CURRENT ROLES

September 2017 – Present
First Penny Investments Pty Ltd Byron Bay, Australia
Chief Executive Officer
Advisory and investment firm focused on cross border capital.

March 2018 – Present
Global Investment Engineers AG Zug, Switzerland
Advisor
Swiss Asset Management and ITO Advisory Firm regulated via SRO

September 2019 – Present
Intercontinental VC, Byron Bay, Australia and Shanghai, China
Director
Intercontinental VC is an investment company compromised of multiple focused funds with a collective goal of facilitating Australian business in China. It is focused on the education and agricultural sectors.

CURRENT EXTERNAL DIRECTORSHIPS

November 2018 – Present
Escavox Pty Ltd Sydney, Australia
Director
Escavox is an IoT based traceability solution for fresh produce in transit from producers to supermarket shelves using blockchain.  Focused on reducing wastage and increasing shelf time by modifying transport and temperature practices.

October 2019 – Present
Enhance Education Investment & Management Pty Ltd Brisbane, Australia
Director
Enhance Education Investment & Management Pty Ltd (EEIM) is focused on education, particularly the development and promotion of the Australian education industry internationally.

January 2018 – Present
Network Society Lab Australia Pty Ltd Byron Bay, Australia
Director
NSL is an ITO advisory firm focused on taking Australian, Chinese and SE Asian companies to Switzerland or Malta for regulated token offerings.

CAREER HISTORY

July 2016 to June 2018
Tharawat Holding S.A. & Tharawat Asset Management A.G. Abu Dhabi, UAE, Luxembourg and Zurich, Switzerland
CEO
Michael Gale founded Tharawat Holding, recruited its shareholder base and developed its asset management businesses in Switzerland and Abu Dhabi.

January 2014 to June 2016
MB Depositors AG trading as MBD Asset Managers Zug, Switzerland
Business Development Manager
Michael Gale led the build out of team and opportunities for MBD Asset Managers. He recruited a core team, captured the business model and initiated first prospective clients and partners in the Middle East.

April 2001 to December 2014
Gramercy Group (GPE Holdings, Inc.) San Francisco, USA, New York, USA, London, United Kingdom, Dubai, U.A.E & Melbourne, Australia
CEO
Michael Gale was the Chief Executive Officer of the Gramercy Group, an investment company active in the venture sector. It focused on the arbitrage of innovation driven high growth companies in the US and Europe with the high growth markets of Asia and the emerging technology markets of Africa coupled with capital from the Middle East, China and India.
The Company invested shareholders’ funds from its balance sheet and did not manage third party funds.
As CEO Michael was responsible for the overall strategy and development of the firm and was responsible for building it and its brand from inception to a well-established specialty player. He built an outstanding team encompassing significant skills and experience.

April 1996 to March 2001
Double Impact, Inc. (formerly Double Impact Multimedia) San Francisco, CA, USA
CEO
Michael founded Double Impact in San Francisco and served as its CEO until 2001 when it was sold to a Geneva based investment firm and then subsequently disbanded in the technology market turmoil of that time. Double Impact was a leading venture catalyst and was a highly visible advisor and builder of fast-growing technology companies. Michael built the company from startup to a firm of 35 professionals in San Francisco, New York and London, that created US$35m of equities for an investment of circa $4m in a three-year period. Notable startup portfolio companies and clients included Global Brian (acquired by NBCi), Haht Software, F5, Lightware, Visto, PayPal and Coinstar.
The company launched Mitsubishi’s’ Silicon Valley presence and advised Sun Microsystems on the establishment of an inhouse venture fund and accelerator and established the Silicon Valley presence of Eutron, then one of Europe’s only chip fab companies.
Double Impact operated a small partner’s fund of which Michael was a General Partner. He also acted as an advisor to Akers Capital, a Californian venture capital fund and served on its Investment Review Committee. He also served on a number of technology company Boards such as togglethis, Chat the Planet and University Ventures.
During this time, Double Impact pioneered the Off Balance Sheet Sales Entity (OBSE) as a reaction to Silicon Valley technology companies desire to enter the Asian market with minimal capital outlay and Asian partners wanting to invest not only in the Asian subsidiary but in the parent company thereby allowing them participation in the ultimate exit of the parent.  Double Impact executed several OBSEs during this period including HAHT Software Asia.
Previously, Double Impact was known as Double Impact Multimedia and was the publisher of The Apple CD-ROM Collection for Apple Computer and Asia republisher for major CD-ROM studios such as Sanctuary Woods.

