Project Directors

Mike Ebstein

Mike is the leading independent cards and payments expert in Australia today. Prior to working as an independent consultant, Mike spent 11 years as General Manager Marketing with ANZ Global Cards Division in Australia.

In his time helping to position ANZ Global Cards as a major contributor to ANZ's overall performance, Mike Ebstein was instrumental in developing a number of major co-branded card products, including the Telstra Visa and Qantas Telstra Visa cards. ANZ also introduced the first purchasing card in Australia, developed the largest Visa commercial card portfolio outside of the USA, lauched the very successful Fast Track merchant data capture terminals and relaunched a revitalised Gold Card product.

In addition to his responsibilities in Australia, Mike Ebstein was also in charge of ANZ's card business in New Zealand and assisted the ANZ International Cards team with the expansion of the cards businesses in India, the Middle East, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands. Mike was also a member of Visa's Asia-Pacific Product Advisers Group and represented them on Visa's International Product Advisers Group.

Baldeep Gill

Baldeep Gill is the council director for the Australian SME Banking Council. Baldeep is a senior financial and commercial executive with 20 years experience in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region. During this time, he has worked with leading financial institutions including ANZ Bank, National Australia Bank, OCBC Bank in Singapore, Hanvit Bank in Korea, Elders Rural Bank, Landmark Finance, Suncorp Metway Bank and Grindlays Bank. He has held line responsibility for retail, commercial and corporate customers, and successfully managed business growth programs, developed market entry strategies and completed a range of M&A transactions. In the small business area, he has worked with a range of clients to improve the revenue opportunities for their business by segmenting the customer base to focus on future profit pools, design and build enhanced customer propositions using innovative channels to market and developed a range of payment and deposit solutions.

Nick Kalikajaros

Nick is an experienced leader in the Financial Services Industry in both Australian and Asia Pacific covering Domestic and International Private Banking, Premium/Priority Banking, Wealth Management and Corporate Advisory for over 25 years. He has worked at a number of leading organisations including Credit Suisse (CEO & Managing Director of Credit Suisse Private Bank. Australia), Merrill Lynch (Head of Global Private Clients, Australia and New Zealand), St George Bank (General Manager and Head of Private Bank and Private Client Services), UBS (Co-Head of UBS Private Clients, Australia) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Senior Executive positions in Private Banking, Business Banking and Credit).

Nick's primary focus is on Australia, Asia Pacific, Middle East (MENA) and Central Eastern Europe (CEE) as well as providing coverage on USA, UK and European markets.

Nick provides innovative solutions to stakeholders in international and domestic banking and wealth management markets, including sovereign wealth funds, global, regional and local banks, private banks, private wealth managers & brokers, institutional investors, professional services firms, government and regulators.

Ian Povey

Ian Povey is an experienced & internationally recognised advisor to the cards and payments sectors. Through CardsConsult, Ian delivers strategic insight and guidance on new technologies and business models as they relate to payments and identity card initiatives.

Ian has been accountable and directed payments initiatives for more than fifteen years through roles at Coopers & Lybrand, PwC, EDS, MBNA, ANZ and CardsConsult.

Initiatives include Program Director of the Malaysian National ID, the Bonus Card in Turkey and a secondment as Advisor to the UK Office of the e-Envoy to develop the Smart Card Policy Framework. Ian is presently working on both organisational and market changing activities in Australia and abroad. Ian is also published in the Journal of Payments Strategy & Systems in London with “Assessing the impact of EMV migration: A pragmatic delivery approach”.

Varun Sabhlok

Varun Sabhlok is a leading independent expert in the Asia-Pacific financial services market. Prior to working as an independent consultant Mr. Sabhlok spent 11 years with Citibank in its Global Consumer Banking division in Asia and held various positions including Chief Risk Officer for GCB Thailand and Chief Financial Officer for GCB Singapore.

As director of AVS Asia Ventures, Mr. Sabhlok deals with relationship management, financial management, risk management, and venture capital initiatives in the financial services industry. He has been engaged in banking advisory and consulting in the Asia Pacific region for the last 9 years, primarily in the areas of credit risk management, wealth management, relationship management and CRM, strategic business planning and financial restructuring. He has worked for some of the regions' largest banks, undertaking projects in countries such as Korea,Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia.

Mr. Sabhlok is also on the panel of international judges for the Asian Banker Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards.

Bruce Weatherill

Bruce was until 30 June 2008, Global Leader of the PwC Private Banking/ Wealth Management Practice which he developed to now operate in 35 countries and which generates significant consultancy fees to PwC. He is also the author of the widely respected and in-depth Global Private Banking/Wealth Management Survey which in 2007 covered 265 institutions from over 35 countries. Bruce leads and supports a wide range of consulting services on a global basis to Global Wealth Managers and is well known in the sector to the Boards of many Wealth Managers and Investment Management Companies.