Chairman, Senior Adviser, Impact Investor and International Banking Executive.

Spiro’s passion for business and finance was inspired from a very young age working in his family’s fast-food business in Australia. He gained many valuable business insights during this time. Most importantly, the enduring value of great customer service. He also observed first-hand the critical role that banks play in supporting small business.

This experience inspired Spiro to major in Finance (with merit) at the University of NSW and embark on a long and distinguished international career (New York, London, Singapore and Sydney) in investment banking where he led global teams serving Governments, Multilateral Agencies, Banks and Major Corporates throughout the developed and emerging markets. During this time, Spiro undertook many post-graduate courses on leadership and governance most notably at INSEAD, London Business School and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Over a decade ago, Spiro decided to leave his career in banking and set up his own consulting business focused on mentoring early-stage companies with pioneering technologies that have the potential to scale fast and create significant impact. He has advised fintechs specialising in payments, ecommerce and wealth management, as well as companies focused on online education, digital and AI enabled heathcare, electric commercial vehicles and ESG focused smart building automation. He often invests in the companies he is advising and (time permitting) participates on their boards. Spiro has recently relocated to the UAE because he sees an increasing opportunity for this region to attract global talent and capital for industries of the future due to its long-term strategic vison, business friendly environment and central proximity to all major markets in Europe, Africa and Asia.

Spiro currently Chairs a variety of highly innovative companies across diverse industries; mining and resources (Atlas Iron); online education (Open Learning – ASX listed); digital healthcare (Specialist Direct) and smart building automation (Cognian Technologies). He also serves on the Board of Football Australia. Until recently, Spiro also chaired an AI company (BrewAI) focused on developing Private LLMs for the Accounting and Legal industries.

Throughout his career, Spiro has championed the critical role of Entrepreneurs in creating jobs and national prosperity. He was invited by the Prime Minister of Australia to join a taskforce of five business leaders to advise on measures to encourage faster digital adoption by small and mid-size enterprises in Australia. He has also participated at a number of IMF and G20 Forums and has been an active participant in the B20 International Trade, SME and Digital Taskforces. He was also a Consulting Editor on the definitive guide for Entrepreneurs sponsored by the Australian Stock Exchange – ‘entrepreneur’s guide:startup, scaleup,ipo’.