The Australia-United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce is the independent UK-based membership organisation connecting the business community and professionals with interests in both Australia and the United Kingdom.

With a diverse membership and network as well as trusted partnerships across the Australian and British Governments, we are the platform for industry to access and influence Australian-UK business intelligence, audiences and trade opportunities.

By delivering a range of events, membership services and strategic initiatives we connect our members and partners to decision-makers, smart ideas and fresh opportunities.

Who we are 

Our Team

Chief Executive Officer

  • a role he has held since April 2023. In this capacity, he leads the Chamber's efforts to strengthen bilateral trade, investment, and professional networks between Australia and the UK.

    Under his leadership, the Chamber has expanded its strategic initiatives, including collaboration with the Australian High Commission to support and promote the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement. He has also overseen the introduction of the Young Professionals Network initiative, fostering engagement among emerging leaders.

    Richard brings over two decades of international executive experience, having previously served as Global President at Ebiquity and held senior roles at Nielsen across the Asia-Pacific region. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing from the University of New South Wales.

Richard Basil-Jones

Member Engagement Manager

  • Since joining the Chamber in January 2023, Nicole has worked with various organisations, from major corporates, to start-ups, SMEs and charities across a diverse range of industry sectors. She has engaged with senior leaders from government, the private-sector and educational institutions, supporting their business activities in the UK.

    Nicole has also played a key role in launching the Australia-UK Chamber’s Young Professionals Network, which brings together over 150 people at quarterly events in Australia House. This has proved to be a successful platform for inspiring future leaders and fostering connections.

    Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia, majoring in Political Science, International Relations and Marketing. During her studies, she worked in the public engagement team at the US Consulate in Perth and as a public relations officer at Singular Health, an ASX-listed medical technology company. At the end of her studies, Nicole made the bold decision to move to the United Kingdom to broaden her knowledge and kick-start her career in international relations.

Nicole Kostova

Marketing Manager

  • Developing and delivering the best content, adding value to our members and community.

    Vera is a CIM Associate Marketeer with extensive experience in both marketing and sales, having previously worked for companies in the Fashion and Non-Profit sectors.

    Outside of work, you can find Vera visiting little historical villages, enjoying long walks by the Thames, or playing with Hercules, her overly energetic Siberian Forest cat.

Vera Carvalho

Patron

  • The Honourable Jay Weatherill AO is an Australian political and civic leader with extensive experience in public policy, democratic engagement, and governance.

    He served as the 45th Premier of South Australia from 2011 to 2018 and was the state’s longest‑serving Labor Minister, holding portfolios across Treasury, State Development, Education, Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Families and Communities, Housing, Ageing, Disability, Urban Development and Planning, and Environment and Conservation. Mr Weatherill was a Member of the South Australian Parliament from 2002 to 2018.

    Following his parliamentary career, Mr Weatherill was an Executive Director at the Minderoo Foundation, and led the Foundation's "Thrive by Five" initiative supporting early childhood reform. Mr Weatherill was also the Executive Director of Democracy and Engagement at the McKinnon Foundation

    Mr Weatherill was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours for his service to government, early childhood development, and tertiary education.

    Mr Weatherill holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Adelaide, a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

The Honourable Jay Weatherill AO

Board Members

Chair

  • He is Honorary President of the British Educational Travel Association which he helped lead from its foundation in 2003. His global commercial background came from the building from its foundation of what was for decades the leading global student business, STA Travel, to trade in almost 100 countries. He retains a number of roles and interests in commercial organisations and ventures.

    He has a number of honours including being made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2022 Australia Day awards; was made a Fellow of University College London in 2018 for his international education work; and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Commerce by the University of Western Australia in 2014 for his international work in helping Universities globally as well as the support for the University presence in the UK and Europe and he remains a Fellow of the University of Western Australia UK and Europe Friends.

Dick Porter AM

Chief Executive Officer

  • Richard has deep sector experience in business-to-business services gained with large and small international publicly listed companies.

    In his 20-year career with Nielsen – one of the world’s largest marketing information services company, Richard held key leadership positions including Managing Director for Media Services across 12 Asia-Pacific markets. In his last senior executive role, Richard was Global President for Ebiquity, a London based media consultancy, where he was responsible for services across Europe, Asia Pacific, North America & UK/Ireland.