October 1993 to March 1996
Double Impact Capital Byron Bay, Australia and San Francisco, CA
Investment Manager
During this period Michael was a Director and Investment Manager for Double Impact Capital, an Australian early stage capital fund. Michael was based in San Francisco from 1995 and focused on acting as an interim CEO for portfolio companies relocating to the US.

April 1991 to October 1993
Macromedia Pacific Sydney, Australia
Managing Director
During this time Michael presided over a major change and growth in Macromedia’s Asian business. At the end of his tenure the company was active in 17 markets throughout Asia Pacific, with many language-localized products. It had well developed channels of distribution via some 20 third party distributors and an excellent profile. Macromedia was listed on the NASDAQ in 1993 and subsequently acquired by Adobe.

July 1990 to March 1991
Learnware South Sydney, Australia
Managing Director
Learnware South was an Australian territory-based distributor for Authorware formed as a start up by Michael. It was then acquired by Learnware (the Australian master distributor of Authorware) at the same time Learnware was acquired by Authorware and then became Macromedia Pacific when Authorware, Macromind and Paracomp merged. Michael then became Managing Director of the new company, Macromedia Pacific.

December 1989 to July 1990
Avanté Systems  Melbourne, Australia
Director of Business Development
Avanté Systems was Australia’s second largest Apple reseller chain. It came into existence via a management buyout by Michael and two other principals of Computer Power’s CP Businessland operation. Michael was responsible for sales and major alliances. His interest was sold to the other partners in early 1990 and he then formed Learnware South. Avanté was later acquired by Fujitsu.

March 1986 to December 1989
Computer Power Melbourne, Australia
General Manager, PC Division
Computer Power was a public company, substantially owned by News Corporation, providing computer services in the US, Asia and Australia through a team of 4000 professionals. The company was a major Systems Integrator and a significant practitioner in the implementation of major banking systems.  Michael was responsible for a large number of business development projects, establishment of strategic relationships and acquisitions within the PC Division. He was also responsible for the operation of the CP Businessland division established nationally by the company.

1983 to December 1986
The Harbor Book Shop  Victor Harbor, South Australia
Managing Director
Michael purchased a small bookshop in rural Australia and developed it into a chain of country booksellers and a major school supply division. He launched Australia’s first mail order book business linked to an 800-telephone service and developed a syndicated radio program to promote it. In this period the business was the fastest growing bookseller in Australia.

Prior to March 1983
Various Retail Adelaide, South Australia
Michael originally trained as a Store Manager with Hungry Jacks (Burger King franchisee) and went on to own and operate his own retail food business.

FORMER DIRECTORSHIPS

February 2018 – August 2019
AgUnity Gold Coast, Australia
AgUnity is a developer of Blockchain and Cryptoledger applications delivered through  Mobile Apps to create trust and facilitate trade in agriculture in developing economies in partnership with Small Farmer Co-Operatives.
Director

September 2017-November 2018
Tech Project  Brisbane, Australia
Chairman
Tech Project is a provider of cloud telephony and VOIP services on an OEM basis to distributors in Australia and SE Asia. It was the global launch partner with Alcatel Lucent for Terminal as a Service through a relationship developed and managed by Michael.

October 2017 – September 2018
GeekSeat  Bandung, Indonesia
Chairman
Geekseat provides global software development out sourcing services and is a preferred development partner for Alcatel Lucent Enterprise.

