John Fernández – Sydney
John is an experienced business development strategist and implementer, with the ability to assist companies that are in a rapid expansion mode or seeking to develop new ventures.
John’s 37 year career spans chartered accounting, financial advisory, project management, commercial and manufacturing operations, board representation, venture capital and investment banking.
John has broad management experience in all facets of businesses operating in varied industries, covering the whole ambit from start up business ventures, pre- and post- commercialisation, through to mature business management and rationalisation.
In the capital markets arena, John has been involved in projects where he participated in successfully raising in excess of AU$400 million in funds and in structuring new and established business ventures. He has also undertaken due diligence of targeted businesses for M&A activity; prepared companies for capital offerings; directly led the participation in investment offering presentations to institutional, professional and high net worth investors; and identified and implemented the mechanisms, timing and ultimate execution of exit strategies.
John was formerly co-founder and managing director of an Australia-New Zealand boutique structured finance and venture capital organization that held substantial management and financial interests in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, consumer technology and hotel and leisure industries.
More recently, John’s assignments have included a period with a leading Australian investment bank, Babcock & Brown, as a finance consultant, specifically retained to establish a multi-billion dollar global hotel and leisure fund. He also served as an in-house member of the executive and as an advisor to the board of a substantial trans-Tasman pharmaceuticals group in preparation for an IPO on the Australian and Hong Kong stock exchanges.
John has a wide network of business contacts spanning Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Spain. When not focused on executing deals, John's other great passion is writing.