    Richard has a track record of success over many years with strong leadership skills and a genuine passion for client management.

Richard Basil-Jones

Board member

  • Drawing on skills and experience acquired over a lifetime of campaigning, Sir Lynton has equipped some of the world’s most well-known corporate organisations with the research, messages and strategy needed to achieve their goals. He has provided strategic counsel to leaders in financial services, energy and resources, defence, health and pharmaceuticals, property, and consumer goods, as well as the multi-national charity and not for profit sectors.

    Sir Lynton was born in South Australia and read economics at the University of Adelaide. After working as Federal Director of the Liberal Party of Australia, Sir Lynton founded the C|T Group in 2002. In 2008 he led the London mayoral election campaign that saw Boris Johnson win—a success he repeated in 2012. In the 2015 UK General Election, Sir Lynton steered the Conservative Party to a historic victory.

    The C|T Group has grown into an international consultancy with offices in North America, Europe, India, Hong Kong and Australia and with hundreds of corporate clients globally.

Sir Lynton Crosby AO

Board member

Bronwyn Curtis OBE

  • She is currently a Non-Executive member of the Oversight Board at the UK Office for Budget Responsibility, Chair of TwentyFour Income Fund, and is a Non-Executive Director at Pershing Square Holdings, BH Macro Limited, The Scottish American Investment Company plc and Mercator Media. Previously she was Chair of JPMorgan Asia Growth and Income Plc.

    Her executive roles included Head of Global Research at HSBC Plc, Managing Editor and Head of European Broadcast at Bloomberg LP and Global Head of Foreign Exchange and Fixed Income Strategy at Deutsche Bank. She has also worked as a consultant for the World Bank and UNCTAD.

    Her other current appointments include trustee of The Australia Foundation, Centre for Economic and Policy Research and governor of the National Institute for Economic and Social Research.

    Bronwyn was awarded an OBE in 2008 for her services to business economics and a Doctor of Letters in 2017 from La Trobe University in Melbourne.

Board member

  • Pure Sports Medicine was the first multi-disciplinary clinic of its kind in the UK and is still the leading organisation providing a comprehensive service to patients with musculoskeletal problems and long term health conditions.

    Claire is the strategic lead for the group, developing new services and responsible for Clinical Governance. She continues to treat patients and is active in teaching, lecturing and research to ensure that the ongoing drive for clinical excellence is a fundamental part of the ethos at Pure.

Claire Small

Board member

  • He previously served as the CEO for Robert Walters Plc across the UK & Ireland, Middle East & Africa, and North America, latterly being based in New York. Before joining Robert Walters, Chris qualified as a solicitor in Australia and worked as a Capital Markets lawyer at Lehman Brothers in the UK and Switzerland.

    Currently, Chris is the Principal of Hickfam Management Limited, a Family Investment Office based in Mayfair, London. He also serves as the Chairman of the Australia Foundation and is a Trustee of the Australia Foundation Trust.

    His extensive experience spans legal practice, investment finance, and executive leadership within professional services, highlighting his versatility and commitment to fostering international business relations.

Chris Hickey

Board member

  • Michael specialises in advising Australia businesses investing in the UK and wider Europe and European businesses investing in Australia. He advises on a wide range of corporate matters, focusing particularly on cross border mergers, acquisitions and disposals, private equity investments, joint ventures and venture capital work.

Michael Wallin

Board Member

Danika Jarmer

  • With 18 years’ recruitment experience, Danika joined Robert Walters in 2005 on the contract secretarial & support desk before becoming manager of the team in 2008. She was promoted again in 2010 to Associate Director of the Secretarial Division looking after the financial services and commerce & industry teams. In 2015 Danika changed roles to set up the Strategic Accounts team for Robert Walters focussing initially on improving the delivery across the Robert Walters UK client base. Danika is now responsible for supporting clients looking for a partnership with Robert Walters across multiple countries within the EMEA & Americas region. ​

Board Member

  • Jeffrey is also the founder of UK Coffee Week and the London and New York Coffee Festivals, Chairman of the Allegra foundation and author/editor of 20 books.

Jeffrey Young

Board Member

Darryn Quayle

  • A graduate of the Western Australian School of Mines, he holds a First Class Mine Manager’s Certificate and advanced business qualifications. His career has taken him across Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Africa, and the Americas, where he has shaped projects from mining operations to refining and metal production, consistently driving best practices and sustainable outcomes.

