Our Team

We don’t simply advise, we are practitioners in building pipelines and closing deals. A true partner, providing hands-on support and sticking around to drive revenue growth.

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Brian O’Doherty CEO

As CEO of Accelerate Growth, Brian works closely with software leaders and their investors to deliver outcomes that matter: validated Go-To-Market strategies, high-quality sales pipelines, and scalable market expansion programs. The Accelerate Growth model is designed not just to drive revenue growth, but to create enterprise value - helping private equity firms and founders alike build more valuable, market-ready businesses.

Brian draws on more than three decades of leadership in the IT and software sector, across sales, general management, and international expansion. He has built and led high-performing sales organisations for both startups and multinationals including scaling Sterling Commerce’s ANZ business. As founder of NovaTech Ventures, he led the firm’s growth for 20 years before its acquisition by the NEXTGEN Group, where it now operates as a global division.

At Accelerate Growth, Brian brings this experience to bear in helping software companies move fast, scale smart, and execute with precision. The Accelerate Growth team works with founders, leadership teams, and investors to implement Go-To-Market strategies that unlock sustainable growth - locally and globally.

If you’re ready to accelerate growth and build long-term value, book a call with Brian today.

Advisory Services Team

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Anthony Drury

Strategic Advisor

  • Seasoned executive with extensive experience in fintech, SaaS, payments, eCommerce, and corporate services. He has a strong track record in scaling businesses, P&L management, M&A, and regulatory engagement.

    Anthony has led multimillion-dollar portfolios, driving growth through go-to-market strategies, product and pricing transformations, and operational improvements. He has held senior roles at Zip Payments, PayPal, easyJet, and American Express, leading global expansion and digital transformation.

    He also serves as an advisor and board member for high-growth tech ventures, supporting strategic scaling and investment. Anthony holds an MBA and a Master’s in eCommerce Management from Macquarie University and completed the Company Directors Course at the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

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Jamie Collins

Strategic Advisor

  • Seasoned leader in the payments industry, with extensive experience across project management, sales, product, risk, compliance, and executive roles in banks, payment processors, and software companies. As Head of Cards Acquiring at ANZ, he grew profitability from $4.5M to $23M in three years.

    As CEO of Cosmos EC Commerce, he turned a $2.2M loss into a $2M profit within two years. Jamie co-founded IP Payments, scaling it to $15M in revenue and $2M in profit before its sale in 2015.

    He also co-founded Kovena, a payments processor specializing in the travel industry, where he continues to serve as a director and advisor. Kovena is growing at 10%

    MoM with an AAR of $5M.

    He holds a Bachelor of Forestry Science.

isaac cohen

Strategic Advisor

  • Seasoned data-economist and growth strategist with 15 years’ experience turning bold ideas into global businesses. Isaac has founded or helped build high-impact companies on five continents—spanning AI-powered analytics, B2B marketing, and sustainability—while recruiting and leading teams of thousands and generating double-digit revenue growth for Fortune 500s, scale-ups, and non-profits alike.

    He previously served as President of ManyMangoes, steering the firm from start-up to trusted marketing partner for SAP, Oracle and other blue-chip clients; co-founded Futurum One to deliver AI-driven operational intelligence to healthcare, finance and manufacturing; and pioneered talent-risk prediction technology now used by enterprises to cut churn and protect revenue. Earlier, Isaac held global sales-strategy roles at SAP SuccessFactors, where his “triple-win” programs added €112 million in new cloud revenue, and he has raised millions for charities through innovative CSR initiatives.

    Isaac sits on advisory boards covering regtech, climate tech and social impact, and has chaired organisations that planted 2.4 million trees and provided free legal resources to combat corruption in Kenya. Recognised for social-selling innovation and top-performing sales leadership, he continues to mentor founders on go-to-market execution, revenue operations, and AI adoption.

    Isaac studied Audio Engineering at SAE Institute Australia, is certified in Challenger Sales and SAP Battleplan, and is a frequent speaker on data-led growth and the future of work.

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Peter Russell

Strategic Advisor

  • Experienced leader with a 40-year career spanning technology, business, and financial services. He is Chair and Trustee of his private investment fund, Kurrawonga, and Executive Chairman of Bluechain Payments Limited. Previously, he was Non-Executive Chairman of Snap Franchising Limited and held an executive role at Hydrix, specializing in MEMS for medical technology. He also played a key role at Sinefa, which won the Harvard Business School Asia-Pacific Best New Venture Competition in 2016.

    Beyond technology, he has advised and managed businesses across sectors including food distribution, professional services, aviation, and microbiology. Earlier in his career, he co- owned Rylands (retirement villages), Peppers (hotels), and operated grain and sheep farms in Esperance, Western Australia.

    He has studied business at Curtin, Monash, and Harvard Universities and is a graduate and member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

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Amanda Mark

Strategic Advisor

  • An expert advisor in financial markets, risk and compliance, startups, and RegTech. She is the Co-Founder and CEO of MIntegrity, a boutique consultancy specializing in regulatory risk and compliance for financial market entrants and participants.

