Scott A J MacDonald is currently the Managing Director/CEO of a Sydney based consulting firm ‘MacCap’. For the past 3 plus decades he has devoted over 95 percent of his professional time to the practice of investment management, risk management and finance. He has extensive experience in start-ups, cross border corporate advisory, new fund establishment, ‘AFSL’ governance, compliance, and fund services.
He worked for over 15 years in the City with Macquarie Investment Management Limited; HSBC Limited; BDO Financial Services and a further 20 years with groups including Wilshire Associates, USA; Van Hedge Fund Group, USA; Greenwich Alternative Investments USA and several other international groups on a consulting basis.
Scott has been a Responsible Manager/Key Person of several AFSL (Australian Financial Services Licenses) having been first licensed in 1977. Current activities include advice on startups, new fund formation and AFSL market-making for new entrants - working with lawyers, corporate advisers, regulators, and fund services professionals.
In addition, from 2010-2016, he established two joint ventures with Chinese groups for wealth management education and inbound property investment and has presented and written extensively on matters of wealth management, global investment management and on asset allocation of the Australian Superannuation industry. He has worked alongside Australian, European and USA asset consultants and startups, property developers and global family offices. In early 2000’s he established a JV to build a global hedge fund (structured products) business, with a USA Family Office hedge fund research firm which he led in Australia until 2009.
Scott is passionate about financial services, a thought leader and a compelling communicator at conferences and family office events, globally. He has served on private family office Advisory Committee in Sydney and the Boston, USA based www.FINTRX.com, advisory board. He has been published by The World Economic Journal, London and many other industry publications. He was a co- Founder and Executive Chairman of not-for-profit International Family Office Association Limited (IFOA) until June 2020. Which developed and promoted education and inbound investment into Australian ‘SIV’ related investments. Scott has visited China over 30 times and has presented at over 80 conference events to Chinese, UHNW.
Scott was a founding member of CFA Institute in Sydney 1996 and a member from 1993 for some 15 yrs. Scott was also a member of the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA) for more than 10 years and since 2009 is an ASFA – AIF; Accredited Investment Fiduciary. In addition, Scott was a member of The Governance Risk Compliance Institute of Australia and is an Affiliate Member of Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP.org).