    Since joining Worley in 2021, Darryn has been instrumental in launching the MMM business unit across Europe and Central Asia and co-founding the Battery Materials business, focusing on pioneering approaches to the critical minerals sector. He has also influenced the development of international free trade agreements and helped deploy satellite technology for safer tailings dam management, showcasing his dedication to innovation and environmental stewardship.

    As a new board member of the Australian UK Chamber of Commerce, Darryn is committed to enhancing bilateral relations between Australia and the UK, championing initiatives that support sustainable development, economic resilience, and technological advancement. He aims to foster partnerships that not only drive trade and investment but also support the responsible growth of the critical minerals industry, benefiting communities and contributing to the global energy transition.

Board Member

  • With over 20 years’ experience in global aviation, Darsh brings extensive commercial and operational expertise across international markets. Throughout her career at Qantas, she has successfully led large-scale transformation initiatives and earned recognition for her strategic leadership and industry insight.

    In addition to her executive role, Darsh serves on the board of the Board of Airline Representatives in the UK (BAR UK) and the Logistics & Defence Skills Council, advising the Western Australian Government on skills and training.

    Prior to her current appointment, Darsh served as Executive Manager Global Airports (2021-2025), where she was responsible for Qantas’ operations across approximately 50 airports worldwide and led Jetconnect, the airline’s New Zealand-based subsidiary. Her earlier career includes senior leadership positions in airport operations, customer experience, and commercial sales, with both national and international responsibilities.

    In her current role, Darsh is focused on strengthening Qantas’ presence across established and emerging markets in the region, building strategic partnerships, and supporting preparations for Project Sunrise—the airline’s ultra-long-haul service that will connect East coast Australia non-stop with London.

Darsh Chapman

Board Member

David Linke

  • David has extensive experience working with multinational organisations around the world on a range of Tax and Legal matters. With a deep expertise in structuring and cross-border mergers, and a passion for accelerating digitalisation within tax, he sees his role as being a catalyst for problem solving to the complex business challenges that leaders face as they navigate the often volatile and constantly changing environment.

Board Member

Mark Dooley

  • He led the acquisition and integration of the Green Investment Bank in 2017 and became head of the group upon acquisition.

    Mark has been involved in structured finance and investment in energy and infrastructure projects for more than 25 years. He spent a number of years as Head of Macquarie Capital’s European infrastructure and energy business, with a focus on principal investment in sectors including offshore wind, solar, biomass, and transmission.

    Prior to joining Macquarie, he was Head of ABN AMRO’s European Infrastructure Capital Business. He practised law in Australia before switching to principal investing and was a Structured Finance Partner at national law firm, Clayton Utz.

    Mark is on the board of Corio Generation, a global offshore wind company created by MAM Green Investments, and Eku Energy, a utility scale battery developer and operator also created by MAM Green Investments.

    Mark holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Laws from the Australian National University and a Master of Laws from the University of Sydney.

Board Member

Aneka Manners

  • NAB's international branches act as the bridge that connects Australian and New Zealand businesses into Asia, London, Continental Europe and New York and connects global investment back into Australia and New Zealand.

    Aneka has over 25 years’ experience in banking and business with the first 20 years leading successful banking divisions across Property Finance, Corporate and Small-Medium Enterprise and the last five years leveraging that experience to drive change and innovation in world-class Risk Management. Prior to relocating to the UK, Aneka was Chief Risk Officer of both Australia’s largest Business and Private bank division (NAB) and NAB’s Digital, Data and Analytics function. She led a team of highly skilled Risk professionals, providing review & challenge and advice across all financial and non-financial risks, working with business, regulators, and government bodies to generate optimal customer, employee and shareholder outcomes.

    Reporting to the Group Executive, Corporate & Institutional Banking and as a Member of the Corporate & Institutional Banking Leadership Team, Aneka believes ‘staying in your lane’ is reductive by nature, restricting our collective ability to carve the new pathways required to succeed in today’s complex environment. As a result, she has become a multi-hyphenate operating across financial services, business, and the arts, curating her career to experience as many different types of strategic problem sets across customer industries and financial systems as possible. She brings this mindset and execution discipline to complex organisational and system problem statements.

    Aneka is a Board Member of NAB Europe S.A.