People
Meet The TeamPeople
The approach adopted by Hunter Bay is to operate with a small but highly committed and focussed team. In view of the broad sectoral and geographic experience particularly of the two principals, John McGuigan and Hugh Thomas, the Hunter Bay team has the capacity to undertake both direct investments and advisory assignments in a number of sectors and geographies.
People
John McGuigan has both an accounting and legal background. He practised as a lawyer for 25 years with the international law firm Baker & McKenzie. During this time he held the position of Executive Chairman where he was based in Chicago and was responsible for Baker & McKenzie’s worldwide operations.
In 1998 John retired from Baker & McKenzie and co-founded Hunter Bay Partners, an investment and advisory group based in Sydney. In 2001 John established Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in the Australian market.
John was involved in the establishment of White Energy Company Limited an innovative coal technology business listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and has been on the board of a number of public and private companies.
James has over 10 years’ experience in corporate advisory, acquisitions and mergers working with professional service firms including PricewaterhouseCoopers.
He has extensive knowledge and experience in identifying opportunities, analysing deals, conducting due diligence, valuations and negotiation strategies.
James has an in depth understanding and knowledge of the Australian Mining and Resources sector, completing many high value transactions over the last 10 years.
Throughout James’s career, he has built a strong network of contacts of foreign investors from Korea and Japan, as well as local investors.
Hugh Thomas has had significant experience in the resource sector as a company director, senior financial executive and investment banker working throughout the Asian region, including China, as well as parts of Africa. He has a deep understanding of the complexities that are frequently involved in establishing new projects and in negotiating transactions in culturally diverse jurisdictions.
Hugh was based in Hong Kong for several years in senior positions with JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley, returning to Australia in 2011 to take up a senior position with South African investment bank, Investec, in Sydney. Since 2014, Mr Thomas has worked as an independent investment banker and company director, based in Sydney.
Melissa is the client service manager for Hunter Bay Partners and is responsible for project management of each engagement and ensuring each of our client’s assignments are managed effectively.
Melissa has over 8 years’ experience working in corporate advisory firms and over the last 4 years specialising in the Mining and Resources sector.
John is a founding principal of Hunter Bay Capital Partners.
John was previously a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) with 24 years’ experience auditing and advising clients from start-ups to family businesses to multinationals and public companies. John has built a substantial network of contacts amongst business owners, key management executives, investors from angels to private equity, business associations and government agencies.
John also led the Korean and China desk advising both inbound into Australia and outbound into Korea and China. He has an in-depth knowledge of these markets and a substantial network to help Australian companies expand into these markets.
Since leaving PwC, John with Steve McCarthy have successfully launched a new business called Road Runner Mobile Tyres, a full tyre service business but mobile.
This business is now changing how Australians are getting new tyres fitted onto their cars and solving puncture problems.
Steve is a founding principal of Hunter Bay Capital Partners.
Steve was formerly the CEO of Adshel Street Furniture Pty Ltd (Adshel), Australia’s and New Zealand’s largest street furniture business. During his tenure, Steve grew the business from $25m to over $130m in revenue, with profit growing from $2m to $24m during that time.
Steve has an in-depth understanding and proven track record in growing a business to substantial scale. He has built an extensive network of contacts in state government and local council bodies, private landlords, shopping centres and advertising and media agencies.
Prior to Adshel, Steve spent 15 years in the Shopping Centre Industry in senior
positions with Knight Frank, Westfield and Lend Lease Retail.
Since leaving Adshel, Steve with John Shim has built Australia’s largest mobile tyre service, Road Runner Mobile Tyres. It currently operates in Sydney, Melbourne and
Brisbane offering tyre supply, fitting and balancing, and wheel alignment service from fully fitted out mobile tyre shops. In its first 12 months of operation it serviced over 6,000 customers.