Co-founder and Chair of ASX-listed growth-stage technology investment company, Bailador Technology Investments (ASX:BTI), David has been a growth stage investor in technology businesses since 1999 and was an IPO investor in Xero. David is Chair of private company Forsyth Barr Limited, the leading New Zealand-based provider of wealth management, broking and investment banking services.

David sits on the boards of several Bailador portfolio companies and is also Chair of charitable organisations KiwiHarvest, New Zealand Food Network and the New Zealand Rugby Players Association. He recently retired as Chair of Sydney Festival. 

As the former CEO of Fairfax Media, David led Fairfax’s acquisition of Trade Me and Stayz and was Chair of Trade Me during its time as a public company.

Prior to joining the corporate world, David enjoyed a highly successful rugby career. He captained the All Blacks to win the Rugby World Cup in 1987 and was awarded an MBE in 1988. Earlier in his career, he was a consultant at McKinsey & Company in London and has served as chief policy advisor to the New Zealand Prime Minister.

David is a Rhodes Scholar with degrees in Medicine from Otago University and Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University.

Joining Rip Curl in 2002, Michael fulfilled the roles of Chief Financial Officer and then Chief Operating Officer before his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Rip Curl in January 2013.

After leading Rip Curl for over eight years, he was appointed Group CEO of KMD Brands in 2021. As Group CEO, Michael offers vision and strategic guidance that make Kathmandu, Oboz and Rip Curl much more than the sum of their parts.

Michael led the Group to become one of the first multinational companies in Australia and New Zealand to have all its brands individually certified.

Based at KMD Brands’ head office in South Melbourne, Victoria, Michael also spent more than two years in the United States with Rip Curl.

Prior to joining Rip Curl, Michael spent a decade with PricewaterhouseCoopers across Australia and the USA.

Michael is a strategic, inclusive and well-respected leader. Outside of the office he spends his time enjoying the outdoors with his family.

Andrea has been at the forefront of business transformation for more than two decades with proven success in building global and local brands – both business-to-business and business-to-customer, through customer omni-channel management, and the development and implementation of digital and data-driven strategy.  During this time Andrea has developed a passion for operational expertise, talent and culture.

Andrea was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Australia’s Association for Data-driven Marketing and Advertising (ADMA), in 2018. Her deep understanding for digital, data-driven marketing and governance is displayed through the high-level thought leadership and advocacy she contributes to the Australian marketing industry positioning ADMA as the ultimate authority and go-to resource for effective data-driven marketing intelligence in Australia.

Throughout her career, Andrea has led turnaround and acceleration strategies on multiple brands. As the Global Chief Brand Officer at prestige skincare brand Jurlique, Andrea led global innovation, marketing and digital teams across 23 markets where she leant into customer centric e-commerce and digital strategies.  Andrea held a series of transformational leadership roles at Unilever ANZ, carrying responsibility for a $1.2bn consumer goods portfolios, with a focus on accelerating growth and increasing return on marketing investment with oversight of global brands including Dove, Rexona, Omo, Tony&Guy and Sunsilk.
Andrea was appointed to the board of HYG Holdco Pty Limited (trading as Hoyts) in July 2021, and is a non-executive director of Kennards Hire.

As Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Enero Group Limited, Brent oversees a worldwide portfolio of creative, adtech, martech, digital, data and communications businesses with more than 980 staff in16 cities globally.

Brent has extensive experience leading and growing consumer brands around the world, including an 18-year career with Nike Inc in three continents, including most recently as Vice president and Chief Executive of Nike Europe.

He was previously a director of action sports apparel brand Fox Head Inc in California, a non-executive director of sports technology company Catapult International (CAT) and a non-executive director with ASX-listed medical technology company Rhinomed Limited (RNO).

Philip Bowman has extensive experience in retail including 15 years as a director of Burberry PLC. Other past roles include CFO of Bass PLC, CEO of Bass Taverns, Executive Chairman of Liberty PLC, CEO of Allied Domecq PLC, CEO of Scottish Power PLC, CEO of Smiths Group and Chairman of Coral Eurobet and Miller Group.

Philip has also held office as an independent director of BSkyB PLC, Scottish & Newcastle Group PLC, and Berry Bros. & Rudd.

He is currently Chairman of NZX listed Sky Network Television (SKT) and an independent director of Amsterdam listed Ferrovial SE, as well as Chairman of Tegel Group Holdings and an independent director of Better Capital PCC.

Philip is also as director of Majid al Futtaim Holding LLC, and Chairman of Majid al Futtaim Properties LLC. Together, the Majid al Futtaim group is the largest owner and operator of shopping malls across the Middle East, and also represents a number of major international brands across the Middle East through licence arrangements.

A professional director with more than 15 years’ governance experience, including with publicly-listed and Crown companies, Abby holds qualifications in both law and accounting. Abby's career has covered both disciplines focused on strategy, corporate finance, treasury and commercial transactions.  Abby has broad governance experience across a wide range of areas including strategic development and implementation, governance of significant transactions, stakeholder engagement, audit and risk, health and safety, and ESG governance.

Abby also serves on the board of Freightways Group Limited. Her previous governance roles include Christchurch City Holdings Limited (CCHL), the wholly owned investment arm of Christchurch City Council; TVNZ; Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa; Transpower New Zealand; Livestock Improvement Corporation; the New Zealand Local Government Funding Agency; Sanford and Z Energy. 

Abby chairs the KMD Brands Audit and Risk Committee.

A former Commonwealth Games athlete, Zion represented New Zealand in athletics on a world stage while enjoying a career in the global branded sportswear industry.  

