NSW State Summit: Private Wealth Insights

Peter Evans (US)

Trusted Adviser to Legacy Families, Laird Norton Family

Peter Evans is someone who has lived the multigenerational journey from the inside out. His years of leadership within Laird Norton Company—an 8th-generation family enterprise—give him a uniquely authentic understanding of continuity, governance, and the human dynamics that shape legacy families. As a personne de confiance to families across six continents, Peter has dedicated his life to strengthening the human, intellectual, social, natural, spiritual, and financial capital that enable families to flourish across generations. His presence sets a tone of humility, wisdom, and lived experience, aligning perfectly with our PWN’s themes of unity, connection, and collective stewardship.

 

---

Melissa Evans (US)

Laird Norton Family

Melissa Evans is a 5th Generation descendant of the Laird Norton family and has served on the Governing Board, the Foundation Board and the Family summit committee. Her unconventional life has followed passions in the arts, psychology and architecture. Melissa grew up with the promises and pitfalls of generational affluence and was free to pursue many interests. While raising two children, she worked in commercial real estate development utilizing her master’s degree in urban design and planning. With her subsequent master’s degree in Jungian and Archetypal Psychology, she follows her keen
interest in depth psychology, by navigating the conventional and esoteric in attending to the alchemy of inner work. As an abstract process painter, she says: “In sharing my works, I share my deepest self; to myself and others.” An avid traveler, Melissa has been to over 120 countries and is always looking for her next adventure.

---

Arun Abey AM

Executive Chairman, Walsh Bay Partners

---

Joanna Sun

Co-Founder, Emerald Family Enterprise Group

Drawing from her own background as a member of a family office navigating succession challenges and family conflict amongst the Generation 1 to 3, Joanna understands firsthand the intersection of family dynamics, governance needs, and wealth continuity. This personal experience, combined with her expertise in building family office advisory boards, enables her to create governance frameworks that honor both family relationships and business imperatives.

Joanna specialises in designing tailored governance structures for family offices and navigating the complex emotional dynamics of multigenerational wealth transitions. With extensive experience working with global families of significant wealth, she bringsa trauma-informed approach to succession planning, recognising how rapid wealth creation and family complexity impact decision-making across generations.

Born in China and raised in Australia, Joanna brings deep cultural intelligence to her work with Asian family enterprises and transnational wealth structures. She focuses on family enterprise planning, succession strategy, next-generation development, and establishing governance systems that support healthy family dynamics while protecting wealth across borders and generations.

Joanna holds a double Bachelor's degree in Business Management and Arts and a Master's degree in Financial Planning. Her specialised credentials include Certified Family Advisor and Advanced Certificate Family Advisor (Family Firm Institute), Certified Executive Chair (Advisory Board Centre), and the Company Director course (AICD).

---

Paul Burgon

Chief Executive & CIO, Lipman Burgon

Paul is the Managing Partner and CIO of Lipman Burgon & Partners, focussing on sophisticated investment solutions for private clients and family offices. 

As a founding member of Lipman Burgon & Partners, Paul has embedded a culture that puts clients’ interests ahead of the firm’s growth. He leads the investment and advisory teams and acts as Lead Adviser to family offices, tailoring investment programs, building governance frameworks, and managing succession programs. 

With over two decades of experience across market cycles and having previously worked with Goldman Sachs, JBWere and Investec Private Bank, Paul is highly experienced in multi-asset portfolio construction strategies and allocation across public and private market assets. He has deep expertise in allocation modelling and manager due diligence with a network that unlocks unique investment opportunities for clients. 

Paul is a key member of Lipman Burgon & Partners’ Investment Committee and has several academic and professional qualifications. These include a Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning, a Master of Applied Finance, and is recognised as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and a Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA). 

For three consecutive years, he has been ranked among Australia’s Top 25 Financial Advisers by US financial investment publication Barron’s. 

---

Stephen Arnold

Managing Director & CIO, Aoris

Stephen has more than 30 years of experience investing in global equity markets, making him one of Australia’s most experienced international investors.
 
He is the Founder, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of Aoris Investment Management, an independent, Sydney based investment firm focused exclusively on a single strategy: a highly selective portfolio of global equities. From its inception in March 2018 to 31 July 2026, the Aoris strategy delivered an annualised return of more than 13%. The firm now manages close to A$2 billion on behalf of its clients.
 
Before founding Aoris in 2017, Stephen was Head of International Equities at Evans & Partners. During his six and a half years in the role, the international equities strategy generated investment returns that ranked in the top decile of a broad peer group of international funds.
 
Earlier in his career, Stephen spent many years in London, primarily with Goldman Sachs Asset Management. He was a senior member of a small investment team responsible for managing a concentrated global equity portfolio of approximately $5 billion.
 
Stephen began his career at Bankers Trust Australia as a member of the domestic equities investment team. He later joined Platinum Asset Management, where he covered US equities from early 1994 until late 1997.
 
Stephen holds a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology Sydney and is a CFA charterholder.
 
Away from investing, Stephen is a keen Arsenal Football Club supporter and loves both running and cycling. He can often be found cycling early in the morning or running along Sydney’s harbour foreshore at lunchtime.
 
