Our Team

Our team draws on deep experience across the financial and business services landscape. We are passionate about finding and backing sector leading companies.

Suren Chandrajit

Partner

Since leaving professional services in 2003, Suren has founded, co-founded and led businesses across early stage technology and large scale private equity. He has delivered multiple trade and PE exits, most notably leading Dutton Automotive to nearly $1.5 billion in revenue, resulting in its 2023 acquisition by Japanese conglomerate Sojitz Corporation.
Suren is passionate about the role a thriving SME sector plays in shaping strong communities, through job creation, skills development, and broader economic impact via growth and outsized investment performance.
Claim to fame? Co-founding what was recognised as Australia’s fastest growing startup in 2016. Helping transform the pre-owned vehicle market through Dutton Automotive is up there, too.
Outside of work, you’ll likely find Suren on the golf course or bringing ambitious home improvement ideas to life.

Gaethan Cutri

Partner
Gaethan started his career as a Commercial Litigation lawyer before returning to his roots on the family farm. He scaled his family’s stone fruit business into one of Australia’s largest production horticulture businesses, and created the largest stone fruit export business in the country.  
The business encompassed its own transport, packing and distribution, alcohol business and spanned multiple locations with hundreds of staff.  In 2023 Gaethan completed the successful sale to private equity, exiting the farming businesses.  
Gaethan’s career spans law, agribusiness, exports, and technology, giving him a unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges faced by SME owners.
At Ember, Gaethan focuses on engaging founders and family business owners, bringing firsthand insight into the SME growth journey and meeting the needs of the existing owners to allow for a successful succession. Having grown and exited his own business, he understands the concerns of owners considering investment or succession, and works closely with them to unlock value and long-term growth potential.
Claim to fame? Transforming a regional family farm into a national leader supplying supermarkets and international buyers across 15 countries, before guiding it through a successful private equity exit.  Gaethan is a world-renowned leader within the production horticulture industry and is well known for his knowledge in the robotics and automation space within the agriculture industry.
Outside of work, Gaethan is a keen cyclist – be it road, mountain or gravel riding.

Gez Monteith

Investment Director

Gez has focused on finance and analytics in private equity-backed businesses since graduating from Melbourne University. As our lead on transaction execution and value creation, Gez bridges financial insight with operational execution.
He’s responsible for evaluating investment opportunities and identifying how Ember can add value for business owners, customers, employees, and partners.
Claim to fame: During his five years at Dutton Automotive, Gez worked closely with the executive team to design structures, teams, and incentives that helped grow the business from a 40-person team to nearly $1.5 billion in annual revenue. 
Outside work, Gez loves to travel and is an avid alpine skier.

Darren Soppi

Partnerships Director

Darren has deep experience spanning large corporations such as Ford Motor and Qantas before venturing into his own SME journey. Since then, he’s played key roles in fast growing businesses that scaled into large corporates, both achieving successful exits, one to Private Equity, the other to a publicly listed trade buyer.
Darren leads business development and growth at Ember. Having navigated both the structure of large corporates and the agility of SMEs, he brings a unique perspective to engaging SME owners and partners.
Claim to fame: Darren led the B2B growth team in Australia’s fastest growing startup.
In his spare time, you’ll find Darren working on cars in his garage.

Lisa Zheng

Operations

Lisa has worked with early stage and SME companies since leaving KPMG nearly 15 years ago. Her work has spanned social impact, education, and online learning; particularly during COVID, where she focused on improving learning outcomes. Earlier in her career, Lisa served as CEO of what became Australia’s largest renewable energy company in 2012 and led an early-stage Australian venture into China.
Lisa began her career in professional services, spending seven years focused on tenders, business development,  process improvement and redesign.
Claim to fame: As part of a social impact project, Lisa collaborated with the Resilience Project and sent high school students to India on purpose, resilience and perspective driven trips. 
In her spare time, Lisa enjoys surfing and outdoor adventures.