Aura Group

Brett Craig is the Director of Private Credit at Aura Group, where he oversees portfolio management and asset origination for the firm's private credit strategies. He joined Aura in 2016 as Managing Director and Portfolio Manager for Private Credit, building out the team and its infrastructure, and previously spent over 11 years at Macquarie Group, including as Vice President in the Debt Markets business. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from The University of Wollongong and is a Chartered Accountant.

Charles Quek is a Director and Private Wealth Adviser in Aura Group's Private Wealth team. He has more than 27 years of experience in wealth management advisory, including work with foreign exchange trading tools at UOB Singapore. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Finance) from York University in Canada.

Chin Seng Neo is a Director and Private Wealth Adviser on Aura Group's Private Wealth team with more than 35 years of financial experience. He began his career as a Corporate and Interbank Treasury trader across spot, forwards, money markets and fixed income at institutions including HSBC, National Bank of Kuwait and Rabobank, then spent over 30 years in wealth management with BNP Paribas, UOB and OCBC private banking. His work covers structured investments such as equity linked notes, dual currency investments, fixed coupon notes, derivatives and hedge funds, along with estate and tax planning structures.

Darryl Tom is a Security Engineer at Steampunk with over 10 years of experience in network design, systems administration, and infrastructure support across multiple platforms including Windows, Sun Solaris, HP-UX, and Linux. He holds numerous Microsoft certifications including Certified Solutions Expert and certifications in Cisco networking and Sun system administration, with expertise in application support, requirements definition, and project management.

Eric Chan is a co-founder and Managing Director of Aura Group, an alternative funds management firm managing or advising over A$1.5 billion across venture capital, private equity and alternative credit. He focuses on Aura Ventures, leading early-stage seed investments across Australia, and sits on the boards of several portfolio companies. Before founding Aura Group in 2010, he was a private equity and credit lawyer at Clayton Utz, and he holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Technology Sydney.

Jamie Burgmann is a Director in Aura Group's Wealth Management division, with experience advising clients across Australia and Singapore. He works with high-net-worth individuals and families on managing international and Australian investments, building diversified portfolios that include alternative investments.

Jason Coggins is Head of Investments at Aura Group, where he contributes to the firm's investment offering, wealth proposition and overall strategy. He has over 20 years of experience in investment strategy, asset allocation and governance across private wealth, family office and philanthropic portfolios. From 2014 to 2023 he was Partner and Head of Research at Koda Capital, following earlier senior roles at ANZ Global Wealth and in institutional asset consultancy, and he holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Business Management.

John Kolenda is a co-founder and Director of Aura Group. He co-founded Finsure Group, an Australian mortgage broking and financial planning company established in 2011 and sold to MA Financial Group in late 2021, and previously co-founded X Inc in 2004, which merged with Ray White's mortgage broking operations to form Loan Market Group, where he served as an Executive Director. He earlier spent 10 years at Aussie Home Loans as general manager of sales and distribution, and is a non-executive director of ASX-listed The Agency Group Australia.

Mark Esterhuizen is a Partner at Aura Ventures with a background as a founder, operator and investor focused on scaling venture-backed businesses through capital strategy and operational execution. He previously served as Chief Financial and Operating Officer of Peter Manettas Seafood Group (which includes Manettas Seafood, ShoreTrade and Freshey) and was a founding team member commercialising ShoreTrade, a B2B seafood marketplace, and Freshey, a fresh produce platform. He is a Chartered Accountant CA(SA) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) in Accounting from the University of Johannesburg and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Poh Lean Soon is the founder and CEO of QuinRiver Capital (established 2021) and serves as Aura Group's Malaysia Country Partner for private equity. He previously was a Partner in AHAM Capital Asset Management's private equity business, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions at RHB Investment Bank, and Partner and COO at Sadella Advisory, a Hong Kong M&A and corporate advisory firm, having started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney, is a CFA charterholder, and is a Fellow of CPA Australia.

Shane Shi is a founding member of Aura Group and serves as Director of Private Equity. He has over 15 years of experience in investments, commercial analysis, deal execution, capital raising, M&A, and consulting across early-stage to small-cap ASX-listed Australian businesses, with responsibilities for deal origination, execution, and advisory. He previously worked in equities research and consultancy, and holds a Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales, with an exchange in Finance at the McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin.