Zion spent 24 years with Adidas, commencing as a footwear manager in 1998 and climbing through the company ranks in Germany, Hong Kong, South Korea, and the US before being named President for Adidas in North America. He stepped down from Adidas in early 2022 to return to New Zealand and was appointed to the KMD Brands board in November 2022. In December 2023 Zion was appointed CEO of New Zealand-based children’s retail apparel brand Jamie Kay. 

An avid athlete and sports fan, Zion competed in the IAAF World Junior Championships and is a former New Zealand record holder for 400-metre hurdles. 

Joining Rip Curl in 2002, Michael fulfilled the roles of Chief Financial Officer and then Chief Operating Officer before his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Rip Curl in January 2013.

After leading Rip Curl for over eight years, he was appointed Group CEO of KMD Brands in 2021. As Group CEO, Michael offers vision and strategic guidance that make Kathmandu, Oboz and Rip Curl much more than the sum of their parts.

Michael led the Group to become one of the first multinational companies in Australia and New Zealand to have all its brands individually certified.

Based at KMD Brands’ head office in South Melbourne, Victoria, Michael also spent more than two years in the United States with Rip Curl.

Prior to joining Rip Curl, Michael spent a decade with PricewaterhouseCoopers across Australia and the USA.

Michael is a strategic, inclusive and well-respected leader. Outside of the office he spends his time enjoying the outdoors with his family.

Appointed Chief Executive Officer of Kathmandu in 2023 after spending 18 years at global footwear brand Crocs, Megan helped to build a brand reaching consumers in more than 85 countries. She is now applying her multi-channel expertise across retail, wholesale and digital to grow Kathmandu’s global presence.

As Crocs’ former Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Asia Pacific Region, based in Singapore, Megan oversaw the brand’s growth in the region. Prior to this, she served as Vice President, Commercial and Merchandise with responsibility for wholesale and retail channels across Crocs’ Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

An inclusive, energetic and driven leader, Megan has great passion for being active and outdoors – and it was this that drew her to an outdoor brand known for its commitment to quality, sustainability and innovation.

With extensive experience in the outdoor and fashion industries, Amy joined Oboz in 2019. Since then, she has championed Oboz’ commitment to sustainability and has overseen its B Corp certification. With a commitment to collaborative relationships with retail partners and industry colleagues, Amy has grown KMD Brands’ presence and the Kathmandu brand in North America.

Based in Bozeman, Montana, Amy spent more than a decade with brands Smartwool and Lucy Activewear, both part of one of the world’s largest apparel portfolios, VF Corporation. She has a wide range of skills in retail, brand marketing, distribution strategy and sales management, which she applies to grow Oboz’ reputation as a leader in hiking footwear. Amy is a Board member of The Conservation Alliance, an organisation that works with businesses to protect wild places and outdoor spaces in North America.

Joining Rip Curl in 2009, Mathieu has fulfilled several regional and global roles for the brand across finance, retail and operations. He was appointed President of Rip Curl Europe in April 2019. Since then, Mathieu has expanded Rip Curl’s network of stores and grown brand recognition in Europe to a top three position. Mathieu has also established KMD Brands’ presence and operations in Europe, leading the formal launch and expansion of Kathmandu and Oboz in the region.

Prior to joining Rip Curl, Mathieu spent nine years with PricewaterhouseCoopers in France and the United States, helping technology companies to flourish. From his base in Saint-Jean-De-Luz  near Hossegor, France, Mathieu has access to one of the best surf breaks in the world – a location celebrated in Rip Curl’s iconic wetsuit logo.

A skilled solicitor, Frances spent over a decade in corporate legal and advisory roles in New Zealand and the United Kingdom with legal firms Anderson Lloyd, Anthony Harper and Bristows, before joining Kathmandu in 2017 as Legal Counsel.

After taking up Company Secretary responsibilities in 2020, Frances is now also leading KMD Brands’ Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategies and initiatives. Frances’ passion for sustainability and determination to integrate ESG pillars of community, climate and circularity into KMD Brands’ business practices, culminated in B Corp certification for the Group in 2023.

Frances enjoys multi-day hikes and travelling with her family in pursuit of outdoor adventures.

As Group Chief Commercial Officer, Lachlan is responsible for ensuring KMD Brands’ business strategy aligns with market trends, consumer expectations and revenue goals.

Lachlan commenced his career in audit with PricewaterhouseCoopers, and has held senior roles with Myer and Cotton On Group. He spent nearly a decade with Rip Curl as Group Chief Finance Officer from 2004 to 2013.

Lachlan rejoined Rip Curl in 2016, with responsibility for a range of activities including Rip Curl’s global retail operations and the Ozmosis business.

Joining KMD Brands in 2024, Michael Ross has spent his career helping companies to leverage the transformative power of technology to deliver true customer-centricity. 

Most recently, Michael spent four years leading technology programs for Qantas Group. As Group Chief Technology Officer, and then Acting Group Chief Information Officer, Michael managed a team of 500-plus technology professionals working together to elevate the airline's technology capabilities. 

Michael has extensive experience leading large-scale enterprises and nurturing startups, including time with high profile brands like Nestle, Heinz, HP and PwC. Michael specialises in guiding technology-intensive industries through digital disruptions and championing the cultural change and innovation mindsets that companies need to thrive in the digital age. 

With extensive international financial experience working with large multinational companies, Ben joined KMD Brands in April 2020 as Group Financial Controller. Since then, he has held senior finance roles based in both Australia and New Zealand, such as the Rip Curl General Manager of Finance and Group Deputy Chief Financial Officer.

Before joining the Group Ben spend 14 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) working across New Zealand, North America and the United Kingdom. During his time at PwC Ben specialised in large multinational companies, the consumer discretionary sector and publicly listed companies.

Ben is a former New Zealand Age Group Triathlete and 10-time Ironman finisher. When he's not working or spending time with is young family he can be found swimming, biking and running as he trains for his next Ironman.

Ben is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors.