Meet the board

Katherine is the Founder, Chair and CEO of Brighte. With more than 20 years’ experience in investment banking and financial services, including 14 years at Macquarie Bank, she founded Brighte in 2015 and under her leadership, Brighte has grown into a leading consumer energy platform, enabling hundreds of thousands of homes to install solar, batteries and improve energy efficiency.

Katherine is Deputy Chair of the Australian Finance Industry Association and Co-Chair of the Consumer Energy Technology Alliance working group of the Tech Council.

Recognised as a leader in fintech and clean energy, Katherine has received numerous awards including the Telstra Women’s Business Award (Large Business, NSW), Deloitte Tech Fast Female Award, Fintech Leader of the Year at the Finnie Awards, and the UOW Alumni Award for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

Dave Parfett is an Operating Principal at AirTree Ventures where he works with early and growth stage companies, helping them scale, raise capital and exit. Dave represents AirTree on the boards of Employment Hero, DesignCrowd, HotDoc, Edrolo, Prospa, Brighte, Spaceship and others. Before joining AirTree Dave spent 16 years advising, operating, and investing across various B2B and B2C sectors, spanning different business models and growth phases. Commencing his career in investment banking and then management consulting, Dave subsequently led the development and market entry of three B2C businesses, in addition to founding and leading Qantas's CVC arm.

Brad Banducci is the recently appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ticketek Entertainment Group (TEG). Previously, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Woolworths Group from 2015 to 2024, overseeing significant growth and transformation. Brad’s career spans a diverse range of roles, including Managing Director of Woolworths Liquor (Endeavour Group), CEO of Cellarmasters Group, and CFO of Tyro Payments. He also spent 15 years with The Boston Consulting Group, specialising in retail and corporate development. With an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and degrees in Law and Commerce from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Brad’s expertise is complemented by a passion for entrepreneurship.

Emma brings over 20 years of experience in governance, legal strategy, infrastructure, energy transition and purpose-driven sectors. She is Chief of Staff at Grok Ventures, the private investment firm founded by Mike Cannon-Brookes focused on accelerating climate solutions and serves on the board of SunCable, which is developing the world’s largest solar and battery project to supply renewable power in Australia and across Asia. Previously, Emma held senior roles at AGL, where she supported the company’s adoption of new energy business models and technologies, including batteries, solar and EV charging. Earlier in her career, she worked in recycling and waste-to-energy at Veolia and practised climate, planning, and energy law at Baker McKenzie and at Freehills (now Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer). A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and recipient of the Observership Alumni Scholarship, Emma brings deep experience partnering with businesses at the forefront of the transition.

Ridhaa Ahmed is Head of Infrastructure & Private Equity at Grok Ventures, where he leads investments across sustainable infrastructure, climate technologies, and private markets. He brings a blend of technical and financial expertise, having started his career as a design and commissioning engineer in the nuclear sector before moving into 15 years of investment experience spanning private equity, infrastructure, and mezzanine credit. Ridhaa currently serves on the boards of several growth-oriented companies, where he supports management teams with governance, strategic capital allocation, and scaling execution to drive long-term value creation.

Ann has more than 20 years’ experience providing practical and insightful advice to global asset managers, superannuation funds and private banks, performing both in-house roles and as an executive consultant. She has held senior risk and compliance roles at BT Financial Group, Macquarie Bank, Deutsche Bank, Westpac and QSuper Limited.