Bill Zheng
Executive Chairman
Bill Zheng’s tertiary education includes Civil Engineering, Computer Science, MBA and Finance. His corporate career spanned many industries: Information Technology, Telecommunication, Horse Racing, Civil Aviation, Utilities, Logistics and Management Consulting.
Having worked in multiple technical & management roles in Australia, USA, Canada, Finland, Hong Kong and New Zealand for almost a decade, Bill left Management Consulting Services of PwC Australia as an SAP system architect in 2000 to found Investors Direct Financial Group (IDFG).
Bill is Managing Director of IDFG which has the following subsidiaries:
- ID Mortgage Solutions Pty Ltd (2001 – 2018, outsourced to Money Quest since 2018 on a 30:70 profit share) A finance company which is specialized in providing mortgage solutions to Australian property investors and developers. It has 7,040 transacted clients from IDFG’s 34,630 property investor Clients. Australian Credit Licence 402950.
- ID Financial Planning Pty Ltd (2010 – 2018, sold to Finwell Group through an MBO in 2018) It provides financial planning services to IDFG’s 34,630 clients. Australian Financial Planning Licence: AFSL 385827.
- ID Property Advisory Pty Ltd (2010 – 2018, sold to Finwell Group through an MBO in 2018) Real estate sales company which has sold over 1,400 investment properties, Real Estate Licence: 071792L.
- ID Property Management Pty Ltd (2010 – 2018, sold to Harcourt in 2018) It provides property management service to some of the IDFG’s clients who have built investment properties through the company. It was sold to Harcourt in 2018 with a rent roll over 600 properties. Real Estate Licence: 0473458L.
- 8 Star Homes Pty Ltd (2009 – 2018) It was set up to provide property renovation and construction service to IDFG’s property investor clients, it has also built over 1,400 residential investment properties with contracted builders in Melbourne. Australian Domestic Building Licence: DB-U 25276.
- ID Developments Pty Ltd (2011 – current) It’s a property development company which mainly focuses on boutique property development projects under AUD$100m end value, it has completed a total of $635m worth of development (& construction) projects in Australia.
- Capitol Property Group Pty Ltd (2015 – current) It is a Master Plan Community property developer, currently developing a AUD$750m, 206ha and 1,900 lots land subdivision project in Sunbury, Melbourne.
- Australian Education City Pty Ltd (“AEC”, 2014 – current) AEC is a city development company which was awarded the exclusive preferred developer status during the Victorian government’s 2014-2019 global tender for the sale of the 412 hectare East Werribee Employment Precinct. Key metrics: 6.04 million sqm Gross Floor Area, AUD$71 billion Gross Development Value, 100,000 residents, 50,000 on-site students, 80,000 local jobs, and development plot ratio of 2.0. AEC achieved legally binding funding commitment of AUD$2.9Billion with J.P. Morgan as its financial advisor in 2019.
- CitiOn Pty Ltd (2022 – current) CitiOn is a majority owned subsidiary of IDFG, it is a city development company with a focus on developing and managing Cognitive Cities. It is currently replicating the Australian Education City’s winning solution across Australia, Asia and the Middle East. Key metrics of a typical CitiOn city in Australia: about 2-3 million sqm Gross Floor Area, Gross Development Value AUD$20billion, 30,000 residents, 20,000 on-site students, 10,000+ local jobs, and a development plot ratio of 1.0.
- ID Funds Management Limited (2017 – current) It is a property development fund with a focus on developing asset class “Cognitive City”. A typical Cognitive City development project in Australia has about AUD$20Billion end value, where about 50% (AUD$10Billion) can be held for rental income as part of a long term holding portfolio. Australian Funds Management Licence: AFSL 488178 (Retail & Wholesale).
Bill Zheng’s tertiary education includes Civil Engineering, Computer Science, MBA and Finance. His corporate career spanned many industries: Information Technology, Telecommunication, Horse Racing, Civil Aviation, Utilities, Logistics and Management Consulting.
Having worked in multiple technical & management roles in Australia, USA, Canada, Finland, Hong Kong and New Zealand for almost a decade, Bill left Management Consulting Services of PwC Australia as an SAP system architect in 2000 to found
JOHN TABART
CEO
John Tabart is Cition’s appointed CEO and has 35 years of experience in the private and public sectors as a CEO in Australia, the UK, the US, South East Asia and the Middle East.
He was the CEO and responsible for the planning, development, and delivery of Australia’s two largest new city precincts, the AUD$30Bn Melbourne responsible Docklands and the AUD$15Bn Barangaroo in Sydney.
John is currently also a non-executive director, a mentor to CEOs and a senior advisor to two chairpersons in Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.
