Our Team
John Howard OM AC was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was a member of the House of Representatives for 33 years. Prior to becoming Prime Minister, Mr. Howard had extensive senior experience in both government and opposition. He served as Treasurer (finance minister) in a previous government and led his party in opposition for a number of years. Mr Howard is a Companion of the Order of Australia and in January 2012, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Mr Howard to the Order of Merit. Outside of politics, Mr Howard has always enjoyed a variety of sports and is an enthusiastic rugby fan. Mr Howard brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the sport of Rugby.
Ben is a senior Financial Markets professional with 28+ years’ of experience with Bankers Trust, Zurich Capital Markets, Morgan Stanley and for the past 3 years a Founding Partner at Barrenjoey.
He is Senior Client Relationship Manager at Barrenjoey and has deep, extensive relationships across international markets as well as domestically in Australia.
Ben played Rugby Union for many years in Queensland as well as in NSW.
He assumed the role of Chair of the Australian Rugby Foundation in July 2023.
Dilshani is the Executive Director of Queensland Ballet, overseeing the strategic and operational aspects of one of Australia’s most successful and vibrant ballet companies. With a strong background in arts management, she brings a wealth of experience to her role, ensuring the Company’s continued growth on and off the stage.
Passionate about the arts and championing not-for-profit organisations, prior to joining Queensland Ballet, Dilshani held senior positions in various arts and charity organisations including the Royal Opera House (UK), Sydney Opera House, and Brisbane Powerhouse. In addition to her role at Queensland Ballet, she is currently the Director of the Australian Rugby Foundation, Director the Queensland Rugby Union Women’s Committee, and sits on the Board of several arts, cultural and not-for-profit companies.
Mum of three, partner of a first responder, daughter, and sister, Dilshani values her village and actively engages with organisations whose purpose she believes in. Her strategic vision and collaborative approach have been instrumental in driving positive change and enhancing communities.
Edwina McCann is the editorial director of News Corp Australia’s Prestige Network and Conde Nast titles, previously holding the position of editor-in-chief at Vogue Australia from 2012 to 2022. During her editorship, she was at the helm of the Vogue brand’s strategic digital growth and played an integral role in launching the innovative STEM-focused Vogue Codes event series. In 2015 Edwina topped B&T’s list of 30 Most Powerful Women in Australian Media, and in November 2018 she was presented with the Australian Fashion Laureate’s Lifetime Achievement Award as an acknowledgement of her significant and ongoing contribution to the national fashion industry. Edwina joined the UTS Business School Advisory Board in 2014. In 2017, she was announced as a board member for The Australian Ballet and chair of The Australian Ballet Foundation Board, from which she retired in 2021. She has served on Westpac Scholars Trust, was co-chair and founder of the Australian Fashion Council and a council member of Australia’s Nation Brand Advisory Council. Today she serves on the board of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) and the St Joseph’s College Foundation board.
Geoff Wilson has more than 44 years’ direct experience in investment markets having held a variety of senior investment roles in Australia, the UK and the US. Geoff founded Wilson Asset Management in 1997, which today, comprises of 19 investment professionals who offer a combined investment experience of more than 200 years. Wilson Asset Management manages over $5 billion on behalf of more than 130,000 investors as the investment manager for eight listed investment companies and the Wilson Asset Management Leaders Trust.
Geoff is currently Chairman of WAM Capital Limited, WAM Leaders Limited, WAM Global Limited, WAM Microcap Limited, WAM Research Limited, WAM Active Limited and WAM Strategic Value Limited. He is the founder and Director of Future Generation Australia Limited and Future Generation Global Limited and a Director of WAM Alternative Assets Limited. In 2014 Geoff created Australia’s first listed philanthropic wealth creation vehicles, Future Generation Australia, and subsequently Future Generation Global in 2015. To date, the Future Generation companies have donated more than $75 million to Australian not-for-profits.
Geoff holds a Bachelor of Science, a Graduate Management Qualification and is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). In addition to Geoff’s Directorships with the Wilson Asset Management Group and the Future Generation companies, he also holds Directorships with Global Value Fund (since 2014), Hearts and Minds Investments Limited (since 2018), Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation (since 1997) and the Australia Rugby Foundation (2024).
Tom has over 20 years experience in investment markets and over 13 years as a Director of Australian public companies. Tom is Director and Co-Founder of Australian funds management business, Contact Asset Management. He is the lead Portfolio Manager of BKI Investment Company (BKI.ASX) and has been deeply involved in the company since its listing on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2003. Tom was a Director of Washington H Soul Pattinson (SOL.ASX) from 2011 until 2023, a period where Net Assets grew from $3.5 billion to over $12 billion. Tom is currently a Director of New Hope Group (NHC.ASX) and also sits on The Kings School Investment and Foundation Committees.