Michael Shepherd

Chairman, Independent Non Executive Director
Chairman of the Remuneration and Nominations
Committee Member of the Audit and Risk Committee

Michael has extensive experience in financial markets and the financial services industry having held a range of senior positions including Vice Chairman of ASX Limited, and directorships of several of ASX’s subsidiaries including Australian Clearing House Pty Ltd. Currently, Michael an independent director of Investsmart Group Limited, and is an independent Compliance Committee Member for UBS Global Asset Management (Australia) Limited. Michael is also a Senior Fellow (SF Fin), Life Member and past President of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Nicola Meaden Grenham

Independent Non Executive Director
Member of the Remuneration and Nominations Committee

Nicola has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and is a specialist in alternative investments. She has significant knowledge and experience of strategic business development and investment management in hedge funds and private markets. In 1990 Nicola founded TASS, which became one of the market’s leading global data and research firms specialising in hedge funds. She then became MD and member of the Investment Committee of Blackstone Alternative Asset Management between 2001 and 2004. Based in London, she established and managed the development of the group’s hedge fund activities outside the US. From 2008 to 2012, Nicola was CEO of Alpha Strategic Plc, the UK listed company which provided independent, owner-managed investment managers with access to passive minority equity capital. She currently runs Dumas Capital Ltd, a company she founded in 2004 which provides strategic advisory and research services in the alternative investment sector. Based in Ireland, she is a Member of the Conseil de Pilotage Stratégique of BlackRock France S.A.S, chairs the Executive Committee of the Capital Holdings Funds Plc and serves as an independent director on alternative investment funds.

Andy Bluhm

Non Executive Director
Member of Audit & Risk Committee

Andrew is the founder and principal of Chicago-based DSC Advisors, LP, which is the investment manager of Delaware Street Capital Master Fund LP. Delaware Street Capital Master Fund LP holds a substantial shareholding in HFA. DSC invests in a wide array of companies and industries seeking to identify and acquire undervalued securities and sell-short overvalued securities. Prior to forming DSC, he was a founder and Principal of WSC, and prior thereto worked as a Vice President at JMB and as an Associate at Goldman Sachs. Mr Bluhm has a B.S. magna cum laude from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Sean McGould

Executive Director

Sean co-founded Lighthouse and has served as President and Co-Chief Investment Officer since inception. He supports the investment team in the manager search, selection and review process and is the Chairman of the Investment Committee. Sean joined Asset Management Advisors (‘AMA’), a multi-family office as Chief Investment Officer in August 1996. Lighthouse was formally spun out of AMA in 1999. For over 20 years, Sean has been investing in various alternative investment strategies. Prior to founding Lighthouse, Sean was the Director of the Outside Trader Investment Program at Trout Trading Management Company and was responsible for the allocation of the fund’s assets to external alternative asset strategies. Prior to Trout, Sean worked for Price Waterhouse and passed the Certified Public Accountant examination.

Suvan de Soysa

Independent Non Executive Director

Suvan has had a long and well-rounded career in the Australian wealth management industry. As a co-founder of ipac Securities Limited and ipac Asset Management (collectively ipac), Suvan played a central role in creating one of Australia’s pre-eminent wealth management businesses. During his more than 25 years at ipac, Suvan undertook a number of senior executive roles, including as head of several departments, acting CEO and sitting on ipac’s executive committee. Most recently Suvan has been involved with Chancellor Portfolio Services, where he is currently the Non-executive Chairman. Suvan is also an independent non-executive director of Monash Absolute Investment Company, which until recently was listed on the ASX, and where he continues to Chair its Audit and Risk Committee. Suvan has both an accounting and legal background. Suvan obtained a Bachelor of Science (Economic) Honours from the University of London, after which he spent two years in accountancy at KPMG in London. After relocating to Australia, Suvan obtained a Bachelor of Law from the University of Sydney. Suvan was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in July 1984, and also holds a Graduate Diploma from the Securities Institute of Australia and a Diploma in Financial Planning from the Financial Planning Association. Suvan was a certified financial planner for 25 years and is also a fellow of both the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Cathy Hales

Independent Non Executive Director

Cathy’s international career spans over 25 years’ leading and developing investment management businesses in Sydney, London and New York as an executive leader and non-executive director.

From 2003-2010, Cathy held senior roles with Deutsche Asset Management, including five years based in New York leading product development for its US$62bn global real estate and infrastructure platform (RREEF). She then led Fidante Partners, the multi-boutique asset management platform within the Challenger Group (ASX:CGF) to become Australia’s fastest growing fund manager, expanding from A$15bn to more than A$60bn in client assets by 2018. Serving as non-executive director on the board of each of Fidante’s 15 affiliated investment managers, Cathy provided seasoned counsel to founder CEOs through a wide range of events – managing business growth and sustainability; product innovation; client engagement strategy, financial management and advising on people and culture strategy, including founder succession.

Cathy comes to NGI with demonstrated experience in a broad range of investment management specialties across listed and private asset classes. Her deep understanding of mergers and acquisitions in the investment management space, as well as the evolution of these businesses through the start-up, growth and maturity phases is valuable to NGI as it continues to execute on both its organic and inorganic growth plans.

Cathy holds a Bachelor of Business (Economics) from QUT and is a graduate of the Wharton Business School. She is also a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.