Board Members

Our board of directors bring a vast depth of knowledge and experience from the highest levels of business. With President Tony Schiffmann at the helm, our board members have deep experience across an array of sectors from banking, finance and NGOs to tech, digital, retail and sustainability. Just as our members are from businesses of all shapes and sizes, our board members have a diverse collective experience that enriches and informs Business Chamber Queensland. This is a visionary group who has a finger on the pulse of businesses of all types, both domestically and internationally. Our board has a real commitment to supporting and helping Queensland businesses like yours succeed.

Tony Schiffmann

President

As BDO’s Chief Executive Partner in Australia, Tony leads a team of more than 240 partners and 2,100 people across BDO’s audit, tax and advisory service lines.

His goals are the continued growth of BDO in Australia and driving excellence in client service. Tony’s leadership centres on ensuring BDO’s people are guided by the firm’s values, which are the foundation of what it delivers – ideas, people and trust. He is also committed to retaining the firm’s culture and strong position as an employer of choice.

Tony is active on issues relevant to the profession and public interest – both in Australia and globally – and empowers his fellow leaders to have a strong voice in the market. He regularly speaks on these issues, whether in the media or at high profile events.

Prior to this appointment as Chief Executive Partner, Tony was the Office Managing Partner of BDO’s Brisbane Office for 20 years.

Leveraging his extensive professional services experience, Tony is also a BDO Global Board member and holds board positions with prominent Australian organisations.

Tony was appointed President of Business Chamber Queensland in 2019, having been in other governance roles with the organisation since 2016.

Professor Mark Harvey

Vice President

Mark is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor International and Vice-President Business Development at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

In this role, he is also the delegated Head of Division, where he provides managerial oversight and leadership for Chancellery.
Highly active within the business and academic community, Mark is also the Vice-President of Business Chamber Queensland and Chair of QUT Enterprise Holdings.

Mark plays a key role for QUT internationally; creating industry, government and university collaborations and partnerships which foster research, commercialisation, student and academic growth. Backed by two decades of experience in senior university and venture capital roles, he has been integral to the formation and growth of more than 20 organisations – managing research and development, engagement, intellectual property, operations, finances and fundraising.

Mark has been on the board of directors at many ASX and NASDAQ-listed public companies plus one of Australia’s largest superannuation funds. He has also been the CEO/partner of two venture capital companies.

Jennifer Nielsen

Jennifer Nielsen is the founder of Australia’s biggest sustainable business community and information platform, ekko.world, and Ekko Score, a personal accountability greenwash scorecard. Jennifer is also an Executive Shareholder of StratosMedia, an intelligent ‘open’ platform that collaborates with some of the world’s largest tech, retail and corporate brands to enable digital, data and IoT to be used responsively.

Jennifer has had a multifaceted career, having built, and led businesses in technology, finance, human resources and advertising prior to moving into the sustainability sector, where she is now focused on climate action and simplifying complex ideas to effectively mobilize mass responsibility and drive change. Jennifer is a partner and ambassador for several local and international NGOs and collaborations.

Sarah Kirk

Sarah Kirk is the QLD Head of Business Services within Macquarie Business Bank, specialising on banking solutions for SMEs across a range of different industries.

Sarah has over 20 years of investment and business banking experience across Macquarie Group, Westpac Banking Corporation and Judo Bank, supporting clients of various sizes within Corporate Advisory and Business Banking divisions.

She also has experience leading community and not-for-profit initiatives, currently serving as a non-executive director of Lourdes Hill College and previously as a non-executive director of Australia’s CEO Challenge.