Bill Ferris Bill Ferris is regarded as one of the fathers of the private equity and venture capital industry in Australia. He formed the country's first venture capital company in 1970, having studied the emerging sector in the United State while completing his MBA at the Harvard Business School. Bill Ferris has been Chairman of both the Australian Trade Commission and the Australian Venture Capital Association and in 1990 was made an officer in the Order of Australia in recognition of his services to the export industry. Bill is now Chairman of the Asia Pacific Council of Macquarie University and a Director of the Australian Institute of Management. He is actively involved in the venture capital industry as executive chairman of Australian Mezzanine Investments Pty Ltd (AMIL). AMIL investments in companies such as Looksmart, Datacraft, Austal Ships, Cuppa Cup Vineyards and many others have yielded high returns and have created more than 50 millionaire entrepreneurs and executives and thousands of happy shareholders. Read More Read Less