Our board and management team
John Knox, Managing Director
T: 02 8014 5114
E: john.knox@adventlawyers.com
John is an experienced legal industry professional having spent the last ten years working in major international law firms in Australia, Asia and the U.S.
Prior to returning to Australia in June 2008, John was the Head of Marketing & Business Development at Allen & Overy LLP for Asia, based in Hong Kong, and then the U.S., based in New York. John worked with the firm’s Global Innovation Board and has spent the last 18 months researching and reporting on the changing nature of legal services delivery. John has also previously held senior management roles at both Mallesons Stephen Jaques and Deacons.
Dina Coppel, Executive Director
T: 02 8014 5111
E: dina.coppel@adventlawyers.com
Dina has been developing and implementing strategies for growth for service businesses for many years. She spent five years in senior Business Development roles at Allens Arthur Robinson until late 2006. Since then Dina has run a consulting practice advising a range of organisations including start-up operations, not-for-profit foundations and some of Australia’s largest listed corporations on operations, marketing, client relationship management and corporate social responsibility.
Dina trained as a tax lawyer, spending 11 years specialising in international tax for Arthur Andersen, culminating in a role as European in-house counsel for Andersen Worldwide, based in London. On her return to Sydney, Dina established a successful food business in the retail and wholesale markets, prior to selling it in early 2002. Dina also works with a number of not-for-profit organisations, providing strategy advice and sitting on their boards.
Phil Clark, Director
Phil was Managing Partner of Minter Ellison from 1995 to 2005. Prior to joining Minter Ellison, Phil was Director and Head of Corporate with ABN Amro Australia and prior to that was Managing Partner of Mallesons Stephen Jaques and predecessor firms for 16 years. Earlier in his career he worked with a Pratt Industries subsidiary and with Shell Australia.
Phil now serves on a number of boards and advisory boards. He is a member of the JP Morgan Australia Advisory Council, Chair of the Higher Education Endowment Fund Advisory Board, a Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of ING Management Limited, a director of CRI Asset Management Limited and Chair of M+K Lawyers Holdings Pty Limited.
He is also a member of the CSIRO advisory committee on WLAN patent litigation. He also serves on a number of not for profit boards, St James Ethics Centre, Zoe hall Scholarship Foundation, Karen Lynch Foundation and High Resolves Foundation.
Phil was appointed a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia in 2007 for his contribution to the development of national law firms and encouraging corporate involvement in community programs.
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Jamie Prell, Director and Head of Corporate
T: 02 8014 5112
E: jamie.prell@adventlawyers.com
Jamie is a senior lawyer with 25 years of experience in private practice at Mallesons Stephen Jaques, the last 18 of those as a partner in the Corporate & Commercial group. Jamie has a diverse practice covering public and private mergers and acquisitions, asset sales and purchases, joint ventures, minority investments, privatisations and floats and advising clients on corporate governance and directors’ duties, constitutions, capital structures and other Corporations Act issues. He also has experience advising on commercial contracting for large scale services, dealing with Government Agencies and advising non profit organisations on establishment, structuring and governance.
Stephen Moss, Director
Stephen is a professional mediator with a background in law, psychology and business and is currently Chairman of Eaton Square and Vice Chairman of WDScott, an international management consulting business with offices in London, New York, Melbourne and Sydney. Stephen’s career includes 14 years as a partner and managing partner of Price Waterhouse and Coopers and Lybrand (now PWC) and managing director of a number of consulting service firms including the largest contractor based ODA firm in the region.
Stephen‘s specialisation as a consultant has been in law firm and general service firm governance and management. He has managed and led both smaller and multi-million dollar service and law firm reviews, mainly in Australia but also with experience in the UK and Asia. Stephen has a keen interest in overseas development assistance and has also worked professionally in this arena for over 20 years. He has also engaged in representative roles with the World Bank and the Australian Government in Asia.
David Vaux, Director
David started his career early in law with Freehills then moved to investment banking with Macquarie and venture and development capital with the AFP / Patrick’s group. In October 1998, David was appointed Managing Director of DCA Group Limited, a listed company capitalised at $50 million. Under his leadership, DCA started diagnostic imaging (“I-Med”) and residential aged care (“Amity”) businesses. I-Med and Amity grew to be market leaders in Australasia. In December 2006 DCA was acquired by CVC, a private equity fund, and senior management led by David, for approximately $2.7 billion.
In December 2007, the consortium sold its aged care business to BUPA for $1.2 billion. David retired from DCA in May 2008. He now focuses on private investments and farming. David and his wife Sarah Jane have recently established “ELF”, an Education and Learning Foundation supporting aspirational children and social entrepreneurs focused on youth issues.
