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| Dr Amandeep Hansra is a leader in digital health and innovation in Australia. She is a GP with extensive clinical experience but is also known for her work as a digital health consultant and was most recently Principal at Main Sequence Ventures and Program Director of the Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program (AUSCEP).
Amandeep provides consulting services to state and commonwealth governments, hospital groups, insurers, start-ups, health services, investors and businesses. She is the Chief Clinical Advisor with the Australian Digital Health Agency after serving as a Digital Health Advisor for over five years. She also sits on the AMA NSW board and council. Amandeep was the CEO & Medical Director of Telstra’s telemedicine business ReadyCare; a joint venture between Telstra and Medgate (Switzerland’s leading telemedicine provider) until the end of 2017. She also served as the Chief Medical Officer for Telstra Health and separately was part of the founding team of a telemedicine business in the Philippines. She is a locally trained specialist General Practitioner who has worked nationally in rural, remote and urban regions, as well as overseas. She continues to work in clinical medicine at a General Practice in Bondi, Sydney. She has been awarded the “Women Leading in Business Scholarship” for the Global Executive MBA at the University of Sydney and was named an award recipient of Telstra Health’s 2021 Brilliant Women in Digital Health initiative. Amandeep is the founder of Creative Careers in Medicine, an organisation with over 25,000 members. The organisation supports doctors with navigating their career options and assists in upskilling and preparing them for their future. |
| Dr Mian Bi (“Bi”) is a practising emergency clinician and basic neuroscientist with a special interest in start-ups and investing.
Bi is the creator of the “Investing for Doctors” (IFD) online community, a movement to improve financial literacy and knowledge to clinicians through the concept of free open access education. The IFD group has over 21,000 verified medical and dental practitioners in Australia where topics on investing and money matters are discussed. Educational content is generated targeted specifically at doctors to assist them on their journey through life and their career. In addition to working as an emergency clinician in both metropolitan and rural locations, Bi operates a regional multispecialist clinic giving him insights into the operations and needs of patients, practices, and clinicians across a wide variety of specialties and subspecialties. His extensive exposure to rural and regional health allows him to view healthcare broadly without a city-centric bias. Bi has a passion for basic science research with over a decade of hands-on experience in molecular biology, virology and mouse models of disease. He is a well published neuroscientist with over 3,500 citations, publishing in top-tier journals such as Science, Cell, PNAS, Brain and Nature Communications. He is currently a Visiting Research Fellow at the Dementia Research Centre at Macquarie University and a Chief Investigator on a NHMRC Ideas Grant and Medical Research Future Fund grant. |
| Petra is a distinguished innovation leader and tech investor with over 25 years of experience in international markets and advanced technology sectors, particularly in the medical field. Her extensive background includes leadership roles in SMEs, global corporations, research institutions, venture capital, and government agencies.
In her recent role as Deputy Secretary for the NSW government, Petra championed Innovation Districts, driving strategic collaboration to boost innovation and commercialisation. She previously managed early-stage medtech investments for Minderoo & Tattarang, Australia’s leading philanthropic and private investment groups. As CEO of Cicada Innovations, Petra’s visionary leadership earned global recognition when Cicada was named the “Best Incubator in the World” by inBIA in 2018. Petra has a proven track record in building Australia’s largest deep-tech startup investment portfolio as Managing Director at Bizcapital, founding two national accelerator programmes (Medlab and Growlab), and bringing the prestigious Swedish “Nobel Gala Event” to Australia to celebrate science-based innovation. At global biopharmaceutical company Octapharma, she secured a $200 million government contract for plasma-derived products as Managing Director for Asia Pac. Internationally, Petra led Austrade’s top-performing HealthTech team, facilitating market entry for Australian medical technology companies into the EU, and successfully established a European CRO subsidiary in the US, securing multi-million-dollar contracts. Beyond her professional roles, Petra is an Angel Investor, Investment Committee Chair, sought-after conference speaker, and entrepreneurship educator at top Australian universities. Her expertise in IP-rich medical technologies, scaling high-growth ventures, and creating impactful innovation ecosystems positions her as a pivotal force in the global life sciences and technology sectors. |
| Guy is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in leadership, entrepreneurship, and investment. His diverse background spans founding startups, mentoring entrepreneurs, driving corporate innovation, and managing investment portfolios.
