James van Smeerdijk
Founder & Managing Director
James founded atticusnow in 2019. He advises government, businesses, and NGOs on complex strategy, policy, and economic issues, drawing on three decades of experience across diverse sectors including infrastructure, economic development, education, health, social policy, energy, resources, agriculture, and environment. He also possesses extensive expertise in stakeholder engagement, and codesign workshop design and facilitation.
His client portfolio spans major corporations, industry associations, governments, universities, NGOs, and international agencies.
He has a strong track record in advising on strategy and governance around digital and technology change, as well as research and commercialisation.
James has successfully led and advised on the development of various enterprises, from technology start-ups and consulting firms to social purpose organisations.
Before founding atticusnow, James spent a decade as a Partner at PwC Australia, where he notably led the Victorian Government practice and the Melbourne Economics & Policy team. During his tenure, he spearheaded the development of PwC's first two Reconciliation Action Plans and established PwC's Indigenous Consulting (now Yamagigu), a pioneering majority Indigenous-owned and staffed consulting business.
Previous roles include CEO of The Allen Consulting Group, Senior Fellow at the Melbourne Business School, and Executive Officer in the Victorian Treasury.
B.Sc.(Hons) in Biochemistry University of Melbourne, MBA Melbourne Business School, GAICD
Kendrea Pope
Director
Kendrea Pope brings extensive senior executive experience from both state and local government, where she led policy development in areas such as planning and building, strategic land use, community engagement, economic development, regulatory reform, and service delivery.
In her consulting capacity, Kendrea has successfully guided local governments in participatory community engagement, strategic planning, and governance. Her work also encompasses audit programmes and comprehensive organisational reviews, including expertise in emergency management, business processes, and compliance.
Jasper Potter
Senior Manager & Codesign Lead
Jasper leads atticusnow's codesign delivery, bringing nearly a decade of expertise in collaboration and codesign. He specialises in facilitating engaging and interactive workshops, forums, and roundtables.
His extensive experience spans delivering workshops and visual communications projects across diverse sectors, for all levels of government, and for private clients including PwC, KPMG, and Telstra.
Stefan Anjou
Manager
Stefan is a consultant with over five years of experience, advising government, corporate, and non-profit clients on policy, strategy, and complex operational challenges. His diverse client portfolio spans large renewable energy developers, multinational manufacturing companies, First Nations and community-controlled organisations, peak industry bodies, and all levels of government (Commonwealth and state).
Cyrus Potter
Manager
Cyrus is a Project Manager and Consultant with six years of experience across diverse public, non-profit, and private sectors. His work spans local and state governments, universities, NGOs, and First Nations organisations.
He specialises in strategic reviews, programme evaluations, codesign workshops, and stakeholder engagement processes.
Devina Azaria Hashifah
Associate
Devina offers extensive consulting experience across government, agriculture, and not-for-profit sectors. She specialises in research, analysis, and financial modelling for growth strategy, business plans, and program review projects. Her experience also includes a First Peoples agribusiness project.
Caroline Chernov
Special Adviser - Social Capital
A dedicated systems change and complexity practitioner, Caroline has driven disruption, innovation, and social and environmental change for over 20 years, building on a decade of experience in international business. She is committed to leading bold reforms, meticulously dissecting change aspirations with rigour, discipline, creativity, and an open, collaborative approach.
Caroline excels in navigating uncertainty, partnering with those brave enough to tackle the complexities of ESG. Her advisory work empowers organisations to develop the adaptability needed for intricate environmental, social, and governance challenges. This includes fostering cross-sector collaborations, integrating innovative financial models, and refining strategy and impact reporting for reflexive practice.
Her extensive experience across diverse sectors, disciplines, and organisational scales reflects her unique training and career trajectory. Caroline has held leadership and board positions in corporate, university, impact investing, NGO, and philanthropy sectors throughout Australia and the US. She is an Honorary Senior Fellow and graduate of The University of Melbourne, holding an M.B.A. from IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland, and a diploma in managing Non Profit Organisations from Harvard University, USA.
Steve Thorne
Special Adviser - Urban Design
With over 30 years of practical experience, Steve Thorne has worked across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, South Africa, the UAE, Oman, and China. He has spearheaded numerous urban growth planning strategies, including Melbourne 2030, Horsham 2040, the Western Sydney Growth Strategy, the Christchurch Growth Strategy (New Zealand), the Baralink Development Plan, and the Midland Development Framework (South Africa). His expertise also extends to implementing large-scale projects like significant sections of the West Dapto Land Release area (NSW) and the Canning Vale Structure Plan (Western Australia).
Kate Eriksson
Special Adviser - Digital
Kate Eriksson is a seasoned digital industry leader whose experience and network encompass iconic global businesses like Google, Facebook, Skype, and Twitter. She has advised numerous corporate boards on driving innovation across diverse sectors, including government, financial services, telecommunications, and media.
