Leigh Oliver

partner / Co-FOUNDER

Leigh is an experienced private equity investor having spent over 20 years in roles spanning private equity, investment banking and chartered accounting firms. During this time he has worked with management teams to optimise the performance of companies, and provide advice on strategy, operations, capital raising and deal structuring.

For more than a decade Leigh worked at some of the leading private equity firms globally. Most recently, Leigh was a Director in the private equity team at KKR where he spent 5 years focused on buyout opportunities in Australia and New Zealand. Prior to that, he spent 6 years in the private equity team at The Carlyle Group.

Leigh began his career as a Chartered Accountant at Ernst & Young in Brisbane before moving to Sydney to join the Investment Banking team at J.P.Morgan. Leigh is a CFA Charterholder, a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Queensland.

Sam Walker

partner /Co-FOUNDER

Following a short career as a veterinarian, Sam has worked for some of the largest and most respected financial services firms in the world. Immediately prior to founding Arcadia Capital with Leigh, Sam worked in the Principal Finance group within Macquarie Group. As a senior member of the investment team, Sam was responsible for originating and executing investments across the capital structure of companies in Australia and New Zealand as well as throughout Asia.

Prior to this Sam spent over six years at The Carlyle Group focusing on buyout opportunities in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has also worked in the Principal Investment Area of Goldman Sachs, focusing on mid market buyout opportunities as well as in investment banking at Merrill Lynch.

Outside of his professional careers, Sam maintains a link to his days as a veterinarian as a volunteer board member of the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales, the organiser of the Sydney Royal Easter Show. With approximately $60 million in revenue per annum, the Easter Show is the largest annual event in Australia and an important part of the RAS fulfilling its charter to advance excellence in agriculture in NSW. Sam also volunteers as a trustee of the McGarvie Smith Institute, providing grants to researchers in production livestock industries.

Sam is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Masters of Commerce (Hons) and Bachelor of Veterinary Science, both from the University of Sydney.