Ariadne Australia Limited announced the appointment of David Hancock and Dean Smorgon as Directors, effective 1 March 2023. The Board has elected David Hancock as Chairman. David Hancock is the Chairman of Finclear Ltd, Australia's leading independent provider of technology, wholesale execution and clearing services as well as Chairman of Geometrica Funds Management Pty Ltd. David has over 30 years of broad experience in financial services.

This experience includes being Group Head and an Executive Director of Afterpay Limited, Chief Executive Officer of listed Tower Limited, Executive General Manager at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, with a variety of roles including capital markets, fixed income and equities. Prior to that, he served in senior investment banking roles at JPMorgan where he was a Managing Director, and Citi (formerly County Natwest) where he was Managing Director and Co-Head of Investment Banking. David also serves on a number of mentoring programmes, has established an incubator and works with young start-up founders.

He is actively involved in a number of investments across a variety of technology and industries both locally and globally. Together with his wife, he has established a Foundation focussed upon giving back to a variety of marginalised groups and causes. David holds a Bachelor of Business (Econ/Marketing) and is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Dean Smorgon is an Executive Director of Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management Australia, a full- service investment banking and financial services company specialising in wealth management and brokerage in capital markets. Through his extensive network, Dean provides clients of Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management a variety of investment opportunities in equities, fixed interest, bonds and property. Dean services a diverse client base of private clients, family offices and institutions.

With over three decades of investment experience as an active investor and advisor in the stock market, as well as serving on the investment committee of the David Smorgon family office, which invests in equities, property, private equity, venture capital and private debt, Dean has significant experience in corporate transactions, financial markets, and trends. Dean graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Economics before commencing his stockbroking career with ANZ McCaughan Securities. Following this, he joined HSBC James Capel in 1996 where he continued to develop his industry knowledge base.

He later took up the role of senior advisor at ABN AMRO in 1998 and then continued on as Associate Director until 2008 at ABN AMRO Morgans. Dean currently serves on the Investment Committees of DBR Corporation & Generation Investments (Family Office) and Jewish Care Victoria. Ariadne also advises that Ben Seymour, having served as an Alternate Director since December 2020, has been appointed as a Director, effective 1 March 2023.

Ben is an Associate Director of Seymour Group, one of Queensland's most prominent privately-owned property development and investment companies established by his grandparents, Kevin and Kay in 1976. On completion of his university studies Ben spent time in QIC's Global Real Estate business working throughout investment and funds management. He is admitted as a solicitor in the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia, and currently practices as a corporate lawyer at Herbert Smith Freehills specialising in mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Seymour's business interests and activities extend into high-end residential and commercial property development through his directorship of Queensland Prime Investments, in conjunction with investments across private equity, venture capital and global equities through his family office, Seymour Private Capital. Ben obtained a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Business Management majoring in Property Development and Real Estate from the University of Queensland, and is currently undertaking a Masters of Science in Global Finance at New York University. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Urban Development Institute of Australia and the Queensland Law Society.

Kevin Seymour, having served as a Deputy Chairman of Ariadne for many years, will cease to be a Director of the Board and will act as Ben's Alternate Director, effective 1 March 2023. Appointed as a Director in December 1992 and serving as Managing Director/Executive Chairman from 1997-2002, Kevin has overseen many strategic investments and initiatives of the Group and delivered considerable value to Ariadne.