Nick McNaughton is a highly experienced CEO who has been a successful entrepreneur, mentor, investor and fund manager. Nick started his career in the software industry where he specialised in bringing US vendors into the Asia / Pacific region. He spent extensive time living and working in Asia. He has been a successful angel investor for over two decades. Successes include Soulmates Technology, Zookoda, Vocus (ASX:VOC) & Windlab (ASX:WND).
He is a veteran of the University IP commercialization field. He is the part-time CEO of ANU Connect Ventures a $37M seed investment fund (owned by the Australian National University and MTAA Super). He has reviewed and assessed a wide array of ideas, inventions and discoveries. The fund invested in several successful companies including Lithicon (Trade sale FEI), InterfereX (Trade sale – NYSE: Dolby), Instaclustr, Liquid Instruments and EpiAxis Therapeutics.
He led the initiative by the Group of Eight & the University of Auckland to partner with the IP Group to open their Asia / Pacific office in A/NZ. He has also had extensive interactions with the applied technology Universities (UTS, Wollongong, Deakin and Macquarie). He is the Chairman of the Discovery Translation Fund evaluation committee (ANU, University of Canberra, CSU) and spent 18 months on the UTS Commercialisation Advisory Panel.
Nick is also a specialist in the creation of territory wide early stage innovation ecosystems. He is the co-architect of the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN) which incorporates the essential building blocks of a successful ecosystem: co-working, acceleration, incubation, growth programs & capital.
Nick has extensive ASX Board experience. He was a non-exec Director of Vocus (ASX:VOC) from 2010-2015. The company grew from a $20M market cap at IPO to $1.2BN during this time.
Nick is a former Chairman of Capital Angels and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Nick has an MBA from the University of South Australia.
Whilst providing broad operational and strategic leadership to Campus Plus as COO, Zoe specialises in Industry/University engagement, bringing together key University stakeholders and researchers and appropriate senior industry players to fast-track the consideration of issues faced by industry and the opportunities for partnership these present for the University.
Zoe co-developed the 12-month Pioneer Program for the University of Canberra. The purpose of the program was threefold: uncovering academics whose research had commercial potential; providing a series of workshops to elucidate the benefits of commercialising a research innovation and the pathways this can take; and convening sector specific Industry Engagement webinars based on strategic areas of research expertise. Zoe went on to develop the PD+ and PD+ Health webinar series which has helped educate thousands of researchers across Australia.
Prior to co-founding Campus Plus, Zoe was COO of ANU Connect Ventures a $37M seed investment fund (owned by the Australian National University and MTAA Super). Zoe worked closely with Investment Committee members and Non-Executive Directors of the company to maintain the integrity and financial viability of ANUCV, with the goal of achieving Limited Partner (LP) returns and broader regional benefit in accordance with the Partnership’s Investment Plan. ANUCV succeeded in its investment mandate and returned significant financial returns to its LPs.
Zoe also managed the Discovery Translation Fund on behalf of the Australian National University, University of Canberra and Charles Sturt University. The Discovery Translation Fund provides ‘proof of concept’ funding to bridge the gap between applied research and commercialisation.