October 2017 – September 2018
Hub3C Brisbane, Australia
Chairman
Hub3c is a Digital business Ecosystem and private Enterprise Network platform (PaaS) with business grade, fully aggregated and integrated proprietary and 3rd Party apps (SaaS) made available to users via the hub3c app store.

May 2018 – August 2018
Debt Cutter Brisbane, Australia
Chairman
Debt Cutter arranges Debt Agreements for individuals who are no longer able to pay their debts. Having invested in software design and automation, the business rapidly grew in the Australian market to become a top five Debt Agreement provider with 8% market share.

December 2007 – July 2009
SinoTech Media  Beijing, China
Director
With over 120 full time staff, SinoTech Media was one of China’s largest interactive marketing firms. SinoTech Media worked closely with both online publishers to generate incremental revenue and advertising clients and agencies to develop custom ad solutions, matching the needs of all parties in unique and beneficial ways. SinoTech Media provided digital marketing technology and services. Specifically, SinoTech Media provided interactive marketing services, online advertising technologies and operates a performance-based Ad Network; called SinoNetwork. The company later became Digital Jungle.

October 2006 – February 2009
DMS Asia Limited  Hong Kong
Director
DMS Group of companies provided services and technology that helped advertisers, agencies and publishers manage their digital marketing activities and monetize content. It was a the leading single-source full service provider of interactive marketing solutions spanning all major digital marketing channels -web, mobile, e-mail, search, chat, and etc.
DMS operated MSN in multiple SE Asian countries and Yahoo! in others. It was acquired by a Naspers subsidiary.

1997-2001
HAHT Software Asia Raleigh, NC, USA
Director
HAHT enabled companies to rapidly create and deploy enterprise-class, e-business solutions that leveraged existing skills, infrastructure and information resources. A former General Electric subsidiary, Global Exchange Services (GSX, now OpenText) acquired HAHT in a cash and stock deal valued at $30 million in 2004.

1995-1998
Togglethis  New York, NY, USA
Director
Togglethis created the first widely distributed online animated advertising content in partnership with Disney and other studios and Sun Microsystems.

March 2007 – May 2011
Chat Ventures  New York, NY, USA
Chairman
Chat the Planet is a global dialogue company.  We connect young people from around the world to talk about everything from politics, prejudices and war to sex, music and life in general.  Founded by celebrated media executives Laurie Meadoff and Kate Hillis in 2001, Chat the Planet has produced award-winning video, internet, and radio programming that continues to reach millions of people around the world. Its “Hometown Baghdad” series was the first webisodic series to cross from the Internet to television become a National Geographic production and also Sundance Television.

1995-1998
University Ventures  New York, NY, USA
University Ventures began by acted as commercialization agent for technologies spinning out of Cornell and Brown Universities and expanded to represent over 100 universities in the US and UK.

ASSOCIATIONS AND NOT-FOR-PROFITS

October 1998 – Present (Inactive)
VoteGlobal.com San Francisco, CA, USA
VoteGlobal began with the idea that together we can share and benefit in a not-for-profit polling resource for global and local issues that affect us all.   Through its independence from sponsorship or corporate affiliations, VoteGlobal strived to help create universal human consensus and suffrage with an aim to create a virtual online democratic government that represents the world.

March 1992 – August 1993
Australian Interactive Multimedia Association Sydney, NSW, Australia
Co-Founder, Sponsor and Board Member
AIMIA is the peak body of representing the digital content, services and applications industry in Australia.  AIMIA has over 600 members from a broad sector of the digital industry.  AIMIA’s membership includes Australia’s top digital power houses, digital content, services and applications companies, and major industry suppliers.

April 1991 – October 1993
Business Software Alliance Washington DC, USA
Asia Pacific Director
The Business Software Alliance was based in Washington DC.  In his role in the Asian branch, Michael was active in developing and enforcing copyright protection in Asia, particularly in South Korea.