Board of Directors

Chris Knoblanche, B.Comm, CA, FCPA

Chairman and Non-executive Director. Member of the PGF Audit Committee. Member of the PGF Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee. 

Mr Knoblanche has over 36 years experience in the financial markets in corporate strategy, financing, risk control and management. Mr Knoblanche's previous executive experience includes serving as Managing Director and Head of Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking Australia & NZ, partner in Caliburn (now Greenhill Investment Bank) and CEO of Andersen Australia and Andersen Business Consulting — Asia.

Mr Knoblanche is currently Chairman and Non-executive Director of HiPages Limited, Non-executive Director of Latitude Financial Insurance (Hallmark companies). Boards on which Mr Knoblanche has previously served include: Environment Protection Authority of NSW; iSelect Limited; Aussie Home Loans Limited; Greencross Limited; The Australian Ballet; and Australian Business Arts Foundation.

Mr Knoblanche holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Financial Management) and is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA) and Fellow of the Australian Society of CPA's (FCPA). In 2014 Mr Knoblanche was awarded an Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to arts administration, the community and the business and finance sector. In 2000 Mr Knoblanche was awarded the Centenary Medal by the Australian Government for services to the arts and business.

Brett Spork, B.Bus

Indepedent Non-executive Director. Chairman of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee. Chairman of the PGF Audit Committee. 

Mr Spork has over 28 years’ experience in the financial markets industry as a trader, advisor and senior manager, both within Australia and overseas. He currently provides consulting services to a broad range of financial institutions. Such consulting services comprise the provision of commercial, business development and regulatory advice. Previously, Mr Spork was the Chief Executive Officer of InvestorFirst Limited and BTIG Australia Limited.

During the period 2002 to 2006, Mr Spork was the Chief Executive Officer of E*Trade Australia Limited. Before joining E*Trade Australia Limited, he worked at Macquarie Bank for 14 years, the latter part as an Executive Director of Macquarie Financial Services. Mr Spork also serves as Non-executive director of Clime Investment Management Limited, and a Director of APP Securities Limited.

Mr Spork holds a Bachelor of Business from the Queensland University of Technology. In 2004, he was recognised by the Australian Stockbrokers Foundation and admitted to its “Hall of Fame”.

Ben Skilbeck, B.Eng (Hons) B.Comm

Executive Director. Member of the PGF Audit Committee. Member of the PGF Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee. Company Secretary.

Mr Skilbeck has over 25 years’ experience in financial markets. He joined the Investment Manager of the Company in February 2015 as the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and is responsible for implementing and contributing to the determination of the operational and strategic objectives of the Investment Manager’s business. Mr Skilbeck has an Investment Banking background, having worked in both Australia and the US with Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance advisory.

Before joining the Investment Manager Mr Skilbeck was most recently the CEO of Rismark, a provider of quantitative research solutions and synthetic equity exposures over the Australian residential property sector. Mr Skilbeck is also a Director of PM Capital Limited.

Mr Skilbeck attended the University of Melbourne and holds a Bachelor of Engineering (with Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce.