Our Team: Meet our founders
Kate Morris
“We want to make the funding journey a much more positive one for founders of all types. Glow will help founders achieve their dreams by placing an outsized emphasis on the culture and values that have made the businesses great”Kate Morris is Co-founder at Glow Capital Partners, a private equity firm that invests in high growth and future focused companies.
Kate is co-founder of ASX listed Adore Beauty and sits on the Board of Directors as a Non-Executive Director. From its inception in Kate’s garage in 1999, Adore Beauty is now Australia’s leading pureplay beauty eCommerce platform, winning multiple awards and boasting the top beauty podcast in the country. In October 2020 Adore Beauty listed on the ASX (ASX:ABY), setting a record for the largest ever IPO with a female founder and female CEO.
Kate is also a co-founder of successful SAAS startup Findation, and mentors up-and-coming startup founders via the Startmate accelerator program.
Justin Ryan
“I have always enjoyed partnering with innovative and purpose-driven entrepreneurs and founders. We are committed to building Glow into a world class private equity firm using the best practices and processes to deliver exceptional returns to all stakeholders.”Justin Ryan is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Glow Capital Partners, a private equity firm that invests in high growth and future focused companies.
Justin has an extensive private equity investment track record since starting in the industry in 1997 at Catalyst Investment Managers, including the last decade at Quadrant Private Equity as a Managing Partner. Justin was Chair of the Australian Venture Capital Association (now Australian Investment Council) in 2003.
Since 1997, Justin has led 22 private equity investments, 17 are fully exited and 2 partially exited. Seven have received deal of year from the Australian Investment Council. Justin also has extensive operational experience, gained while CEO and Managing Director of Alesco Corporation, an ASX 200 listed company with a portfolio of over 100 industrial brands which was acquired by Dulux Corporation in 2011.
Glow Team
Annie Chen
Annie is an Associate Director at Glow Capital Partners. Prior to Glow, Annie was an Investment Manager at Anacacia Capital focused on investment opportunities with leading SMEs in the ANZ region and served as a Non-Executive Director on the board of Pump Haircare.
Annie started her career as a management consultant with L.E.K. Consulting, having worked in both Australia and the United States on over 20 projects across both strategy and transaction support in various industries including retail & consumer products, health care, industrials, aviation and surface transport.
Annie holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Law from University of New South Wales.
Alex Downie
Alex is an Associate Director at Glow Capital Partners . Prior to Glow, Alex was an Associate at Pacific Equity Partners, where she worked for the past three years. Prior to PEP, Alex was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company for two years.
Alex holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours, Economics) and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney, where she was an editor of the student newspaper Honi Soit.
Isabella Mortimore
Isabella Mortimore is an Associate at Glow Capital Partners. Prior to Glow, Isabella was an Investment Banking Analyst with Morgan Stanley where she received the Women in Banking Scholarship.
Before her career in Investment Banking, Isabella worked at the Parliament of Australia as an Advisor for matters relating to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services.
Isabella holds a Bachelor of Finance and a Bachelor of Economics from the Australian National University, where she was a Tuckwell Scholar.
Dave Nanfra
David works as the team’s high performance coach at Glow Capital Partners. David has 28 years experience in leadership, business, entrepreneurship and coaching, delivering impact through his tailored programs in Leadership Development, High Performing Teams and Career Transition and Development.
David is a values and strengths based coach and believes that high growth in business is predicated on building teams that can effectively harness the collective intelligence of each individual through connection and trust.
David is dedicated to the team’s professional and personal development, and his practical organisational experience means he can confidently communicate with all types of leaders. He has a strong network of high performing clients across varying high growth businesses and industries.
Kristin Roberts
Kristin is Chief of Staff for Glow Capital Partners. Kristin manages operations and investor relations and provides strategic support to the Managing Partner, Justin Ryan.
Kristin has over 15 years experience supporting senior executives in the investments industry working across Australia, the UK, the US and the UAE throughout her career.
Kristin most recently supported the CEO of Future Generation, an ASX listed company with a dual purpose of financial and social returns. Prior to that she spent four years with Legatum Capital, a private investment firm based in Dubai, and has also held executive support, events and marketing roles at Regal Funds Management, Lend Lease, Lehman Brothers and Macquarie Capital.
Ben Sebel
Ben works as a senior adviser at Glow Capital Partners and is also a member of the investment committee.
Ben is a senior private equity executive with a strong emphasis on positively supporting management and founders to build long-term value. He has deep private equity experience gained from leading over 20 investments across US & Australia.
Ben was previously Managing Director at CHAMP Private Equity, and prior to joining CHAMP Private Equity, Ben was a Managing Director at Castle Harlan (New York), a leading middle market buy-out firm. Ben has also worked at Goldman Sachs in capital markets, served as a Special Adviser to the Hon. Nick Greiner AC (former premier of NSW) and started his career in management consulting at PwC.
Ben holds a MBA from the Harvard Business School, BCom (Hons I) from the University of New South Wales, CA and GAICD qualifications.
Glow Committees and Advisers
Natalie Meyenn
Natalie is a member of the investment committee and the sustainability committee at Glow Capital Partners.
Natalie has over 30 years experience in investing, financial services, economic and environmental policy, and politics.
Natalie previously held the position of CIO and Chair of the Investment Committee at MLC Private Equity, alongside previous experience in Investment Banking with Goldman Sachs in Sydney and New York and at the World Bank in Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands.
Natalie has degrees in Economics, Business and History from the Australian National University and Harvard University. She has also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard. Natalie also sits on Glow's Sustainability Committee.
Dominic Tayco
Dominic is the Chair of the Compliance Committee and Convener of the Sustainability Committee at Glow Capital Partners.
Dominic is the Principal of the legal practice, Thaddeus Martin, established in 2020, after 15 years serving as Chief Finance Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, and founding member of the Sustainability Committee of an international institutional alternative asset manager.
Dominic consults to emerging venture capital and private equity managers to integrate compliance, risk, and sustainability frameworks for their organisations. Dominic was also Head of Risk & Operations at NSW Circular, a unique cross-sector innovation network set up by the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer to accelerate the pace of change towards a State-wide circular economy
David Bull
David oversees the fund administration for Glow Capital Partners.
David is the Managing Director of Loftus Group. Over the past 25 years David has worked in private equity finance roles; an initial 6 years as the inaugural Controller in the AMP Private Investments Business Unit in Sydney was followed by 7 years as Director of Finance at Henderson Private Capital in London between 1999 and 2006 and for the past 15 years he has been Chief Financial Officer of Archer Capital.
David qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse, has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales, holds a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment, the UKSIP Investment Management Certificate and is a member of Chartered Accountants ANZ and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.
Louise Walsh
Louise is responsible for distribution and developing relationships with financial planners, family offices and high-net-worth clients in Australia for Glow Capital Partners.
As the founder and CEO of Walsh Capital, Louise has extensive capital raising experience across many sectors. Most recently as the CEO of the Future Generation companies, Louise and her team grew these ASX listed funds by $1bn in assets in just six years. Louise has developed best practice investor and major donor engagement programs throughout her career. Having started her career as a lawyer at Allens, then Head of Sponsorships for the Sydney Olympic Games, Louise is widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading philanthropic advisers and is a fundraising expert.