Antipodal pointman

Since joining Sydney-based buyout firm CHAMP Private Equity as CFO in October 2001, Barry Zuckerman has had a big impact on Down Under private equity. He was instrumental in the introduction of new valuation and reporting guidelines by the Australian Venture Capital Association (AVCAL), and also played a key role when CHAMP raised its latest A$750 million ($568 million; €468 million) buyout fund earlier this year. Early in his career, Zuckerman had spells in the audit divisions of Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers before joining Howard Group, an Australian Stock Exchange-listed fund manager and finance company, in 1992 as CFO and company secretary. In 1998, when Howard Group was taken over by Challenger International Limited, a boutique fund manager, Zuckerman became CFO of the combined entity. Over the next three years, the group acquired 13 businesses and grew its staff numbers from 30 to 750. Zuckerman recently spoke with Private Equity Manager about the initiatives he has undertaken, the challenges he has faced and the business structure he has helped build at one of Australia's leading private equity operations.