James van Smeerdijk
Managing director
OVERVIEW
James founded atticusnow in 2019. He advises government, business and NGOs on complex strategy, policy and economic issues, and has three decades of experience covering a wide range of sectors including economic development and place, education and research, health and social policy, energy and resources, and agriculture and environment. He is also highly experienced in stakeholder engagement and in the design and facilitation of codesign workshops.
His clients have included Commonwealth, State and Territory, and Local Governments, statutory authorities, major corporations, industry associations, universities, NGOs and international agencies.
James has led and advised on the development of a range of enterprises including technology startups, consulting firms and social purpose enterprises.
He was previously a Partner at PwC Australia for a decade including leading PwC’s Victorian Government practice and the Melbourne Economics & Policy team. He led the development of PwC’s first two Reconciliation Action Plans as well as the establishment of PwC’s Indigenous Consulting, an innovative majority Indigenous owned and staffed consulting business (now Yamagigu).
Other roles have included CEO of The Allen Consulting Group, Senior Fellow at the Melbourne Business School, and Executive Officer in the Victorian Treasury.
Kendrea Pope
DIRECTOR
OVERVIEW
Kendrea Pope has senior executive experience in both state and local government leading policy functions across the portfolios of planning and building, strategic planning, community engagement, strategic land use planning, economic development, regulatory reform and service delivery.
As a consultant Kendrea Pope has delivered participatory community engagement for local governments developing their long term community visions, strategic planning services, governance advice, audit programs and various organisational reviews including in emergency management, business processes, governance and compliance.
Jasper Potter
Senior manager & CODESIGN LEAD
OVERVIEW
Jasper leads atticusnow’s codesign delivery. He has worked in collaboration and co-design for almost a decade, and specialises in running engaging and interactive workshops, forums, and roundtables.
Jasper has extensive experience delivering workshops and visual communications projects across a many sectors and for all levels of government, and for private clients including PwC, KPMG and Telstra.
Stefan Anjou
MANAGER
OVERVIEW
Stefan has worked as a consultant for over five years advising government, corporate and non–profit clients on policy and strategy issues, in addition to tackling complex operational challenges.
He has experience across a broad range of sectors, and his clients have included large renewable energy proponents and multinational manufacturing companies in the corporate environment, First Nations and community-controlled organisations, peak industry bodies and Commonwealth and state governments.
Cyrus Potter
Manager
OVERVIEW
Cyrus is a skilled project manager and consultant with six years’ experience across diverse sectors, including projects for local and state governments, universities, NGOs and First Nations organisations, and the private sector.
Cyrus has supported the delivery of many strategic reviews, program evaluations, co-design workshops, and stakeholder engagement processes.
Devina Azaria Hashifah
Associate
OVERVIEW
Devina has several years of consulting experience in sectors such as government, agriculture, and not for profits, supporting the research, analysis, and financial modelling on growth strategy, business plans, and program review projects. She also has experience working on a First Peoples agribusiness project.
Our Partners
Caroline Chernov
speCIAL Adviser - SOCIAL CAPITAL
A systems change and complexity practitioner, Caroline has participated in disruption, innovation and social and environmental change for over 20 years, having cut her teeth for 10 years in international business. She is passionate about taking on bold reforms and getting under the hood of change aspirations with rigour and discipline mixed with creativity, an open mindset and collaborative practices. She thrives in the unknown with those who have the courage to take on change in ESG complexity. Her advisory work helps organisations build mindsets and muscle for adaption as they tackle complex issues involving environment, social and governance (ESG) factors. This involves getting great at partnering in cross sector collaborations, accessing and blending new forms of finance and resetting strategy and impact reporting for reflexive practice.
Caroline advises across sectors, disciplines and organisational sizes because this mirrors her training and career path through these different environments. She has held leadership and board positions in corporate, university, impact investing, NGO and philanthropy sectors across Australia and the US. She has driven business and social change across a range of organisation sizes from start-ups to multi nationals and has seeded, incubated and spun off a national, social purpose enterprise. Caroline is an active board director and advisor to a range of organisations in Australia, Asia and Europe that tackle gender equity, the arts, poverty and slum renewal, bio medical innovation and impact investing. She is.an Honorary Senior Fellow and graduate of The University of Melbourne and holds an M.B.A. from IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland and a diploma in managing Non Profit Organisations from Harvard University, USA.
Steve Thorne
speCIAL Adviser - Urban Design
Steve Thorne has over 30 years practical experience working in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the UAE, Oman, and China. He has been directly involved in many urban growth area planning strategies, including Melbourne 2030, Horsham 2040, Western Sydney Growth Strategy, the Christchurch Growth Strategy in New Zealand, Baralink Development Plan, and the Midland Development Framework in South Africa, the implementation of large sections of the West Dapto Land Release area in NSW, and the Canning Vale Structure Plan in Western Australia.
Kate Eriksson
speCIAL Adviser - digital
A stalwart of the digital industry, Kate Eriksson’s experience and network spans across some of the most iconic digital businesses in the world such as Google, Facebook, Skype and Twitter. Kate has advised corporate boards of various businesses about how they can drive innovation across multiple industries of government, financial services, telecommunications and media.