John was, until Feb 09, Managing Director of Explore Capital and Explore Investments P/L, the London based UK property development and investment subsidiaries of Laing O’Rourke Plc. Laing O’Rourke is the largest privately owned Construction and Infrastructure Group in the UK, with operations in the UK, Middle East and Australia. From July 07, John was responsible for creating, managing, and operating the GBP 2Bn residential, commercial, retail, education, and mixed-use developments.
John had a 14-year career with Lend Lease rising to national Managing Director of Lend Lease Residential P/L (including Lend Lease Leisure P/L) in 1986.
John has also served as a Board Member of various public entities, including; the Committee for Melbourne (10 Years), the Global Sustainability Advisory Board RMIT, Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, The Tourism Task Force, and the Tasmanian Growth Development Fund (10 Years).
John is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD); a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia FIEAust), and was a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration, Vic Div (FIPA).
ROSS MARTIENSEN
Director, Responsible Manager
Ross is a Vice President of Investors Director Financial Group (IDFG) and Australian Education City. He holds a full licence in Real Estate in Victoria and New South Wales. Ross studied Applied Science and Photography at RMIT, and completed a Diploma of Property at Academic Pavilion, and a Certificate IV in Mortgage Broking from AAMC.
Ross began his career in the Real Estate industry in 2001. He was the head of the Property Investment Division for one of the largest building groups in Victoria and directed a number of land subdivision and property development projects Since joining IDFG in 2010, Ross has been a director for all property related business subsidiaries for the group, including property sales, property management, property development and construction.
Ross is a Director and Responsible Manager for ID Funds Management Limited (AFSL: 488 178).
VIVIEN LIN
CFO
Vivien Lin’s tertiary education includes English Literature and Accounting in China and Canada. She left KPMG Australia as an accountant in 2000 to co-found Investors Direct Financial Group (IDFG).
Vivien is the CFO of IDFG which has the following subsidiaries:
- ID Mortgage Solutions Pty Ltd (2001 – 2018, outsourced to Money Quest since 2018 on a 30:70 profit share) A finance company which is specialized in providing mortgage solutions to Australian property investors and developers. It has 7,040 transacted clients from IDFG’s 34,630 property investor Clients. Australian Credit Licence 402950.
- ID Financial Planning Pty Ltd (2010 – 2018, sold to Finwell Group through an MBO in 2018) It provides financial planning services to IDFG’s 34,630 clients. Australian Financial Planning Licence: AFSL 385827.
- ID Property Advisory Pty Ltd (2010 – 2018, sold to Finwell Group through an MBO in 2018) Real estate sales company which has sold over 1,400 investment properties, Real Estate Licence: 071792L.
- ID Property Management Pty Ltd (2010 – 2018, sold to Harcourt in 2018) It provides property management service to some of the IDFG’s clients who have built investment properties through the company. It was sold to Harcourt in 2018 with a rent roll over 600 properties. Real Estate Licence: 0473458L.
- 8 Star Homes Pty Ltd (2009 – 2018) It was set up to provide property renovation and construction service to IDFG’s property investor clients, it has also built over 1,400 residential investment properties with contracted builders in Melbourne. Australian Domestic Building Licence: DB-U 25276.
- ID Developments Pty Ltd (2011 – current) It’s a property development company which mainly focuses on boutique property development projects under AUD$100m end value, it has completed a total of $635m worth of development (& construction) projects in Australia.
- Capitol Property Group Pty Ltd (2015 – current) It is a Master Plan Community property developer, currently developing a AUD$750m, 206ha and 1,900 lots land subdivision project in Sunbury, Melbourne.
- Australian Education City Pty Ltd (“AEC”, 2014 – current) AEC is a city development company which was awarded the exclusive preferred developer status during the Victorian government’s 2014- 2019 global tender for the sale of the 412 hectare East Werribee Employment Precinct. Key metrics: 6.04 million sqm Gross Floor Area, AUD$71 billion Gross Development Value, 100,000 residents, 50,000 on-site students, 80,000 local jobs, and development plot ratio of 2.0. AEC achieved legally binding funding commitment of AUD$2.9Billion with J.P. Morgan as its financial advisor in 2019.
- CitiOn Pty Ltd (2022 – current) CitiOn is a majority owned subsidiary of IDFG, it is a city development company with a focus on developing and managing Cognitive Cities. It is currently replicating the Australian Education City’s winning solution across Australia, Asia and the Middle East. Key metrics of a typical CitiOn city in Australia: about 2-3 million sqm Gross Floor Area, Gross Development Value AUD$20billion, 30,000 residents, 20,000 on-site students, 10,000+ local jobs, and a development plot ratio of 1.0.
- ID Funds Management Limited (2017 – current) It is a property development fund with a focus on developing asset class “Cognitive City”. A typical Cognitive City development project in Australia has about AUD$20Billion end value, where about 50% (AUD$10Billion) can be held for rental income as part of a long term holding portfolio. Australian Funds Management Licence: AFSL 488178 (Retail & Wholesale).