Specialising in mobile innovation, Kate's key achievements include designing and operating the world's first mobile Skype, implementing SMS capabilities for Twitter, optimising Google's location services, and developing a broker model that connected two billion consumers to internet services.
As Director and "matriarch" of the AT&T Foundry in Silicon Valley, Kate successfully established the business, fostering collaboration among startups, venture capitalists, Stanford academics, and developers. At PwC, she was instrumental in developing programs for innovation within the broader corporate ecosystem, building new digital experiences, and advising on business growth. With seven years working in Asia, Europe, Israel, and the US, Kate is passionate about Australian innovation, economic growth, and the positive social impact of technology.
Peter Harris
Special Adviser - Economics and Policy
Peter Harris recently retired as Chairman of the Productivity Commission. His distinguished career includes serving as Secretary of the Australian Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, and leading Victorian Government agencies focused on Sustainability and the Environment, Primary Industries, and Public Transport.
Harris's experience extends to the private sector, where he worked for the Ansett-Air New Zealand aviation group and as a transport policy consultant. He also undertook an exchange with Canada's Privy Council Office. His extensive government career began with the Department of Overseas Trade, followed by significant periods with Treasury, Finance, the Prime Minister's Department, and Transport. Notably, he served as a member of then Prime Minister Bob Hawke's personal staff, on secondment from the Prime Minister's Department. In recognition of his service, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2013.
Ray Challen
Special Adviser - Energy and Utilities
Ray brings seven years of executive and board leadership experience from the Government of Western Australia. Prior to this, his career spanned 23 years in research and consulting, focussing on environmental science, natural resource management, economic regulation, and public policy.
He served on the governing body of Western Australia's Economic Regulation Authority (ERA). The ERA's key responsibilities included access regulation for energy and rail infrastructure, licencing of energy businesses, ensuring compliance and enforcement within the Western Australian Wholesale Electricity Market, and independently conducting economic and policy inquiries for the state government.
Knowles Tivendale
Special Adviser - Transport and Planning
Knowles brings over 20 years of experience in strategic planning and transport integration for public sector and government clients. He collaborates with stakeholders to deliver integrated, efficient, and sustainable public transport solutions.
With 12 years as a consultant and 10 years in local government, Knowles has led multidisciplinary teams on complex projects, encompassing: developing integrated transport plans, strategic frameworks, business cases, and options assessments; evaluating transport networks through financial and economic modelling; crafting transport network improvement strategies focused on customer value and broader community benefits; designing policies to foster vibrant, efficient, productive, sustainable, and resilient cities; and partnering with private sector clients to optimise transport outcomes in Major Activity Centres and Growth Areas.
Richard Gruppetta
Special Adviser - Trade
Richard excels in lead advisory and advocacy roles across diverse industries, having represented the Australian Federal Government and delivered strategic solutions in turnaround management and Asian business development for high-profile advisory firms. His proven track record spans Government, Big 4 advisory, and Fortune 10 companies, complemented by extensive experience navigating multicultural environments and fostering innovation.
He has excelled in senior representational business and diplomatic capacities, leveraging sound commercial understanding and broad strategic insight to deliver innovative solutions. Richard also serves on the Industry Advisory Board for the Master of International Relations course at Monash University, providing expert insight and advice on diplomacy, government, international relations, and commercial diplomacy.
Mario D'Elia
Special Adviser - Infrastructure Financing
Mario D'Elia is a highly accomplished strategic, commercial, and financial adviser with extensive experience across diverse industries and project scales. He has served both the private and public sectors, both in Australia and internationally.
Mario established and led PwC Australia's infrastructure advisory practice for over 20 years. In the Public Service, he was instrumental in establishing and developing the Projects and Reform Group within the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance. Operating in dynamic markets, Mario consistently drives market changes, ensuring optimal outcomes for both private and public sector stakeholders.
David Williams-Chen
Special Adviser - Economic Modelling
David Williams-Chen is an economic strategist with over 15 years of consulting experience across infrastructure, policy, industry development, and investment planning. As Founder and Managing Director of Positive Economics Advisory, he enables organisations to articulate their economic impact, influencing billions in national investment decisions.
He has led over 120 projects in more than 30 countries, advising on investments exceeding $175 billion. His expertise provides clients with robust economic tools—including impact assessments, cost-benefit analyses, regulatory reviews, and policy briefings—essential for successful funding bids, government engagement, and policy reform. David excels at applying rigorous economic analysis to solve complex, systemic challenges across various sectors.
Tim Murray
Special Adviser - Quantitative Analysis
Tim Murray's professional career is dedicated to applying quantitative tools to policy analysis. He has developed, applied, and led teams in leveraging a wide array of modelling tools, including advanced econometrics, machine learning, microsimulation, general equilibrium, and custom-built partial equilibrium models.
He founded Precision Economics after serving as a Senior Executive at the Australian Government Productivity Commission. His deep passion for mathematics, data, economics, and modelling fuels his commitment to delivering high-quality quantitative work, providing otherwise unobtainable insights.