Our business is built on the foundation of our great team of people. Our team is detailed, versatile, dynamic and dedicated to our clients’ goals. Each member of the Tavuni team brings their own extensive industry experience and business networks to the table. We have a collaborative culture and explore all the options to provide the most balanced, accurate and sound business information to our clients.

Our people are analytical and diligent with valuable commercial insight which has developed through extensive national and international experience. Our track record of success sets us apart, and that is why our clients partner with us to help their organisations grow and evolve.

Meet Our Team

Suren ‘Tau’ Kumar

Suren ‘Tau’ Kumar is a Director of TAVUNI Capital.  He has over 20 years of investment banking and corporate finance experiences at Senior Executive, Director and CEO levels in Big 4 chartered firms (KPMG, Deloitte, Arthur Andersen) large financial services organizations including National Australia Bank, Westpac Bank, Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance and semi government bodies.

Tau has specific experiences originating and executing transactions (from small to very large deals)  in capital raising (equity, debt and hybrids both on-market and off-market), investment management (equity, debt, hybrids), private equity, business divestments, mergers, acquisitions, valuations (share, business and intangible assets), independent expert reports, due diligence reviews, financial model development and reviews, transaction structuring, investment evaluations and appraisals, due diligence, offer document preparation & reviews.  His experiences also extend to private wealth management, financial product structuring & development and capital market development (market microstructure and macrostructure) via policy, trading rules, regulation and legislation reviews and amendment.

Operating at National and International levels Tau has extensive track record and experiences in leading teams from origination to execution of a range of transactions from plain vanilla structures to complex transnational client matters.

Tau holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Post Grad Diploma, Master of Commerce (University of Auckland), Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investments (Finsia), Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australia, Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (“MAICD”) and is a Certified Finance and Investment Professional (“CFIP”)

Dr Robert Gilmour

Dr Robert Gilmour is a Director at Tavuni Capital.  He has a proven track record at global level and hands on experience in understanding technology assets both in the market and from academic institutions.

More specifically Robert has a:

• track record in devising and managing IP from both an asset definition/prosecution basis to a commercial implementation/strategic planning basis along with the risk management, i.e. commercial litigation risk management and implementation across key jurisdictions
• Clear and defined focus on what is needed to prosecute IPs to maintain product margins and prevent competition

Robert’s deep experiences extend to the capital markets as well.  He has raised capital for technology ventures in NZ, Australia, and the US; is a past government accredited fund manager in NZ at seed and VC levels;  is a past venture partner on investment committees in a San Diego based VC company focused on Healthcare and global ‘game changing’ technologies.

He has personally managed the commercialisation process of technology at all stages from invention to IP definition and prosecution to implementation, reduction to practice to regulatory affairs to regulatory management. Robert has products in global markets relating to 19 existing US patents. His IP maintains margins in today’s markets. In addition Robert has been involved in setting up international distribution in Asia, Central and South America and the United States of America.

Robert brings along to Tavuni Capital a proven transactional record in buying and selling US companies/divisions with his own capital in certain transactions. He has unique experiences in dealing with Academic Institutions particularly in assessing their assets, nurturing the ideas to convert technology to cash as a stakeholder.

He is well acquainted with the current global technology market dynamics particularly the deal flow between Asia to the USA and vice versa creating a win-win for our clients seeking international expansion.

Dr Gilmour is a member of the Stanford University Alumni and was an Associate Professor at Stanford University.  He currently holds Directorships of NZ, USA and Australian Private and Public Companies.

Bruce Sutton

Bruce Sutton is a Senior Consultant to TAVUNI Capital.  Bruce has over 30 years of professional experience with a Big Four  accounting firm in Australia and  the South Pacific region providing corporate advisory and  audit  services to listed, unlisted, Government, not-for-profit  and private sector entities.  Bruce was most recently a Senior Partner for over a decade retiring from partnership in early 2012.

He was partner responsible for the Advisory division of his firm which included services such as corporate finance, due diligence for mergers, acquisitions and divestments, valuations and experts reports,  corporate recovery and internal audit).

Bruce holds a Bachelor of Commerce (University of New South Wales) and Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment (Securities Institute of Australia) and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (“FINSIA”)

Dr Robert (Jerry) Bowman

Dr Robert (Jerry) Bowman is a Director at TAVUNI Capital. Jerry began his professional career at Arthur Young & Company (now Ernst & Young) in the USA and over time he acquired substantial commercial experience in executive positions and as a consultant on a range of issues. Jerry has held Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer roles at listed and unlisted companies and various consulting roles in a variety of industries prior to moving into academia where he read and taught corporate finance, accounting & investment banking subjects at undergraduate, post graduate and doctorate levels.

Jerry is Emeritus Professor of Finance at University of Auckland, New Zealand and has taught at universities in the USA, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea and Australia. He has published numerous articles in international journals and books, presented research papers at international conferences and presented invited guest research seminars at a number of universities.  His research has been published in the top journals of finance and accounting, and he has also published a number of articles in journals that have an applied orientation.  The topics of Jerry’s research and publications have been wide ranging from theoretical issues, to empirical studies of micro-economic and macro-economic issues, to analysis of regulatory change, to applications of his academic training, to practical issues of corporate financial management.

Jerry has a rich consulting background particularly in a regulatory environment and on behalf of companies that are subject to regulation.  He has advised regulators, acted as an expert witness on numerous occasions for regulators and prepared submissions to regulators on policy matters.  He is a subject matter expert and is often cited by others for his work (full list of transactions available on request).

Jerry holds B.A. from Pomona College (major Economics), M.S. San Diego State University (major Accounting) and Ph.D. Stanford University (major Accounting)

Joshita (Josh) Devika

Joshita (Josh) Devika is a Senior Consultant at Tavuni Capital.  She is a Chartered Accountant with around 20 years of deep professional experiences in large listed, public and private corporations within Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific regions.  Josh began her professional career in the Chartered Accounting sector working for mid tier accounting firms and KPMG.  She then moved into the property sector and has worked for Westfield, GPT, Kiwi Income Property Trust and Stocklands where she has assumed various roles including senior management positions. 

Josh has extensive experiences in all facets of financial management, management reporting, financial & statutory accounting, portfolio reporting & analysis, compliance, investor relations management including preparation of analyst presentations for large listed companies/private companies, forecasting and budgeting, stakeholder management (internal & external), front end & back end integration of operations, people management, internal & external audit, corporate advisory and taxation.  Josh adds significant value to the team in all areas of her expertise and plays a lead role on mandate execution.

Josh holds a BCom from University of Auckland, is a Chartered Accountant CA (ICANZ) and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Commerce from University of Auckland.