Soar with Asymmetic

Bespoke private lending services enabling you to accomplish more

You’re going places, and we’ll help you get there

Our combined expertise spans many years, geographies and disciplines. We’ve tailored specialist private lending solutions for clients across industries such as technology, renewables, mining, industrials, materials, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, communication services, energy and utilities,

The Asymmetric Innovation Finance team offer extensive local and global experience in investment management, debt and equity principal investment.

Our expertise encompasses a full range of disciplines:

Innovation
unbound

At the heart of it, we are driven by people and Australian businesses achieving the growth and market advantage they aim for. Leveraging years of experience and judicious practise, our comprehensive approach enables you to accelerate R&D activities and capitalise on your competitive advantage.

The smart
alternative

With one of the most successful R&D tax incentive models in the world, the R&D scheme has become a vital avenue for innovative Australian companies to finance their research and development activities. However, it is complex and time consuming for smaller companies to navigate toward their ideal funding outcomes.

At Asymmetric, we invest the time to fully comprehend your strategic direction, offering accurate, honest consultation about your R&D potential. Where big banks and equity markets may miss opportunities to support you, our team remain steadfastly focused to ensure we explore—and secure—the maximum R&D rebate available to you.

Meet our brilliant team

Anthony Shields

Managing Director

Anthony’s 20-plus years in financial markets began at Macquarie Bank in Sydney where he was an equity analyst. He then moved to institutional equity sales at Macquarie, later moving to Deutsche Bank where he focused on equity and derivatives sales and trading. 

Prior to co-founding Asymmetric he was the Investment Director for a family office servicing Sydney and Perth, responsible for asset allocation and portfolio management, risk management, investment and macro-economic analysis, fund manager due diligence and portfolio construction. 

Anthony currently sits on a number of private and listed company Boards and the investment committee for a family office.

Michael Webb

Director & Senior Tax Consultant

With 30 years’ experience in the accounting, taxation and financial industries, Michael has spent considerable time as a Director of a ‘Big Four’ accounting practice specialising in indirect taxes (including Research and Development Incentives).

He continues to work in a range of sectors such as mining, agriculture, renewables, technology and pharmaceutical. 

Michael is also the founder of a successful boutique tax practice that continues to service public, listed and multi-national businesses. 

Dean Stockwell

Portfolio Manager

Dean has 30 years’ experience in financial markets, particularly in the derivatives area. Based in Tokyo in the early 1990s, he was appointed Senior Proprietary Trader for Merrill Lynch’s Global Equity Derivatives group where he was responsible for the pricing, trading and risk management of the firm’s capital in the Asia Pacific region. Notional size of the books managed totalled approximately $4 billion. 

Between 2001 and 2003, Dean was an Associate Director at a Sydney proprietary trading group based in Perth. He implemented and managed the convertible arbitrage book and the firm’s capacity in debt derivatives. Most recently he has run and managed an account for a Canadian fund of funds.

Ross Taylor

Credit Committee

Ross’s extensive experience spans more than 30 years, principally in credit. It includes the building and management of global teams for major investment banks in London, New York, Frankfurt, Singapore and Tokyo to seek, acquire, hold and distribute/exit investment grade quality assets yielding outsized returns. 

He also held positions at Deutsche Bank in New York and Tokyo, and at the Bankers Trust in London. In more recent endeavours, he was appointed Global Head of Illiquid Credit at Barclays in New York. 

Pia Hopkins

Investment Operations

Pia’s beginnings in finance originated in New York in the late 1990s working for investment banks including Flemings and JP Morgan. Just prior, Pia had been working in Perth in corporate sponsorship at the WA Opera. She went on to work for investment banks in NYC and London, then moved to Bermuda where she worked in a small retail brokerage before moving across to the Investments Department of XL Bermuda Ltd (owned by AXA).

Pia’s role at AIF encompasses compliance, operations, marketing, investor relations and client liaison. She’s a natural connector and masterful multitasker who brings her own flavour of wit, wisdom and dedication to balancing the demands of family and her career.