Jason has directorial responsibilities for the delivery of the Federal Department of Education’s National Industry PhD Program. Prior to joining Campus Plus as Partner for Victoria, Jason was an independent consultant specialising in broad based technology and research translation with advanced manufacturing start-ups, providing knowledge and experience in: Product market fit; Translation from concept to production; Understanding capital needs; Business resilience; Bridging the private – public gap. Jason is passionate about Australian Advanced Manufacturing and is an advocate for the identification, nurturing and acceleration of emerging domestic enterprises. His 30 years’ experience range from multinational organisations through to start-ups with roles at senior levels within both the public and private sectors. Jason has a unique skill set perfectly placed to support young enterprises and their founders. Most recently Jason held the role of CEO for Partington CC, a young composite bicycle component manufacturing company and resident of ManuFutures in Geelong that has developed the worlds lightest all carbon fibre bicycle wheel, entering the market in September 2020 to global acclaim. Prior to Partington CC, Jason held several senior positions at Deakin University and Gordon TAFE, culminated in the development and leadership of ManuFutures in Geelong, launched in 2018. A globally unique advanced manufacturing incubator facility, hosting up to 15 separate companies. Responsible for the creation of 150 new advanced manufacturing jobs, the launching of multiple export products and the successful expansion with over $35M in investment. As an early advocate for the integration of industry and education, Jason was instrumental in the initial planning, development and implementation for the Centre of Advance Design and Engineering Training (CADET) at Deakin. Whilst Head of Automotive and Engineering at the Gordon TAFE he aligned antiquated teaching models to better meet the needs of industry resulting in a 12-fold increase in student numbers and industry engagement.
Ken is a seasoned professional who helps businesses and organisations turn innovation, research, and intellectual property into value and impact. He has extensive experience in strategy, management, and governance across various sectors, domains, and stages of development. Ken has designed, created, operated, and supported a range of ventures and projects within broad business and technology domains in a career encompassing private capital, consulting, public sector and defence, research, start-ups, and established businesses. He has a passion for commercialisation and investment with a focus on developing and growing opportunity from innovations in technology across the stages of growth journey.
Ken is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD), holds a Master of Science and Technology Commercialisation and a Bachelor of Engineering – Mechatronics.
I started off my career at the Australian Defense Force Academy as a Midshipman studying Engineering. This came to an abrupt end after 2 years when I realized that extreme sea sickness was an occupational hazard. I started my first company BizzTools in 2004, building loan calculators for mortgage brokers and banks for their web sites. This allowed me a “4 hour work week” to dabble in inventing, designing products and getting them manufactured and then sold worldwide. In 2017 I bought a large 4 axis CNC machine, a handheld 3d scanner and was the first person world wide to make custom dress making dummies for people who liked to sew. I also started to build a 3D scanning rig for scanning people instantaneously. My first “employment” was with the Canberra Innovation Network where I helped entrepreneurs navigate the startup experience for 2 years and facilitated connections with investors and early-stage start-ups. During this time I was being mentored by Nick McNaugton in “all things Investment” and also completed my 3D scanning rig which I sold to a company in Sydney. I started with Campus Plus in Feb 2023 and hope to be here to watch it become a global success.
Sabine has worked heavily at the intersection point between industry and university, both from an innovation standpoint, a support, access and a commercialization standpoint. She focusses on understanding the needs of her stakeholders which include students, industry partners, community members, academics, rural / regional entrepreneurs, first nations entrepreneurs and multicultural stakeholders all of which had ideas with potential for commercialization.
She is embedded and has worked within / across many multicultural communities for over several decades. Some of the highlights of her career to date include: winning the Australian Financial Review (AFR) Award in 2020 Higher Education Award for Learning Experience as well as the 2020 Vice-Chancellor’s outstanding service for professional service staff; being an integral part of the design for the full iAccelerate training program for Entrepreneurial ideas, followed by the delivery of this program in a blended and dual delivery design from 2020; working on federal and statewide funded program RISE that supported regional, rural and First Nations Entrepreneurs in 2023; and, writing 3 books and creating two online courses on home and paperwork organisation.
Andrew Walsh is based in Perth and has more than 10 years working in the Higher Education Sector. During his PhD, he interned for the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science, and Innovation in Western Australia, where he audited the Innovator of the Year Program. Andrew worked with local innovators and lawyers to gain an understanding of the WA innovation space and how further support and training could be provided to metro and regional businesses.
After his PhD, Andrew worked at Murdoch University, managing internships and engagement for research students. Andrew helped to create Murdoch’s HDR internship program, where he was the central contact for academics, research students and industry partners. During this time, Andrew helped create the WA university internship community of practice group, which focuses on how to maximise WA potential within the research internship space.
