Our special guest on this episode is highly respected businessman, corporate advisor and private investor, Mark Barnaba AM.
A trusted advisor in both public and private-sector capacities, Mark’s career extends across a range of institutions wherein his diverse experiences in management consulting & investment banking have been a valuable commodity for organisations for more than three decades.
Born in Perth to a modest, migrant Italian family, Mark’s early years and passion for hard work were defined and influenced by his parents, his father Oreste, who worked in food distribution and his mother Venia, who worked in retail.
From primary school in grade four until graduation in 1980, Mark attended Perth’s Trinity College, wherein a strong value-set instilled into him by his parents coupled with the Christian Brothers education led to him being named Dux of the school.
Mark then enrolled in a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Western Australia, graduating with High Distinction (winning the JA Wood University Medal) in 1985 before enrolling in an MBA at the revered Harvard Business School where he graduated with the highest distinction.
After recognising Mark’s remarkable academic achievements, business heavyweight and legendary Australian figure Alan Bond employed him as an executive assistant, wherein he worked directly with Alan and his Bond Corporation for a period of two years.
In the early 1990’s, Mark joined McKinsey & Company and worked across the firm’s operations for a period of five years including in its London, Johannesburg, and Sydney offices.
Following his return to Perth, he co-founded banking & advisory firm Poynton & Partners alongside John Poynton in 1996, with their pair (alongside others) simultaneously launching a subsidiary known as GEM Consulting.
Alongside the growth of Poynton & Partners throughout the late 1990’s, GEM Consulting became Perth’s leading corporate advisory and financial services business having been intricately involved in major transactions including across the mining, technology, resources, and commercial property sectors.
Under the stewardship of Mark & John, GEM Consulting was acquired by AST Group South Africa in 2001 in a $44m deal.
In 2004, Mark Co-Founded Azure Capital, an independently owned, specialist advisory firm he led as Co-Executive Chair for seven years prior to selling his stake in 2010.
During this period (2007 to 2010), Mark was also Chairman of the West Coast Eagles Football Club - a period through which he led the club through a significant transformation.
Mark served as the Inaugural Chairman of the University of Western Australia Business School Board for a period of eighteen years (2002 - 2020) and was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University in 2012.
In 2012, Mark was appointed Chairman of Macquarie Group Western Australia, Chairman & Global Head, Resources Group & Chairman, Corporate & Asset Finance of Macquarie Group by then Chief Executive Officer Nicholas Moore AO - positions he held for a period of six years until 2017.
Since 2010, Mark has served as a Non-Executive Director of Fortescue Metals Group Limited in addition to Lead Independent Director (2014) and Deputy Chair (2017).
In August 2017, Mark was appointed to the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia and currently Chairs the Reserve Bank Board Audit Committee.
Mark has also variously been Chairman of Western Power, Edge Employment, Alinta Infrastructure Holdings, the Black Swan State Theatre Company of Western Australia.
He is also a Senior Advisor of EY Oceania, Chairman of the Investment Committee for HBF and Chairman of Greatland Coal.
He also holds an extensive number of other positions including as Chair of GLX, Chair of the Investments Committee at HBF. Senior Advisor of EY Oceania, Senior Advisor of Appian Capital Advisory and Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Australia.
Our exclusive interview with Mark unpacks his diverse career journey, from successfully launching his own ventures, to working with some of Australia’s largest and most revered institutions, he openly shares the fundamentals required to achieve success as well as the crucial lessons he’s learnt from more than three decades in business.
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