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Meet the Team making Torqn a reality.

Meet the Team

EXECUTIVE TEAM
headshot of the torqn team troy mcdonald co founder and operations lead for the mining equipment platform & app Torqn

Troy McDonald

FOUNDER

Troy is a strategic, solutions-focused Executive with a career demonstrating visionary leadership, evidenced through superior business performance throughout his 20 years in the Australian Resources, Heavy Industrial and Professional Consulting sectors.

As former President of a coal business he has gained deep experience leading teams, managing multi-faceted projects in complex stakeholder and legal environments.  
Troy’s strength lies in navigating change in complex environments, underpinned by strong Engineering and Business acumen supported by tertiary qualifications in both areas. He is also a member of Australian Institute of Company Directors. Being a self-motivated, innovative and committed individual with a reputation for creating a culture of performance, Troy's strong interpersonal skills allow him to develop positive internal/external relationships and rapport with people at all levels.

Driven to demonstrate Torqn's relevance in a noisy world and improve the pace of innovation, Troy's indefatigable enthusiasm, knowledge and skills are ready to culminate to make his vision a reality.

troy mcdonald companies worked for before torqn the mining equipment platform & app
headshot of the torqn team brett baker co founder and operations lead for the mining equipment platform & app

Brett Baker

CO-FOUNDER & OPERATIONS LEAD

Spanning a 15 year career with BHP Billiton as a Health, Safety and Training Manager, Brett was responsible for developing and implementing robust system driven approaches to Safety and Training. During his time, he led two critical Software Development projects for Training Management and Document Control Systems, which have since been commercialised.

Since leaving BHP in 2013, Brett has been busy building entertainment businesses from the ground up through his company Funscape, beginning with the purchase of Hangdog Climbing Gym in 2007. Since then Brett's has brought 6 entertainment locations from concept to full operations, including Hangtime Trampoline Park, Revolution Laser Arena, Breakout Bar & Escape Rooms and 3 Sixty Indoor Skate Park. More recently, Brett's passion for growing successful systems-driven businesses had led him into business consulting and speaking services, helping other small to medium operators, under the name The Funprenuer.

With Brett's thirst for startups, a commitment to his team and culture, and his obsession with creating elegant systems, Brett brings a wealth of knowledge, energy and leadership experience to Torqn and its direction.

companies brett baker worked for before Torqn the mining and equipment platform and App
headshot of the torqn team jason carter chief technology officer for the mining equipment platform & app Torqn

Jason Carter

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

Jason is an established technology leader with a career spanning 30 years, primarily in major retail and investment banking institutions. He has held leadership roles responsible for highly scaled, mission critical technology platforms in areas such as digital banking, mortgages, margin lending, retail equities, and commodities trading.

Jason is a proponent of Agile methods that focus on delivering valuable software early and continuously. He loves building and optimising technology teams and believes that a core of strong, motivated software engineers is a foundation for success.

Active in the technology community, Jason has served on university advisory boards and organized industry MeetUps such as Continuous Delivery Sydney and Software Engineering Sydney. Jason also mentors a number of graduate technologists.

Jason is excited to be building the Torqn technology platform that will solve real problems and drive innovation across major industry sectors.

headshot of the torqn team james morey lead software engineer for the mining equipment platform & app torqn

James Morey

LEAD SOFTWARE ENGINEER

James is an experienced full stack engineer and technical lead with 16 years experience and a demonstrated history of designing, developing and delivering projects of varied size and complexity across the finance, health, logistics and the media industries.

Joram Salisbury

DESIGN & MESSAGE LEAD

Joram is an highly experienced designer with an eclectic history spanning numerous industries. Graduating from the University of Technology Sydney with a Ba. Hon of Visual Communication, he spent 2 years working for international fashion brands such as Lacoste, Reebok, The North Face, Ben Sherman, Wrangler, Nautica and more.