SHANE SHEEDY
Director, Development & Construction
Shane is a highly astute and result driven Senior Developer and Construction Executive with over 30 years’ experience delivering a diverse range of projects throughout Australia. Shane is also a registered Unlimited Commercial and Domestic Building Practitioner. Shane has managed many large project teams from inception through to completion, delivering across various sectors from residential, commercial, retail shopping centres, government buildings, recreational resorts and land sub-divisions. Shane has worked as an executive for over 18 years with a number of development and construction companies and notably delivered several signature projects in Melbourne such as： Waterfront City, Docklands, Silverwater Resort, Aerial Apartments, Bendigo Market Place Shopping Centre, Monash Green, Clayton.
Shane is a Director of the Development and Construction business unit at Capitol Property Group as well as the Project Director for Australian Education City. Shane is responsible for the vision, direction and management of the business unit and to ensure that all projects are completed on time, on budget, to a set quality standard and that the internal rate of return is achieved across all developments and investments. Shane’s personable approach, methodology, eye for detail and his drive and ability to deliver projects brings confidence and reassurance to all stakeholders.
SULUNG SUTRISNO
General Manager, Development Finance
Sulung Sutrisno has an extensive investment and operation experience in the real estate investment and development industry. His current focus is on matching varieties of capital sources to different projects needs and structuring deals to ensure all interests are aligned and returns are matched with corresponding risks undertook.
Complementing his training in engineering and MBA (in finance) together with strong operational skills acquired from project management work enabled him to be a unique and highly competent investment management professional. He has over 20 years of real estate experience, with over 105 number of deals and cumulative value in excess of USD 5bn in 16 countries.
He spent more than 9 years with Lend Lease – a global real estate company throughout the Asia Pacific region. Focused on real estate development, he was responsible for various operational roles including project management, project due diligence, cost planning, project pre-planning works to construction management and delivery on industrial, commercial and residential real estate. His responsibilities included dealing with local governments, obtaining statutory approvals and client management. He has worked as an engineer and project manager with hands-on experience. He was stationed around the Asia Pacific region – Australia, Indonesia, India and Greater China (Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan).
He has lived and worked in Mainland China for six years, and in India (Mumbai and Bangalore) for one and a half years. He has travelled extensively throughout the Asia Pacific region.
Mr. Sutrisno received an M.B.A in Financial Services from Hong kong University of Science and Technology in 2007 and a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia in 1995. He is fluent in Chinese, English, and Bahasa Indonesia.
JARRAN RAPSEY
Senior Development Manager
Jarran has worked in the Property Industry for over 20 years and has extensive experience in development management with his main area of expertise being in large residential land sub-divisions.
Jarran is a strategic property professional with particular experience in urban economics, planning and marketing.
Jarran’s career has seen him in roles with a rapidly growing property developer, private consulting, local government and a start-up graphic design agency.
Jarran has a track record of delivering high quality projects, including a UDIA (Victoria) award winning subdivision. Jarran has a keen attention to detail and fosters collaborative working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders including investors, financiers and government agencies.
PETER CARNEL
Senior Project Manager
Peter has worked in the Building and Construction Industry for over 30 years and has extensive experience in Project Management having worked as both a consultant (Client side) and as a Building Contractor for some of Australia’s largest firms.
Peter’s specific project sector experience is wide ranging and includes residential, commercial, government, health, sporting and recreational, educations, refurbishment and industrial projects. Peter has particular experience in preconstruction activities including town planning processes, design development, building approvals, tendering and head contractor appointments.
Peter also has particular experience in delivering complex projects, many of which have been delivered under difficult conditions such as continued occupation of buildings, staged construction works, special industry site agreements and high security sites.
Particular skills include marketing and business development, project and construction management, project programming, estimating and budget control, tendering, contract preparation, design management, project planning, authority negotiations, constructability reviews, value management and coordination of ESD (Environmentally Sustainable Design) principles.
OTTO LUZNIK
Head of Shared Services
Otto is a commercially-astute Finance Director and Chief Financial Officer with over 25 years of experience across various market sectors such as civil engineering and construction, manufacturing and import distribution.
His key career roles include Chief Financial Officer Akron Roads Pty Ltd and Lund Construction Pty Ltd, Group Financial Controller Fulton Hogan Australia, and Group Treasurer and Taxation Manager Incitec Pivot Ltd and Nissan Australia. Otto has rigid financial acumen and an intimate knowledge of the development and construction industry.
Otto possesses robust cost analysis skills and has extensive experience in capital raising, mergers and acquisitions having been involved in a number of acquisitions and joint ventures.
Otto is also on the governance team to ensure that corporate, commercial and finance governance is maintained across the Australian Education City operations. Otto brings security and comfort to the Australian Education City and IDFG operations and is highly passionate about the success of the Australian Education City vision.