Stanley Hsieh joined Aura Group in 2025 as Managing Director of Real Estate Credit and sits on the Investment Committee, overseeing sourcing, structuring, and managing the AREC Fund with a focus on secured real estate credit in Australia. He previously spent a decade at MA Financial, where he was a founding member of its real estate credit platform and served as portfolio and fund manager, helping grow the strategy from $20 million to $2.2 billion in funds under management. Earlier he founded and ran a property development firm in New Zealand, and he holds an MBA from the University of Auckland and a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) from Victoria University of Wellington.

Tong Hoe Sng is Managing Director of Wealth at Aura Group in Singapore, with over 35 years of wealth advisory and management experience across South-East Asia. He has previously held senior wealth management roles at Chase Manhattan Bank, Merrill Lynch, BNP Paribas PB, UOB, OCBC private banking, and CIMB Securities, focusing on asset allocation and legacy and tax planning for high-net-worth investors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.

Yvonne Tan is Director and Private Wealth Adviser at Aura Private Wealth in Singapore, with more than 20 years of experience in the Southeast Asian wealth management market advising ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families on wealth, investment, and succession planning. Before Aura Group she held senior roles at UOB Private Bank, HSBC Private Bank, OCBC Private Bank, and Société Générale. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Banking and Finance and an Advanced Diploma in Private Banking from Singapore Management University, and is IBF Qualified with IBF Advanced Certification from the Institute of Banking and Finance Singapore.

Brian Ho is the Associate Director of Private Credit at Aura Group, where he structures and negotiates lending transactions including securitisations, manages loan portfolios, and helps build out the firm's private credit business. His background includes financial modelling and analysis, developing investment products for high net worth investors, and building business cases and financial models for infrastructure projects across government, public, and private clients. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Applied Finance from Macquarie University.

Dmitry Markeev joined Aura Group in 2023 as an Associate Director in Real Estate Credit, where he handles financial analysis, reporting, and risk management for the MM Real Estate Credit Fund. His responsibilities include budgeting and forecasting, property valuation review, and overseeing the risk management framework for property credit funds. Before Aura Group, he spent over nine years in international investment banking, structuring and executing more than 200 credit facilities with EU financial institutions.

Mina Rafla is an Associate Director in Aura Private Credit, where he works with Australian fintechs and non-bank lenders to structure funding solutions and complex transactions. He previously held roles in structured lending and credit risk at Macquarie Group, and worked at Commonwealth Bank and Greensill Capital. He holds a Bachelor of Business & Commerce (Applied Finance) and a Bachelor of Laws from Western Sydney University.

Nicholas Tan joined Aura Group's Private Equity team in 2021 and has more than a decade of experience in private equity and investment banking. He was previously on the founding team in Singapore at Delta Partners, a TMT-focused advisory firm, advising telco operators, media companies and digital platforms on M&A and corporate finance deals. He has also worked as a corporate venture investor with the Singtel Group and on the investments team at consumer-focused PE firm L Catterton Asia. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the National University of Singapore.

Calvin Ng is a co-founder and Managing Director of Aura Group, with experience as an entrepreneur, board member, investment banker, and fund manager across private and public markets. He co-founded Finsure Group, an Australian mortgage aggregation group later sold to MA Financial, and previously worked on the Direct Investment Team at Everest Babcock & Brown, focusing on high yield debt, listed equities, and private equity. He holds Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of New South Wales and is admitted to practice as a lawyer in New South Wales.

Christopher Chan joined Aura Group's Private Equity team in June 2022. He was previously an Associate at Abacus Capital, where he worked on M&A and capital raising transactions across the consumer, technology, and business services sectors, and earlier held roles in Deloitte's M&A Transaction Services team and Aon's Transaction Liability team focused on cross-border M&A. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Western Australia.

Danielle Thornberry is an HR executive with over 15 years of experience in people strategy, transformation, and operations across biotech, tech, manufacturing, and higher education sectors. She holds a B.S. in Computer Science and SPHR certification, combining HR leadership with technical expertise in HRIS, workforce planning, and HR analytics. Her background includes managing talent acquisition, total rewards, compliance, and change management through complex initiatives such as M&A, organizational restructuring, and rapid scaling.