He is also an avid reader of nonfiction, although he readily admits that he buys books faster than he reads them. Stephen has a particular interest in history and travel, with Italy remaining a favourite destination and has developed a growing collection of fossils and antiquities.
 
Most importantly, Stephen enjoys spending time with his wife, Kirsty, and their two sons, Samuel and William.

---

Ralf Haase

Partner, Head of New South Wales, Mutual Trust

Ralf leads Mutual Trust’s multi-disciplinary Sydney team, leveraging the Firm’s established reputation to grow the Sydney business and provide families based in New South Wales with the benefits of integrated Family Office services.

What matters most to Ralf at Mutual Trust is facilitating this growth, as well as creating opportunities for young and established professionals to be part of the journey.

Ralf has over 28 years of global experience working with ultra-high net worth and private wealth. Prior to joining Mutual Trust in 2020, Ralf was General Manager, Head of Commonwealth Private Office at CBA. Over 10 years he created the Ultra and High-Net-Worth Family Office business within CBA. Prior to CBA, Ralf worked with Goldman Sachs in London and Frankfurt for before moving to Australia and joining Macquarie Private, where he spent four years.

Ralf holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the European Business School, Germany. He is FASEA qualified and speaks German and French.

Outside of Mutual Trust, Ralf enjoys playing tennis, where he regularly participates in the Sydney Eastern suburbs competitions, as well as skiing. A father of four children, he enjoys being with his family and seeing the kids flourish and grow.

---

James Halse

Founder, Managing Director & CIO, Senjin Capital

Jamie is Co-Founder, Senjin Capital, Australia's only fund manager focused on using shareholder activism to unlock the deep value in Japanese publicly-listed small cap companies.

Prior to founding Senjinin 2024, Jamie spent 13 years with Kerr Neilson's Platinum Asset Management, where he became a senior portfolio manager, managing ~$1bn across a global equities and a Japan equities fund, and leading the global consumer and Japan research teams. He has been featured in the AFR for running Australia's top-performing global equities fund, and has been a regular guest on CNBC Asia, and Op Ed contributorin the Nikkei Asia, discussing Japanese stocks, Japan's corporate governance reform, and the opportunity in shareholder activism in Japan.

---

Adrian Kerley

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Black Kite Partners

Before founding Black Kite, Adrian spent seven years at IFM Investors as Executive Director. Prior to this, he served as Head of Private Capital at Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC). He also spent significant time at CHAMP Ventures.

Adrian is equipped with over 17 years of experience in private equity, as both a general and limited partner and brings extensive top-tier experience across finance and private equity, having also held various operational and strategic leadership roles at Woolworths

Adrian is the Chair of PRP Diagnostic Imaging and is a Non-Executive Director of 13Sick, Splend, Tally Group and Render Networks. He previously led the successful investments in Payapps, SG Fleet, TSmarine, Macpac, APB, and Lorna Jane.

Adrian has a Bachelor of Applied Finance and Bachelor of Commerce (Macquarie University) and is a Chartered Accountant.

---

Richard Milroy

Co-Founder & CEO, PWN

Richard is a Co-Founder and Executive Director of Private Wealth Network, and also founded several other specialist events and publishing companies in the areas of wealth management and sustainability. Starting his career at the International Herald Tribune in Paris, he then moved into specialist trade publishing and investment conferences based in London and now Sydney.Richard’s vision is to form knowledge networks where people connect face-to-face at events, then continue their relationships through online platforms. His focus is to assist members to share and gain new knowledge and understanding, and hopefully to inspire them too.

Richard holds a BA (Hons) in European Political Science with Modern Languages, from Newcastle upon Tyne University, UK.

---

Patrycja Slawuta

Behavioural Scientist and Founder, UnLab

Australia-based, NYC-educated and Poland-born behavioural scientist, serial entrepreneur and mindhacker.

I work with the complexity, nonlinearity and messiness of the human nature across the spectrum from high performing individuals to muti-generational family dynasties.

Jeff Steiner

Partner, Head of Family Office Advisory, Mutual Trust

Jeff Steiner is Head of Family Office Advisory at Mutual Trust, where he works with UHNW families and family offices to define purpose, build intergenerational alignment, and design structures that sustain wealth over time.

His work draws on established family wealth frameworks and proven, practice-led advisory methodologies, guiding families from purpose and alignment through to strategy, structure, and execution. He partners with principals, family boards, and family office executive teams to strengthen governance, navigate complexity, and support effective decision-making across generations.

Jeff advises on the design and execution of tailored family office models, including Single Family Offices, Multi-Family Offices, Hybrid Family Offices and Family Business in-house structures. His focus is on creating efficient, cohesive functions that reinforce purpose and enable long-term wealth stewardship.

With more than 25 years’ experience, Jeff has advised many of Australia’s most prominent families, leading the delivery of integrated advice across family strategy, governance, succession, education, tax, investment, business interests, estate planning, and philanthropy.

Jeff is an active contributor to the global family office community through the Family Office Exchange (FOX) and the Ultra High Net Worth Institute. He also serves as an independent chair and board member across family and not-for-profit organisations. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Commerce, is a Certified Practicing Accountant, a registered tax agent and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

---