In 2014 he started an award-winning fashion and accessories Australian design label called Paterson Salisbury, manufacturing a range of products in-house selling to an international market. In 2016, he won the Etsy Fashion and Accessories award, was showcased in Virgin Voyeur, Frankie, and won customers like Cate Blanchette and RM Williams. In 2018, the company was successfully acquired by private investors.

Continuing his entrepreneurial endeavours, he now heads Wollongong Design, primarily working with startup companies, brands and businesses developing message strategy, brand aesthetic, considered user experiences, and web-design.

Since Torqn's inception in 2019, Joram has been instrumental in the design of all assets and website. Joram holds a deep passion to make Torqn a success, believing a platform for sharing technical equipment knowledge is desperately needed.

companies designer and creative director joram salisbury worked for before torqn the global mining equipment app designer
headshot of the torqn team diana harb marketing & pr lead for the mining equipment platform & app Torqn

Diana Harb

MARKETING & PR LEAD

Diana is a driver of current marketing trends and brings evidence based tactics and strategy to her experience. She has entrepreneurial marketing experience, working across various industries. She has worked to develop and refine her skills within Digital and Organic marketing.

She has demonstrated successes across implementation of Marketing Strategies within small boutique firms and local bricks and mortar businesses in the Bridal, Interior Design and Trade Industries and online companies with a strong presence nationally in the Digital Recruitment and Online Directories field. Diana is a firm believer in working closely with the brand to align core values to marketing KPIs.

Since 2019 Diana has been working as the Head of Marketing at Funscape, managing the marketing efforts of multiple entertainment venues. Working closely alongside Director, Brett Baker, she has successfully driven the marketing efforts that have resulted in increased revenue across the company.

Diana combines this experience with a decade-long career as an educator. During her career Diana held numerous leadership roles and worked closely to develop and implement strategic change across different programs.

A big believer in never becoming complacent, Diana enjoys challenging marketing strategic decisions and is a problem solver. She feels that Torqn is the perfect environment to combine these two strengths.

DEVELOPMENT

ZGuy Software Solutions

DEVELOPMENT PARTNER

ZGuy Software Solutions is an Australian-based software development company dedicated to crafting bespoke, high-quality solutions across web, mobile, and desktop platforms.

Headquartered in Wollongong, NSW, Australia, ZGuy collaborates with clients both locally and globally, offering tailored solutions that enhance efficiency and innovation. By exclusively working with Australian developers, ZGuy fosters local talent while delivering world-class software solutions.

At ZGuy, true partnership is at the core of every project. Their small but highly skilled team takes the time to understand each client’s unique needs, ensuring the delivery of impactful, cost-effective, and scalable solutions. With deep expertise spanning industries such as real estate, telecommunications, transport, and manufacturing, ZGuy brings a wealth of experience in software development, architecture, and project management.

Leveraging the latest technologies, ZGuy ensures Torqn's platform remains scalable, efficient, and future-ready. Their expertise in architecture, quality assurance, and software sustainability makes them the ideal partner for long-term growth and innovation.

Find out more about them here: www.zguy.com.

ADVISORY BOARD

Carolyn Hough

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Carolyn is an experienced internet executive with over 20 years of experience working with government departments, boards, industry bodies and major corporations as a legal adviser, strategy coach, public policy professional and government relations manager.  

Carolyn was the first Head of Government Relations for Google Australia and New Zealand, and a member of Google’s ANZ Senior Leadership team.

As the founder of successful consultancy business Policy Australia, she advises clients such as Netflix and peak body groups in the education sector, assists global companies with Australia and New Zealand market entry assessments, and assists startup/scale ups with risk assessments and strategic reviews. She has also advised companies such as Amazon, Stripe, SBS and Time Warner.

