Board of Directors
Our board of directors are focused on driving our strategy and delivering value for our shareholders.
Chris Knoblanche
Chairman & Independent Non-Executive Director
Chris joined hipages in March 2020 as Chairman and Independent Non-Executive Director.
Chris currently serves on the boards of iSelect, Latitude Insurance and the Environment Protection Authority of NSW.
Chris was previously chair of the Australian Ballet, trustee of the Sydney Opera House, and a non-executive director of Aussie Home Loans, Greencross and iMed Radiology.
Chris is a chartered accountant and has extensive CEO, executive and financial markets experience, having served as managing director and head of Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking (Australia and NZ), a partner in Caliburn (now Greenhill Investment Bank) and CEO of Andersen Australia and Andersen Business Consulting – Asia.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Commerce and is a Member of Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand (ACA), and Fellow of the Australian Society of CPAs (FCPA).
Robert Sharon-Zipser
Chief Executive Officer & Director
Robert joined hipages in 2004 and has been a Director of the hipages Board since 2005.
Robert commenced his career as a Senior Accountant, working with PwC and Allco Finance Group on clients from a broad range of industries. He subsequently founded his own boutique accounting firm Advanced Audit Solutions, offering audit, accounts payable and recovery services for large Australian corporate clients. Robert also provided a small business advisory service.
Robert holds a Bachelor of Commerce, is a graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Member of Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand.
Stacey Brown
Independent Non-Executive Director and Audit and Risk Committee Chair
Stacey joined hipages in March 2019 as a Non-Executive Director.
Stacey served as the Chief Financial Officer of News Corp Australia from July 2017 to March 2020, and has extensive experience in financial management and leadership, having also served as the General Manager (Finance) (2012-2015) and Deputy CFO (2015-2017) of News Corp Australia.
Prior to News, Stacey held a number of senior financial roles across a variety of corporations including the Lowy Family Group, Qantas and Multiplex and has previously been a director and chair of the audit committee for Qantas Superannuation, Foxtel and KU Children’s Services.
Stacey holds a Bachelor of Business and is a graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Member of the Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand.
Nicholas Gray
Non-Executive Director
Nicholas joined hipages as a Non-Executive Director in October 2020.
Nicholas currently serves as the managing director of The Australian, NSW and Prestige Titles at News Corp Australia. He is a non-executive director of SocietyOne, ThinkNewsBrands and the UNSW Australia Foundation and has previously been the chairman of the Medium Rare Content Agency.
Prior to this, Nicholas has experience in senior finance, sales, and strategy roles at ninemsn and Lion Co, as well as in investment banking at Citi and Macquarie Bank.
Nicholas has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Accounting from the University of New South Wales.
Inese Kingsmill
Independent Non-Executive Director and Remuneration and Nominations Committee Chair
Inese joined hipages in October 2020 as an Independent Non-Executive Director.
Over the course of a career spanning 25 years, Inese has earned a reputation as a growth focused and customer oriented business leader, with leadership experience across a broad spectrum of accountabilities at Microsoft, Telstra and Virgin Australia.
Inese has been involved with, and led major transformations across a range of scenarios including enterprise-wide business re-structuring, culture change, digital transformations, customer experience and design, brand re-launches and re-positioning, as well as developing fit-for-purpose operating models.
Inese is a director and co-founder of Breakfast Epiphanies Consulting Group, a privately held management consulting practice specialising in supporting organisations to navigate their own growth and transformation agendas and currently serves as a non-executive director on the boards of WorkVentures, Rhipe Limited, Noble Oak Life and Spirit Telecom & IT.
Inese holds a Bachelor of Business, has completed an Executive Program in Digital Transformation at the MIT Sloan School of Management and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.