AUSiMED Board of Directors and staff
AUSiMED is a company limited by guarantee with a Board of Directors with impressive business and scientific backgrounds.
Antony Cohen, Chairman
Antony Cohen is a globally focussed Commercial Senior Executive with 32 years of experience: 28 at KPMG and four at Better Place Australia.
Antony has held positions as a partner at KPMG including Head of Valuations, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions, Head of Industry Restructuring & Privatisation, Head of Energy & Natural Resources and a member of the Board. He has led teams which were responsible for a variety of transactions including some of Australia’s largest reform and privatisation programs as well as similar programs in the UK, South Korea and Israel.
Antony was CFO of Better Place Australia – an electric vehicle recharge network operator – for three years and then its CEO.
Antony has contributed to many community roles including Treasurer of Bialik College; two terms as a Council member of Questacon, the national science and technology centre, former Member of the Solar Flagships Council; and Treasurer of the Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce (current).
Prof Sharon Lewin AO
Prof Sharon Lewin is a world-leading infectious diseases expert, the inaugural Director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, a Professor of Medicine at The University of Melbourne and a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Practitioner Fellow. Prof Lewin’s laboratory focuses on basic, translational and clinical research aimed at finding a cure for HIV and understanding the interaction between HIV and hepatitis B virus. She is also the Chief Investigator of a NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence (CRE), and works to bring together Australia’s leading experts in clinical, laboratory and public health research to address the key components required for a rapid and effective emergency response to infectious diseases.
Ron Finkel AM
Ron Finkel AM is the Managing Director of Momentum Ventures Ltd., one of the first venture capital funds established in Australia. He is a graduate of law and commerce from the University of Melbourne. A leading member of the Australian Jewish community, he is President of Hadassah Australia, the Australian “Friends” of Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem and Project Rozana, an organisation working to build bridges to better understanding between Israelis and Palestinians through health.
Dug Pomeroy OAM
Dug Pomeroy is the founder and Executive Chairman of Pomeroy Pacific Pty Ltd. Dug’s knowledge and over 40 years of building, construction, management and development experience, is highly sought after throughout the industry with his team having completed some of Melbourne’s Landmark developments comprising, inner city Commercial buildings, Retail Centres, Industrial Parks and some of the most prestigious Residential properties. He is a qualified builder, holding dual unlimited Licences both in Commercial and Domestic Construction. Dug has served as President and Chairman for several not-for-profit organisations and held advisory positions on building-related Government steering committees.
Ms Deborah Travers
Deborah graduated from UNSW with a BSc in Genetics and Biochemistry. After graduating, Deborah became immersed in the business world, however, her interest in science persisted. Deborah’s career spans merchant banking, real estate and business. Deborah‘s multi-faceted interests and vast experience come together seamlessly at AUSiMED where she interweaves her commercial experience with her passion for science, health, nutrition and technology.
Dr Errol Katz
Dr Errol Katz currently works in Private Equity and on a number of start-ups. Errol completed studies in Law and Medicine at Monash University and a Master of Public Policy at Harvard University. Errol has worked as a Management Consultant with The Boston Consulting Group, with Visy and the Pratt Group, and as an Investment Manager at Co-Investor Capital Partners. Errol is a director of Primary Healthcare, an ASX listed company, is Deputy Chair of Monash Health, and sits on the boards of a number of private companies.
Alan Liddle
Alan Liddle has over 30 years’ experience in developing and commercialising medical and biological therapeutics and in research & executive management in the medical and the biotechnology research sector. Alan is Executive Director of Sangui Bio a company he cofounded in 2014. Sangui is commercialising its discoveries in the role of red blood cells in immune system activation and regulation. Alan co-founded and was CEO & Director of Immune System Therapeutics Ltd from 2001 to 2011. He was also the Founder, CEO & Director of MicroMedical Industries Limited from 1986. Prior to his biomedical career Alan was a neuropsychologist researcher at the University of Sydney. He was the co-inventor of the rehabilitation software program: Dynamind3D. Alan holds a BA (Hons) from the University of Sydney and MBA from the University of NSW and is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors
AUSiMED Staff
Dr Karen Teshuva, National Program Director
Karen’s role includes seeking out the best collaborative medical research projects between Australian and Israeli scientists, arranging clinical or research fellowships and short stay visits by Australian researchers to Israel, communicating the science being pursued for non-scientific audiences and monitoring the progress of AUSiMED’s funded projects. Karen manages AUSiMED’s day-to-day operations and communications and marketing strategies.
Karen has an academic background in science and and PhD in public health. She has over 20 years of experience as a senior researcher in the field of ageing and aged care in Israel and in Australia and extensive experience in program evaluation. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals on health ageing, community care and aged care for survivors of genocide.