    Previously, Amanda was a Senior Manager at the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC), overseeing market and participant supervision, industry liaison, and the implementation of ASIC Market Integrity Rules and competition in trading.

    Her experience includes leadership roles at global financial institutions, serving as Director of Equity Operations at UBS AG and Vice President at Morgan Stanley, where she headed Australian operations and North American institutional client services in New York.

    She is a GAICD member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

igor fijan

Strategic Advisor

  • With over 15 years of financial leadership experience as a CFO across start-ups to global corporations, Igor is recognised for leading strategic growth, financial management, operational and IT excellence. His career is marked by an ability to integrate financial strategy with corporate goals, resulting in multi-million revenue and profit growth and operational efficiencies, and successful mergers and acquisitions.

    Igor excels in driving sustainable and profitable organic and inorganic growth, underpinned by deep expertise in M&A, operations, IT, risk and governance, alongside a seasoned tenure in board and director roles in Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

    His leadership style blends strategic vision with a strong focus on collaboration and influence. This approach has been instrumental in leading business expansions and integrations, executing sophisticated business transformations and turnarounds, and optimising investment allocation decisions. Igor thrives in navigating complex regulatory environments and establishing robust governance frameworks that enhance financial integrity and compliance on a global scale.

    Throughout his career, Igor has championed digital innovation and implementing best in class finance processes, ensuring finance functions keep up with evolving business needs, driving efficiency improvements and business value.

    Drawing on a uniquely diverse experience spanning financial services (insurance, payments and foreign exchange), professional services, allied health, consulting, business travel, logistics and technology, Igor is respected by boards and executive management teams for his strategic ability and building strong relationships as a leader and trusted advisor.

    Igor has held executive finance, IT and operational leadership positions at Howden Group, Marsh and McLennan, Jardine Lloyd Thompson and American Express.

    Igor’s professional qualifications include a Bachelor of Business degree from RMIT University, Melbourne and a Masters in Commerce from the University of New South Wales.

    He is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) with CPA Australia.

Jennifer arnold

Strategic Advisor

  • Jennifer has nearly three decades of global and Asia Pacific-wide leadership experience across marketing, sales, communications and customer experience.

    She's led sales and marketing teams for global technology leaders including SAP, Unisys and Squiz, and has held senior communications roles with IBM and QBE Insurance. As well, she has consulted to public and private organisations on customer/citizen and employee experience. She currently works with B2B companies to build their customer/partner advisory board and communities programs, and helps them develop successful marketing and CX programs. She also leads Public Sector Network's global Industry Research and Advisory practice, supporting companies' government sales and marketing programs. Jennifer is a non-executive board member of the Software Australia industry association, sits on Public Sector Network’s global advisory board, and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Adriane McDermott

Strategic Advisor

  • Adriane McDermott is a successful entrepreneur and marketer, recognised twice as one of the top 50 CMOs in Australia. With over 25 years of experience in the USA and Australia, she has expertise in retail marketing, brand development, and innovation across various industries. Her impressive career includes key roles at Diageo, Nike, Seafolly, David Jones, and Petbarn/Greencross, where she consistently drove growth and creative initiatives as a CMO and senior marketer.

    Currently, Adriane is the Founder and Director of a startup in the alcoholic beverage sector and in 2023 was selected for an accelerator program run by Distill Ventures for Diageo. Over the past two years in this program, she has sharpened her skills in commercial strategy, product development, and marketing, successfully raising investment and expanding distribution and sales. Adriane is well-equipped to leverage her extensive experience to help brands achieve their own success.

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Peter Croft

Strategic Advisor

  • Market entry and growth specialist for SaaS technology companies in education, health tech, and workforce management. With over 20 years of board-level leadership, he has served on the boards of Australian, US, UK, and Malaysian companies across private, public, and private equity-owned businesses. Peter has led APAC operations for UK-headquartered companies Tribal Group, Allocate Software, and Clearswift and was Managing Director of Tenix Datagate, part of the Tenix Group.

    He holds a BE (Electrical) with Honours, an MBA, and is a GAICD.

Patricia Douguett

Strategic Advisor

  • Patricia is a high-impact delivery executive with over two decades of experience leading complex technology transformations across financial services, insurance, and government. She brings deep expertise in portfolio delivery, cloud migration, and agile leadership, having managed programs up to $80M and led cross-functional teams of 100+.

    As COO and Co-Founder of Software@Scale, Patricia has helped scale delivery velocity for major clients like Coates Group, supporting global rollouts across 14,000+ McDonald’s stores. Prior roles at AIA Australia and Commonwealth Bank saw her drive major digital transformations, optimise tech operating models, and lead strategic workforce transitions.

    Patricia is a certified SAFe Agilist, with a foundation in PwC consulting and proven strength in mentoring senior leaders and managing C-suite relationships. She thrives in fast-paced environments where execution, governance, and transformation intersect to deliver commercial outcomes.

Revenue Growth Team