As co-founder of Momentum Technologies, Guy developed innovative hardware and software products, successfully navigating the challenges of introducing cutting-edge technology to emerging markets. This hands-on experience enables him to provide valuable guidance to aspiring entrepreneurs. At Skalata Ventures, Guy evaluated thousands of startups and provided deep support to dozens through investment and venture development. His role at Telstra Labs involved developing corporate innovation frameworks and leading teams that brought customer-focused solutions to life through rapid experimentation. Guy actively advises startups across various industries, offering practical insights gained from his diverse experience. He has also mentored through renowned programs such as muru-D and MedTech Actuator. With his proven track record and comprehensive expertise, Guy continues to drive innovation and operational excellence in the venture capital landscape. |
| Dr. Sarah Newby is a medical professional with a dynamic career spanning a spectrum of healthcare experiences. Graduating as a medical doctor in 2016, Dr. Newby’s career trajectory commenced with a general internship year spanning several fields, and led to the specialty of psychiatry, where she spent several years as a psychiatry registrar. During this time, she gained invaluable experience in mental health and patient care, helping to develop a deeper understanding of the diverse challenges in healthcare.
In 2022, Dr. Newby transitioned to the realm of healthcare startups, joining the Queensland based digital health startup Midnight Health as a medical doctor. In this role, she also served as the medical contact for various teams, facilitating effective collaboration among patient support, pharmacy, and software developers to improve healthcare solutions. In early 2023, Dr. Newby embraced a new role as a Program Manager at Medical Angels where she focuses on healthcare investments and initiatives, leveraging her medical expertise and passion for innovation. This role involves identifying and supporting promising healthcare companies, and connecting these opportunities to our network of investors. Simultaneously, Dr. Newby has nurtured innovation as Operations and Community Manager for the Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program. She now employs this role for CICA Lab – Clinician Incubator Clinician Accelerator. Dr. Newby’s commitment to supporting positive change and driving innovation in the healthcare sector is reflected in her multifaceted roles and dedication to shaping the future of healthcare. |
| Richard Macliver is a healthcare innovation specialist who has experience and expertise in healthcare startups, large public health services, management consulting, and running healthcare accelerator programs.
Richard was a founding member of a diabetes reversal company (now known as the Fast 800) with world-renowned doctor, Dr. Michael Mosley, and helped scale the business globally impacting hundreds of thousands of patients. Richard has established and led two innovation functions within two large public healthcare systems in Australia (Western Australian Country Health Service and the Child and Adolescent Health Service) and was responsible for developing and maintaining internal system innovation and procurement and implementation of various digital health innovations. In addition to working within the public sector, Richard established and led the Australian first Biodesign for Digital Health Accelerator (the first Biodesign Digital Health Accelerator outside of the United States) which now has two successful digital health startups and received external funding from the Western Australian Government to continue its operations. Richard is driven and passionate about supporting early-stage healthcare startups and founders, as has been evident in his role as Program Delivery Lead for the first 2 years of the Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program. He continues to empower healthcare innovators via his two current roles as the Founder and Director of CICA Lab – Clinician Incubator Clinician Accelerator and as the Investment Manager at Medical Angels. |
| Dr Louise Schaper is an internationally renowned digital health leader, who is on a mission to fix healthcare. With 15+ years of executive experience driving innovation in the health sector, she is a passionate advocate for leveraging technology to achieve better health outcomes and innovating the health ecosystem at scale.
Louise advises companies and boards on health innovation, strategy, commercialisation, global expansion, and market positioning in digital health. Louise has invested in and conducted due diligence for multiple digital health investments. Her extensive expertise in health informatics and strategic vision ensures a forward-thinking approach to investment decisions. In her 14 year tenure as CEO of the Australasian Institute of Digital Health, Louise achieved a 400% increase in revenue and 300% growth in stakeholder base – achieved without any external funding. Louise has a background as an occupational therapist, a PhD in health informatics, and is a Fellow of both the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics and the Australasian Institute of Digital Health. Louise is also the host of the popular Pulse💗 podcast, where she explores the latest in digital health and innovation. Deeply engaged with the digital health community, she is always online, and yes, she does have the coolest job! |
| Dr. Vinayak Smith is a distinguished clinician, scientist, and executive actively contributing to the intersection of healthcare and deep technology. As an obstetrics and gynaecology doctor, his expertise spans scientific direction for early-stage healthcare innovation, healthcare strategy, implementation science, and the commercialisation of novel technologies across various medical sectors.
Dr Smith’s roles include Head of New Ventures at Virtus Health and Co-Founder of 23 Strands. He holds academic appointments as an Adjunct Associate Professor at RMIT University and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Monash University. His work in precision medicine and deep technology has earned him significant academic and media recognition, and he is deeply involved in venture capital advisory and de-risking pathways to market for tech startups. Dr. Smith is passionate about optimising health technology to improve outcomes and equitable access. He is committed to fostering open innovation and building strong links between academia, industry, and clinicians, with the goal of empowering the innovation ecosystem and inspiring others to join this journey. |