years are invaluable. With Ryan’s abilities on-hand we plan to aid the local entrepreneurs with the foresight and insights required to think global from the get-go. The choke point for most entrepreneurs is the capital raising component. Ryan has the first-hand experience at knowing how to pitch, to whom and for what amount. There is an overwhelming amount of education on offer for Startup founders, but most of what is on offer does not seem to be the right fit for Australian businesses as the failure rates prove to be dominant. He believes in bespoke business modelling for every Startup even though similarities reside across the board. For a more in-depth discussion with Ryan around topics like venture capital, market viability assessments, business strategy and incubation, seek him out at the next EIBC event or contact him directly on LinkedIn.
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Cr Brian Little
Director
Cr Brian Little is one of three Councillors elected to represent the Mount Waverley ward, for the period 2016–2020. On 12 November 2018, Brian was elected as Monash’s Deputy Mayor for the next 12 months. Brian is a member of the following Council committees: Community Grants Program Evaluation Panel Environmental Advisory Committee Positive Ageing Reference Group Brian is also a member of the following external bodies: Eastern Innovation Business Centre Ltd Board Metropolitan Local Government Waste Forum Brian is a Council liaison with the following groups: Friends of Damper Creek Reserve Friends of Scotchmans Creek & Valley Reserve Inc
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Mariella Smids
Director
Driven by having a positive impact on society and by developing relationships and projects in which the best areas are put in practice, Mariella connects public and private stakeholders and builds (international) partnerships to support sustainable economic and social development. Mariella currently manages relations across Monash University and with key government, research and industry partners to develop the Monash Precinct into Melbourne’s second city centre. People, place and partnership are at the core: building a physical community where people thrive, collaborate and innovate. This includes the growth of an entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem that is internationally connected. Previously, Mariella held strategic European engagement roles at the Benelux Union (Brussels) and the Scottish Government’s Energy Department. She was responsible for international talent attraction at Scottish Enterprise, Scotland’s main economic development agency. She also had a brief stint in politics as candidate for the European Parliament. Originally from the Netherlands, Mariella moved to Melbourne in July 2017.
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Cr Josh Fergeus
Director
Born and raised in Monash, Josh has also lived in London while working on development of the National Health Service with local groups including the Haredi and Afro-Carribean communities, and in Nepal while working with local women and children.
A PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, Josh holds a Master's Degree in Social Work, and Bachelor's Degrees in Arts and Teaching.
Outside of his duties as a Councillor, Josh is the Chief Executive Officer of the leading disability charity Kevin Heinze Grow and teaches in the Master of Social Work course at the University of Melbourne. An established leader in the not-for-profit sector, Josh has extensive experience in a broad range of areas including child, youth, and family welfare, public health, mental health, and disability.
Josh is the first ever Greens Councillor to serve the City of Monash. His primary areas of focus on Council are:
Protecting our trees, and improving and expanding our gardens and public open space;
Sustainable, livable planning outcomes for our local neighbourhoods;
Affordable, accessible, quality Council services;
A fair and equitable City, free from discrimination;
Reducing our waste and impact on climate change.
Josh is a former President of the Foster Care Association of Victoria. He is passionate about creating and maintaining a safe and nurturing environment for all children and young people, education, social justice, and human rights.
Josh is a member of the following Council committees:
Monash Gallery of Art Committee of Management
Eastern Innovation Business Centre Ltd Board
Environmental Advisory Committee
Oakleigh Activity Centre Steering Committee
He represents Monash Council on the following external bodies:
Eastern Alliance for Greenhouse Action
Metropolitan Transport Forum
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Cr Stuart James
Director
Cr Stuart James lives in Oakleigh and is married with three daughters. He was first elected to Council in 2016 to represent the Oakleigh Ward, serving as Deputy Mayor in his first year on council. In November 2019, Stuart was elected as the 17th Mayor of the City of Monash, leading council through the COVID-19 pandemic. He was re-elected for a second term in late 2020.
Stuart completed his VCE at Carey Baptist Grammar, has a Bachelor of Information Management from Monash University and has worked in the IT Industry for almost 20 years. Stuart is a success-orientated IT professional with broad industry knowledge, performing leading roles in various national organisations. He is known as an accomplished leader with effective communication and people management skills, driving innovation and strategic business direction. Stuart manages more than 100 different corporate networks Australia wide and has an in-depth understanding of the underlying network infrastructure that is critical to business. He has an extensive knowledge of a myriad of different programming languages and databases and has developed leading-edge software solutions for both corporate and community use.
Stuart is very passionate about the Arts and, in particular, the theatre. He spent many years running lighting desks in theatrical productions and also studied theatre during his IT Degree. Stuart still attends a variety of different Senior School Musicals, local theatre productions, and often attends various MTC productions throughout the calendar year.