Eng Hoe Teh is a Private Wealth Adviser with the Aura Private Wealth team in Singapore. He has more than 10 years of investment and portfolio management experience across Singapore and Southeast Asia, beginning his career as a relationship manager at DBS before moving into a support role in the Independent Financial Advisory and External Asset Manager industry, working with high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients. He holds a Diploma in Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering and speaks English and Mandarin, with some Hokkien and Cantonese.

Esther Tan serves as Chief of the Software Systems Practice at the National University of Singapore, where she also lectures at the graduate level. She holds a Ph.D. from Nanyang Technological University focused on product design and information architecture. Her research interests include machine learning applications in clinical settings, and her professional experience spans digital solution design, process transformation, and software automation.

Jack Remond joined Aura Group in 2024 as a private credit analyst, where he handles monthly investor reporting, portfolio analysis, and deal due diligence for the firm's private credit funds. He previously worked as a senior securitisation trust analyst at Perpetual Limited, covering asset classes including ABS and RMBS. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) and a Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science) from the University of Sydney.

Mun Hoe Leung is a Private Wealth Adviser with Aura Group's Singapore-based private wealth team, working mainly with high net worth clients. He has over 25 years of experience across consumer banking, corporate banking, private banking, and mortgage broking, including prior roles as a mortgage broker at Your Mortgage Solutions and Director positions at Bank of Singapore, Bank Julius Baer Private Bank, and Merrill Lynch Private Bank, plus a role at Credit Suisse Private Bank. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics (Banking & Finance) from the Singapore Institute of Management and speaks English and Mandarin.

Natalie Kolenda is an Investment Associate on the Private Credit team at Aura Group. She has previously worked in Compliance, Corporate Advisory, and Operations across the firm, and in 2019 received a Fellowship with Linden Global Strategies in New York. She holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics from the University of Sydney.

Nathan Harris is Chief Operating Officer at Aura Group, which he joined in late 2020, bringing more than 20 years of experience in risk and compliance. He previously held executive roles at Nikko Asset Management and Xplore Wealth, and has consulted across areas including global asset management, wealth management, superannuation, wrap platforms, and managed discretionary accounts. He holds a Diploma of Financial Advising and is an Internationally Certified Compliance Professional (ICCP).

Nicholas Teo is Deputy Head of the Private Wealth team at Aura Group, based in Singapore, with about 30 years in financial services across investment banking and wealth management in various global financial centres. His background includes institutional sales, market strategy, and proprietary trading, along with experience on both the buy and sell sides. Prior to Aura Group, he was the local head of a brokerage firm overseeing business development, compliance, and operations, and he is a trained family office advisor.

Paul Coates is a Private Wealth Adviser in the Private Wealth Team at Aura Group, with over 30 years of experience in wealth accumulation, protection, and legacy strategy. He previously spent 12 years in London as an independent financial advisor working with high-net-worth individuals and company directors on UK tax-efficient investment vehicles, using structures such as trusts, private investment companies, and specialised life insurance. He holds a B.Sc Hons in Business & Politics from the UK.

Paul Leo is an Investment Adviser on Aura Group's Wealth Management team, with over 20 years in financial services across all asset classes. His career includes roles as a foreign exchange dealer in treasury, a period working as a journalist, and more recent experience in private banking. He holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) from the National University of Singapore.

Rachel Hind is a qualified solicitor and accountant with over 25 years of investment banking experience across Barclays Capital, Lehman Brothers, ANZ, and Westpac, where she held senior roles in private wealth, structured finance, private credit, and alternative assets. She founded Best Capital, a commercial funding and brokerage firm, and Secret SheEO, a female financial education and mentoring organization. Hind currently serves as an adviser and investor at Aura Group, where she leads regional expansion efforts including serving as Lead Adviser for Queensland.

Sabrina Zeng is Corporate Development Manager at Aura Ventures, with a background spanning economic research, corporate banking, and startup innovation. She spent five years in corporate banking before moving to the Nordic region as Chief Product Officer for a social impact startup and working as a GTM specialist with government-backed venture studios in Norway. After returning to Australia, she served as Head of Ecosystem at Fishburners and lectures part-time at UNSW Business School. She holds a combined Bachelor's degree in Business Information Systems, Philosophy, and Anthropology.

Sofia Spice serves as Executive Assistant to the Aura Private Credit team at Aura Group, providing organisational and administrative support. She holds a CILEx Level 6 Diploma in Law & Practice from Kingston College in London and previously supported senior leadership and partners at professional services and law firms.