Regional Director, NATIONAL INDUSTRY PHD
Dr Anna Samson
Anna is a seasoned professional and holds degrees in Music, Law, Economics and Strategic Studies as well as a PhD in International Relations. She has been a Fulbright Scholar and worked in Australia and around the world in the not-for-profit, commercial and academic sectors. Anna’s impressive track record and commitment to fostering innovation align perfectly with Campus Plus’s mission to bridge the gap between academia and industry through the National Industry PhD program.
Anna will be responsible for overseeing the program’s growth, collaborating with academic institutions, industry partners, and participating students to ensure its continued success. Her leadership and vision will play a pivotal role in expanding the program’s reach and impact, as Campus Plus continues to facilitate connections between the academic world and industry.
National Business Development Director
Tracey McClurg
One of the highlights of Tracey’s illustrious career was her role as the spearhead of an MBA Careers Program at a prestigious Western Australian University. In this capacity, Tracey took on the pivotal role of a coach and mentor, guiding numerous mid-level professionals in their transformative journey from technical expertise to strategic leadership roles. With her extensive experience in business development and her profound understanding of the academic landscape, Tracey is set to drive Campus Plus to new heights.
Tracey McClurg’s diverse background and profound familiarity with the intricacies of the Australian university landscape endow her with a unique perspective, infusing invaluable added value into her new role at Campus Plus.
Richard is based in Sydney and has more than 25 years’ experience in top-tier management consulting, new venture development, venture capital and R&D engineering. He has extensive experience in growth and transformation for a wide range of Australian and overseas organisations; from large corporations to early-stage technology businesses.
He has extensive experience of working with Australian Universities as they consider the best path for developing unique ideas and IP. He has expertise and experience across a broad range of sectors.
Richard is a co-founder and committee member of Sydney Angels an angel group whose members invest in innovative early-stage companies with high growth potential. Sydney Angels provides its members with quality deal flow, a collaborative investment process, and an opportunity to support entrepreneurs and the early stage ecosystem. Sydney Angels offers entrepreneurs an efficient path to capital, expertise and experience from its members, who are backed by the $10M Sydney Angels Sidecar Fund. Richard is an investment committee member of Proto Investment Partners (manager of the Sydney Angels sidecar fund) a specialised early-stage fund manager focused on co-investment with angel groups.
He has a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Western Australia and an MBA from the London Business School.
Ros has held senior leadership roles in the public and private sector for over twenty five years, with a particular focus on research and innovation. Ros led CSIRO’s Manufacturing and Materials Precinct strategy and has extensive stakeholder relationship experience, bringing together higher education, government, research and industry to address large scale collaborative opportunities to create economic benefit for Australia.
More recently she held the role of Director, Industry Engagement at Swinburne University of Technology, before establishing her own consulting business.
Ros is an integral part of the National Industry PhD team at Campus Plus. She is Chair of the Independent Assessment Panel and has completed a thorough review of the process after two Rounds of operation.
Ros also brings her experience to the Discovery Translation Fund, again acting as the Chair in quarterly meetings to determine if researchers are awarded grant funding to be able to commercialise their idea, invention or IP.
It has been a joy to have Ros working with Campus Plus since 2022.
regional director, national industry phd
Lauretta grasso
Lauretta and has more than 14 years working in the professional sector of the Higher Education system, and prior to that within the academic sector also. Her PhD saw her working across James Cook University, the Australian National University, and the Australian Institute of Marine Science to deliver her projects.
Most recently Lauretta has managed the Graduate Research School at James Cook University, where she created multiple avenues to facilitate the collaboration of industry partners with research students. She has deep knowledge of Australia’s research training and research partnerships sector.
Lauretta is located Townsville, QLD and will bring a regional outlook to the National Industry PhD Program, collaborating with academic institutions, industry partners, and participating students to ensure its continued success as it continues to grow.