Carolyn’s wider industry expertise includes service as a Board Member of the Internet Industry Association of Australia, a member of the Advisory Committee member for the Australian Law Reform Commission's review into Copyright and the Digital Economy, and a member of the Australian Government's Ministerial Advisory Consultative Group on Cybersafety.

companies salvador klein worked for before Torqn the mining and equipment platform and App
headshot of salvador klein the torqn advisory board non executive director

Salvador Klein

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

A ‘serial entrepreneur’ is a great way to describe Salvador. He has an itch that only genuine, grassroots entrepreneurship can scratch. After being homeschooled in Canada he was fast-tracked through the school system in Australia but his admission to Sydney University was sidelined when he secured a position at Fairfax Media - he was 17. “The greatest gift my education has given me is the gift of an open mind.”

Salvador launched his first startup venture when he was 21 while working full time - it promptly failed.“ The psychological experience of starting a company when I was so young cemented an enduring belief that I could create something out of nothing."

Salvador has been involved in a dozen startup ventures - amidst much, and sometimes great, failure he now sits on the board of a number of successful companies and has invested in many more. “People always said that I should focus on one thing at a time, I never have. It’s one of the core things I do differently.”

headshot of paul budrikis the torqn advisory board financial board member

Paul Budrikis

FINANCIAL

Paul is a Chartered Accountant and Member of the AICD. Paul spent the first 10 years of his career with KPMG, both in Australia and the UK.

Since then Paul has held various senior and executive level financial and commercial roles with blue chip listed organisations including; BlueScope Steel, Billabong International, IRT, BHP and LVMH.

Paul’s career includes deep experience covering; Listed reporting requirements, Mergers & Acquisitions, Treasury, Funding, Systems implementation, Supply Chain, IT, Risk and Legal.

His career experience covers Heavy Industry & Bulk Commodities (BHP and BlueScope Steel) and Wholesale, Retail and EComm in the apparel market (LVMH and Billabong).

headshot of torqn advisory board member gideon oberholzer commercial specialist

Gideon Oberholzer

COMMERCIAL

Gideon Oberholzer is an ex-CFO of BHP Billiton with 15+years experience in commercial financial management and IT strategy & infrastructure.

During a decorated international career across South Africa, Switzerland and Australia, Gideon's roles include the head of Finance Non-LME for BHPB in Switzerland, responsible for Energy Coal, Freight, Power, Gas and Emissions and Vice President of Freight & Logistics for BHPB Global operations.  

In 2007, Gideon relocated to Melbourne Australia as Vice President Commercial IT, responsible for formulating a new IT strategy for BHP Billiton. Following this position, Gideon was appointed as CFO/Vice President of Finance for the newly formed Metallurgical coal division, based in Brisbane. During his 8 years tenure as CFO, Gideon successfully integrated The Energy Coal division as part of his business unit, representing BHPB on multiple boards and joint ventures as an executive member in Australia, South Africa, The Netherlands, Indonesia, USA, Columbia and Ireland.

Gideon's strength is his experience & understanding of enterprise-scale commercial strategy for an international landscape, making him a vital advisor Torqn's commercial development and growth.

headshot of torqn advisory board member josh doolan technical specialist and founder of mudbath digital

Josh Doolan

TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT

Josh is an highly accomplished software engineer with vast experience in developing digital products for some of Australia’s largest brands and highly successful startups - including the likes of the Woolworths Group, Mastercard, and Dimmi (TripAdvisor company).

Having graduated from the University of Technology Sydney in 2007 as a software engineer, Josh established his career at some of Australia's leading firms, such as Ziller, Wiliam, Pegasus, Seconline, Berlan and Scrypt.

In 2013, Josh foudned Mudbath Digital, a digital product delivery firm where he currently holds the position of Managing Director. Based in Newcastle, the highly technical firm supports a diverse portfolio of clients ranging including Westpac, NIB, AP Eagers, CarParkit & Pegasus Onsite to name a few.

Josh's fierce passion, wisdom, & expertise for innovation, startups & digital product commercialisation make him an invaluable asset during Torqn's technical development and future scale.