StartupWA Board
Our board has a wide range of experience in the technology industry. They have founded technology companies, accelerators, hackathons and co-working spaces, worked in venture capital and mentored a wide range of technology startups.
Charlie Gunningham
Chair
Charlie is a seasoned leader in Western Australia's innovation community with over 25 years of experience as a founder, startup advisor, media executive and ecosystem builder. He currently leads Meshpoints as Head of Ecosystem Engagement, works with founders and investors on scaling ventures, writes and speaks widely about startup growth, and holds leadership roles that support tech and innovation in WA.
Dr Jo Hawkins
Secretary
Jo currently serves as Director of Research Translation and Impact at ICRAR, where she leads efforts to turn world-class radio astronomy research into real-world impact across sectors. She speaks the language of startups, industry, universities and government, and has a keen interest in how arts and humanities contribute to tech adoption and in building better on-ramps for people from diverse and interdisciplinary backgrounds to shape the future of technology.
Patrick Jodas
Treasurer
Patrick is a Chartered Accountant and experienced finance executive with a career spanning advisory, banking and superannuation across multiple continents. He is currently CFO at Brighter Super, having previously held CFO roles at P&N Bank and Barclays Africa Group, and earlier advisory positions at PwC South Africa. He holds a Master of Positive Leadership and Strategy from IE Business School and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Lacey Filipich
Non-Executive Director
Lacey is the founder of Money School and author of the award-winning Penguin book of the same name. For 15 years she has been teaching people how money actually works in the real world through courses, keynotes, workshops and regular media appearances, sticking firmly to education over financial advice. A former chemical engineer in mining, she brings a systems-thinking brain to how she teaches money, design thinking and problem solving.
Josh van Ross
Non-Executive Director
Josh is an entrepreneur and UWA graduate who founded and runs Drone Sky Shows, a Perth-based company producing drone light entertainment for major events including the Perth Royal Show. He is passionate about business building and has grown the company into a recognised player in the events space both domestically and internationally.
Paul Robinson
Non-Executive Director
Paul is a software builder and entrepreneur who has taken a product from an idea at a pub to a multinational ASX-listed business. He has worked across all aspects of building and scaling software products with strategies honed from both triumphs and failures. He is now looking to invest his time and money into new and existing technology businesses that aim to make a positive impact on the world.
Kate Spencer
Non-Executive Director
Kate is the Perth Innovation Hub Lead at CORE Innovation Hub, where she supports entrepreneurs and innovators across the mining, energy and resources sectors. She is known for her ability to bridge the gap between early-stage startups and established resource industry players.
Matthew Larner
Non-Executive Director
Matt is a startup founder, angel investor and mentor who founded ClickSend, a global business communications platform, and scaled it from the ground up to a successful exit in 2019. Since stepping away from ClickSend he has been investing in early-stage startups, mentoring founders, and staying close to the WA tech scene while figuring out what's next.
Wilson Tucker
Non-Executive Director
Wilson is a former software engineer turned independent Member of WA's Legislative Council, with over a decade of tech experience across Australia and the US. As co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Tech group, he bridges the gap between policymakers and the tech industry, advocating for responsible AI regulation, digital transformation, growing local startups, and housing reform.
