ROB TOPFER: A former Babcock Brown (BB) senior executive and prime mover behind the setting up of TaemasBridge last year.
Topfer, a lawyer by trade, was one of the architects of the BB business model that saw the Aussie group invest billions of dollars in a diversified portfolio of industries. These were mostly spun off as separate listed satellite funds which paid handsome management fees to the parent.
With large debts on its books, the global credit crunch brought down the whole house of cards and BB, which was listed on the stock market in Australia, is currently being wound up.
He was closely involved in Babcock’s takeover of Eircom in 2006, which left the Irish telco shouldering massive debt.
JOHN SHIN
A co-founder of TaemasBridge, he was the European head of corporate principal investment for Babcock Brown. Shin “identified and co-led” the Au$8 billion leveraged buyout of Eircom. He previously worked for JPMorgan, among others. His role in the latest offer for Eircom would involve restructuring the terms of its €3.8 billion debt.
WARWICK BRAY
Also a founder of TaemasBridge, he was previously a senior executive with the corporate principal investment team at BB. He was also a partner with consultants McKinsey, where he led its European telecoms practice.
Bray has also held senior roles at JPMorgan and Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein. His role in the Eircom bid would be to design the overall restructuring plan.
REX COMB
Babcock’s man on the ground at Eircom until last month when he stepped down as chief executive ahead of time after a largely undistinguished period at the helm of the Irish business.
It is proposed that Comb would sit on the boards of Eircom and the Israeli Golden Pages and act as managing director of the new fund that would own the businesses.
He is to be charged with implementing the restructuring plan.
EYTAN ULIEL
Most recently head of Babcock Brown corporate finance in Asia and Israel. The proposal document states that no “formal arrangement” has yet been agreed with Uliel, but it is proposed that he would be executive chairman of the Golden Pages in Israel.
TAMMI LIPMAN
Worked in Babcock Brown in corporate principal investment in its Sydney and London. “Tammi was in the team that worked on the acquisition and subsequent management of Eircom plc, as well as transactions in the banking and funds management sectors”, according to the document.
