The Team

The Proactiveinvestors Team:

• Andrew McCrea - Managing Director, Proactiveinvestors Australia & Analyst

  Andrew McCrea is an emerging companies specialist and small company analyst with a focus on emerging companies. Andrew has worked for Citi in New York and London. He has been a “Small Cap” fund manager as well as share market columnist and contributing writer for national newspapers and magazines in Australia and Asia and most recently for Virgin Blue magazine. Andrew has also been extensively involved in corporate finance, progressing early stage companies to IPO in Australia and North America.

• Friska Wirya - Corporate Development Manager

  Friska Wirya comes from a management consulting background with international experience in corporate strategy, marketing and human resources in a diverse range of industries. Prior to joining Proactive Investors, Friska ran a strategy and marketing consulting business in the US. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (with Distinction) in Management and Human Resources and an MBA from Curtin University. A member of the Golden Key International Honour Society, she is also a Mentor to Perth's Curtin Graduate School of Business MBA students.

• Angela Kean - Financial Writer

  Angela has spent the past 5 years in business-to-business publishing as a senior journalist and sub-editor, writing and sub-editing articles aimed at the resources and construction industries. She completed a Bachelor of Communications majoring in Journalism and Photomedia with an Honours average in 2005.

• Christine Feary - Financial Writer

  Christine is a journalist with four years experience both in writing for and sub-editing resource industry publications. Based in Perth, Christine’s focus has been on the mining industry, writing for a range of publications before joining Proactive Investors as a finance writer.

• Helen McGowan - Events & Marketing Manager

  Helen has a vast and keen knowledge for events with over 5 years’ experience in various capacities across the exhibition and event industry. She has completed a Bachelor of Tourism Management (Marketing). Helen is tasked with growing and further developing the events for Proactive Investors Australia.

• Yuki Boddy - Office Manager

  Yuki has extensive experience as an Office Manager in IT companies with additional marketing and HR process and policy experience. Yuki joined Proactive Investors Australia with the mission to bring about the smooth daily office operation in this fast growing company.

• Valona Perez - Office & Marketing Support

  Valona has a background in Customer Care & Administration Office Support. Her role provides customer care support to her clients as well as administrative support to her seniors and peers. She looks forward to extending her knowledge and experience in this fast growing and forward thinking company.

• Dorothy Baduria - Office & Marketing Support

  Dorothy joined at the start of 2012. As well as providing administrative assistance to the team, Dorothy specialises in providing the highest level of support to both professional staff and clients. She wishes to expand her knowledge base with a marketing-focused degree and is currently completing a Bachelor's in IT with a Marketing major.

• Ian Mclelland - Chief Executive Officer & Contributor

  Ian Mclelland founded Proactiveinvestors in 2006 as a way to channel his own views on companies listed in London and Toronto. What started as a hobby quickly turned into a full time job as the website's readership exploded over the next six months.
  One2One forums were added later in 2006, and within two years the company had expanded its operations into Canada and Australia. In 2009 the company expanded again, into Germany and Hong Kong, and finally in 2010 the company opened an office in New York.
  
  Proactiveinvestors is now one of the fastest growing global financial media organisations in the world receiving more than one million visitors per month, with investor forums in London, Manchester, New York, Toronto and Sydney held on a regular basis.
  The company produces news and in-depth analysis on thousands of listed companies across the world each year in English, German, Simple and Traditional Mandarin.
  
  Ian is now focused on the continued development of the business, liaising with his fellow directors in Australia, United States, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom, and overseeing editorial content globally.

• Craig Ribton - Managing Director, Proactiveinvestors United Kingdom

  Graduated with a BA Honours in 2002 before moving on to become a project manager where he co-ordinated a variety of large scale projects while furthering his knowledge of the stock market. In 2003 Craig began investing in companies with a natural resource focus and in 2005 qualified in advanced web design. With growing experience in the implementation of finance media and a keen interest in investing, Craig is tasked with client communications and development, as well as growing the Proactiveinvestors’s brand, awareness and reach.

• Sam Kiri - Managing Director, Proactiveinvestors Canada & Contributor

  Sam is in charge of Proactiveinvestors' North American operation and is also one of the analysts of the group. He has over 10 years of capital markets and asset management experience in both North America and the Pacific Rim, with primary focus on Resources and Oil & Gas sectors. He spent three years with Scotia Bank as an International Equity analyst, and was responsible for the management of the Scotia Pacific Rim Mutual Fund. Sam is a CFA Charter Holder, a qualified Management Accountant (ACMA) and has a MBA in Finance. He also has considerable academic experience spanning over 10 years teaching Financial Analysis in England.

• Ed Borrelli - Managing Director, Proactiveinvestors USA

  Edward Borrelli has over two decades of financial transaction experience, and has raised in excess of $500 million for an extensive list of clients. Ed spent several years as a senior registered broker at RAS Securities in New York and was Director, Investment Banking/ European Institutional Sales at Leeb Brokerage Services, and Senior Partner- Director of International Sales at Brookehill Equities, both in New York.

• John Phillips - Financial Writer

• Deborah Sterescu - Deputy Editor, North America

  Deborah started as an equities reporter in the Toronto office of Proactiveinvestors in August 2010, before becoming deputy editor. Prior to this, she was deputy editor of private equity trade journal unquote" UK in London, England, where she graduated with a Masters in International Journalism from City University in 2008. She has covered a range of topics in finance since starting her career, writing in depth about both public and private markets. Deborah has also completed stints at The Times, The Independent and The Economist.

• Rossana Menezes - Communications Manager, Canada

  Rossana joined Proactive Investors Toronto's team as the Communications Manager in October 2010 to assist with events, sending out invitations to attendees and liaising with clients. She completed a degree in Social Communications in Brazil and worked as graphic designer, event manager and photographer before moving to Canada in 2009

• Olivia D'Orazio - Equities Journalist

  After graduating with an Hons. B.A. from the University of Toronto, Olivia worked as a freelance writer at various publications around the Greater Toronto Area, including toronto.com. She wrote for an assortment of media outlets, including Thomson Reuters, before moving to Proactive Investors' Toronto office in May 2011

• Brad Lemaire - Equities Journalist

  Brad Lemaire joined Proactive Investors in May 2011 as a reporter at the Toronto office. He is a graduate of Humber College's Journalism Program and has been published in many small Toronto publications. He holds interests in business, photography and web-design.