With predominant experience in the field of mobile innovation, Kate’s achievements in this area include responsibility for the design and operation of the world’s first mobile Skype, implementing an SMS capability for Twitter, aligning Google location and developing a broker model connecting two billion consumers with internet services.
Described as the matriarch of the AT&T Foundry in Silicon Valley, in her role as Director, Kate was responsible for successfully establishing the business and collaborating with startups, venture capitalists, Stanford University academics and developers.
At PwC Kate was instrumental in the development of programs for driving innovation throughout the broader corporate ecosystem, as well as building new digital experiences and advising on business growth. Having spent seven years working in Asia, Europe, Israel and the US, Kate is passionate about the success of Australian innovation and growth, and the positive impact of technology on a range of social challenges.
Peter Harris
Special adviser - economics and policy
Peter Harris recently retired as the Chairman of the Productivity Commission. Previously he served as Secretary of the Australian Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, and the Victorian Government agencies responsible for Sustainability and the Environment, Primary Industries, and Public Transport. He has worked for the Ansett-Air New Zealand aviation group and as a consultant on transport policy. He has also worked in Canada on exchange with the Privy Council Office. His career with the government started with the Department of Overseas Trade and included periods with Treasury, Finance, the Prime Minister’s Department, and Transport. He has also worked in the Prime Minister’s Office, on secondment from the Prime Minister’s Department, as a member of then Prime Minister Bob Hawke’s personal staff. In 2013 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia.
Ray Challen
Special adviser - energy and utilities
Ray’s recent professional experience comprises seven years of executive and board leadership roles with the Government of Western Australia. Prior experience comprises 23 years of research and consulting positions across environmental science, natural resource management, economic regulation and public policy.
Ray was a member of the governing body of the Economic Regulation Authority of Western Australia, which has the principal functions of access regulation for energy and rail infrastructure; licensing of energy businesses; compliance and enforcement for the Western Australian Wholesale Electricity Market; and the independent conduct of economic and policy inquiries for the Western Australian Government.
Knowles Tivendale
special adviser - transport and planning
Knowles has over 20 years’ experience on strategic planning and transport integration projects for public sector organisations and government departments. He works collaboratively with clients and stakeholders to achieve his vision of developing integrated, efficient and sustainable public transport solutions. In his twelve years as a consultant, and previous ten years in local government, he has led multidisciplinary teams on complex projects:
Researching and producing integrated transport plans, strategic frameworks, business cases and options assessments
Evaluating transport networks including financial and economic modelling
Developing transport network improvement strategies focussed on customer value & wider community benefits
Policy development with a focus on creating cities that are vibrant, efficient, productive, sustainable and resilient
Working with private sector clients to deliver efficient transport outcomes in Major Activity Centres & Growth Areas.
Knowles currently also lectures on transport, mobility and traffic systems at Monash University and La Trobe University (Bendigo). He is also a Board Director at Good Cycles, a social enterprise focussed on empowering disadvantaged youth through bicycle-based services.
Richard Gruppetta
special adviser - TRADE
Richard has experience in lead advisory and advocacy roles across industries, representing the Australian Federal Government and at high profile advisory firms providing solutions and advice on turnaround management and Asian business development. He has demonstrated success within Government, Big 4 advisory, Fortune 10 companies, and has extensive experience in dealing in multicultural environments and delivering innovation.
Richard has performed in senior representational business and diplomatic roles requiring sound commercial understanding and delivered innovative solutions with breadth of strategic business insight.
Richard is on the Industry Advisory Board to the Master of International Relations course at Monash University, providing insight and advice around diplomacy, government, international relations and on commercial diplomacy.
Mario D’Elia
special adviser - Infrastructure financing
Mario is a very experienced strategic, commercial and financial advisor across a wide range of industries, project types and sizes. He has worked for both the private and public sectors in Australia and internationally.
Mario established and led PwC Australia’s infrastructure advisory practice for over 20 years and when in the Public Service he played a significant role in the establishment and development of the Projects and Reform Group within the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance.
In a volatile market, Mario has been and continues to be at the forefront of market changes to allow both the private and public sectors to achieve the best outcomes for all parties.
David Williams-Chen
special adviser - economic modelling
David is a seasoned economic strategist with over 15 years of consulting experience spanning infrastructure, policy, industry development and investment planning. As Founder and Managing Director of Positive Economics Advisory, he helps organisations understand and articulate their economic impact, shaping decisions that influence billions in national investment. David has delivered over 120 projects across 30+ countries, advising on investments exceeding $175 billion in value. His work equips clients with robust tools—ranging from economic impact assessments and cost-benefit analyses to regulatory reviews and policy briefings—that support funding bids, inform government engagement, and drive policy change. David’s strength lies in applying rigorous economic analysis to help solve complex, systemic challenges across sectors.
Tim Murray
special adviser - QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
Tim has led a professional career centred on the application of quantitative tools to policy analysis. He has developed and used – and led teams that developed and used – a range of modelling tools including advanced econometrics, machine learning, microsimulation models, general equilibrium models, and a number of custom-built partial equilibrium models.
He started Precision Economics when he left the public service as a Senior Executive at the Australian Government Productivity Commission.
His genuine enthusiasm and love of mathematics, data, economics, and models (which pervades his non-professional life) drives his desire to produce high quality quantitative work which provides insights that would be unavailable otherwise.