Company Directors
Michael
Klausen - CEO & Director
Growing up in Denmark, Michael took up cooking at the age of 12
and was soon impressing large gatherings of family and friends. As
soon as he finishes school Michael sets up a busy catering
business. He began his professional training at the age of 20,
working with some the best chefs in Copenhagen. For a few years
Michael divided his time between Denmark and France broadening his
culinary experience. He styled and ran an acclaimed restaurant and
hosted a TV cooking program before travelling to Australia. Working
with Tony Papas at the Bayswater Brasserie from 1989, Michael
extended his skills, reveling in the freedom of contemporary
Australian food. He was Head Chef at Bayswater Brasserie for 5
years before Tony and Michael conceived and established the
Boathouse at Blackwattle Bay, where Michael was initially Head Chef
and then General Manager. He published his first cookbook in 2005,
called "Sharing Food Sharing Passion". In 2000 Michael and Tony
established the Brasserie Bread Company where Michael continues to
this day as CEO. Michael is also on the board of the Baking Industry
Association of NSW.
David
James - CEO & Director
A successful entrepreneur for 20 years in the UK, USA and
Australia David has extensive experience in ICT, software
development, online shopping, and retail food. David has been the
founder and CEO of 4 successful start-ups with skills in capital
raising, business modeling & strategy, and marketing.
Prior to joining Brasserie Bread David was the CEO and co-founder of SandwichDirect.com an online food delivery company. Having raised the start-up capital to launch the company in Sydney in 2000 he relocated it to California. Over the next of 3 years he grew the company raising several rounds of venture capital and building a high profile board of directors. In 2003 David negotiated the merger of SandwichDirect.com with Specialty's Café & Bakery a small retail chain based in San Francisco. David remains on the board of directors and the company has grown to 30 stores in Seattle, San Francisco, LA and Chicago and it continues to expand. Since joining Brasserie Bread in 2005 David's technology, marketing and business expansion experience are proving very complimentary to Michael Klausen's food background.
Tony
Papas - Non Executive Director
Born in New Zealand, Tony completed his apprenticeship in Auckland
at Satler's Restaurant and then headed to the Netherlands where he
worked at L'Auberge, a Michelin One Star restaurant. After settling
in Sydney, Tony began work at Butler's Restaurant which became
Bayswater Brasserie in 1982 where Tony was a partner and Executive
Chef from its inception. He also wrote "The Brasserie Book of Food"
in 1989.
In 1993, Tony took a sabbatical to San Francisco, working with chef and food writer Ken Hom and Chez Panisse in Berkeley. On this trip he discovered 'Acme Bread Company' and felt as if he had found the ultimate bread. This became the inspiration for the sourdough starter (now 12 years old) which is the recipe behind Brasserie Bread's award winning sourdough.
In 1997 and Tony was heavily involved in the concept, design and launch of The Boathouse at Blackwattle Bay. Tony is now the owner of this iconic Sydney seafood restaurant.
In 1999 Tony combined with Michael Allpress in New Zealand to bring the Allpress Espresso brand to Sydney to meet the demand for high quality locally roasted coffee. In February 2001 Tony opened the Allpress Espresso Bar in Rosebery and was awarded Best Café for four consecutive years by the Restaurant & Catering Association.
Tony and Michael Klausen who worked together at Bayswater Brasserie and The Boathouse started Brasserie Bread in 2000.
Hans
Polstra - Non-Executive Director & Chairman
Dutch born and graduate of the Netherlands School for
International Business, Hans emigrated to the USA in 1970.
Following a 2 year stint in International Banking he started his
own Food Import - Export business in Portland Oregon. Over the
following 20 years his company won numerous awards for its
operations, which covered Asia Pacific, Europe, USA and Latin
America. In 1992 with annual revenue in excess of US$35M, Hans sold
the company to a subsidiary of ConAgra, the largest US potato
processor. In 1999 he joined McCain Foods where he is responsible
for the McCain - McDonald's business in 37 countries (Asia Pacific,
Africa and the Middle East). After postings in Mexico City and
Japan he is now based in Singapore, Hans is fluent in English,
French, German and Dutch, and (time allowing!) he is a guest
University lecturer in Entrepreneurship.
Christopher
Witt - Non-Executive Director
Chris had over 15 years executive management experience in the US
within the ICT, communications & healthcare technology sectors
with a focus on mergers & acquisitions, distribution networks,
marketing & sales, and strategic relationships. Chris has
served on the Boards of numerous Australian and American companies
including Health Communication Network Ltd, CVC Private Equity,
Telebase Systems (acquired by Internet retailer CD Now), Digitran
Corp (now NetMoves, Inc), and Unique Solutions Inc.
Following his emigration to Australia Chris co-founded The Kalori Group in Sydney in 1998. Kalori is a boutique investment company whose mission includes; direct investments in promising businesses; advice to Boards and Executives on value-capture and tactical strategy; and delivering educational programs to develop stronger entrepreneurial skills across the organisation. Chris is also an Adjunct Professor at the Australian Graduate School of Management in Sydney at UNSW, teaching courses in Strategy & Entrepreneurship, and contributes to the Executive MBA program. Chris also teaches through the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) in Raising Capital.
An MBA graduate from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, Chris also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Economics from Northwestern in Chicago, where he grew up. He is a Fellow of the AICD, and holds dual Australian and American citizenship.
Jeff
David - Non-executive Director
Jeff commenced full time work with the family business of Davids
Holdings Pty Ltd in 1985. From 1989 to 1992 Jeff, worked in the
United States with IGA Inc., serving as Marketing Director and then
Senior Vice President. In 1992, Jeff returned to Davids serving in
senior roles as the company changed its status from private to
public. Jeff currently serves as Executive Chairman of Petbarn Pty
Limited, a retailer of pet food and accessories, and as a
non-executive director the Skin and Cancer Foundation Australia, a
nonprofit specialist medical organisation dedicated to providing
services in the areas of dermatology and dermatopathology. Jeff
also serves as a member of the Advisory Board of Nudie Foods Pty
Limited, a manufacturer of fresh juices. Jeff is the Chairperson of
the Board's Audit Committee and a member of the Board's
Remuneration Committee for Greencross Vet.
Maurice
Fuller M.Sc. - Board Advisor
Maurice started his career as an Industrial Chemist and has had 36
years experience in the food industry. Until his retirement a few
years ago he was CEO of the Prepared Foods Division of AMH,
responsible for an annual turnover of over A$500 million. AMH was
the exclusive distributor of food and paper and supplier of beef to
McDonald's in Australia. Maurice successfully developed this
business to a pre-eminent position in the food service
industry.
Apart from his experience in successfully managing people and meeting corporate objectives, Maurice has extensive experience in managing food safety, HACCP and in particular, the logistics of the food supply chain.
