Peter George joined the Booktopia Board as Chairman on 1 December 2022. He is an experienced executive and non-executive Director and public company executive with an extensive background in telecommunications, media and corporate finance.

Peter is currently the Executive Chairman of ASX-listed Retail Food Group (ASX: RFG), a position he has held since 2018.

As an executive, he led the restructuring and merger of listed print, media and digital services provider PMP Limited as Managing Director from 2012 to 2017 and was Executive Chairman of Nylex Limited from 2004 to 2008.

He was also a non-executive Director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of Asciano Limited from 2007 to 2016 and spent four years on the Board of Optus.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Commerce / Bachelor of Laws.

Tony Nash was involved in the establishment of Booktopia while working in his family’s company as a sideline to the core internet marketing consulting business, Globalise Pty Ltd, which was established in 2001. Tony was instrumental in growing Booktopia and formulating its business strategy throughout that time. Tony held the role of Chief Executive Officer from 2007 until July 2022. He remains a Director and substantial shareholder.

Tony received a series of business awards and is an industry-recognised leader in the book retail and online retailing industry in Australia. In 2018 he won the Industry Recognition Award at the Online Retailer Industry Awards. He was listed in Who’s Who of Australia in 2019.

Prior to Booktopia, in 1996 Tony established Best People International (an internet recruitment agency), having previously worked as a recruiter. Best People grew to employ more than 35 people. It was ultimately sold to Volante Group Limited, which was ASX listed at the time of the sale.

Tony studied computer programming at Control Data Institute and worked as a programmer at Cockatoo Dockyards in the mid-eighties. He then sold computers for a short period before travelling around the world for 3 years. He became a recruiter for the computing industry whilst living in London.

Tony is a Life Member of the Wilderness Society, the RSPCA (NSW) and the Australian Republican Movement.

Stephen Ezekiel was appointed to the Booktopia Board as an independent non-executive director on 12 December 2022. He is the Chairman and CEO of Hong Kong-based private credit firm Sammasan Capital. He has over 25 years of experience in leadership positions in the financial services, private equity and media/telecom sectors. He serves as an independent board director to luxury crystal manufacturer Baccarat S.A and is a director of private members club 70 North.

As an executive, Stephen was part of the GE Capital Asia leadership team, where he was instrumental in establishing GE Capital’s structured lending business in Asia. He was previously the CEO of GE Capital Hong Kong and Singapore & Commercial Distribution Finance. He was also the head of GE Equity Asia, GE Capital’s private equity arm.

Stephen founded and led the GE Capital Asia businesses focusing on leveraged & sponsor finance, corporate lending, corporate aircraft finance and commercial distribution finance (i.e. distributor, dealer and channel financing).

Before 2001, Stephen was a lawyer in a variety of private practice and in-house roles in Sydney, Hong Kong and Tokyo, including working for British Telecom from 1997-2001 as lead M&A counsel for Asia.

Stephen holds a B.Com/LLB degree from the University of New South Wales, Sydney.

Paul Welch was appointed to the Booktopia Board as Independent Non-executive Director on 27 March 2023.

Paul is a Commercial, Governance & Strategy Advisor and has over 25 years’ of commercial experience in the technology sector having advised a broad array of growing and established businesses in Australia and Silicon Valley. Paul continues to advise a number of businesses and entrepreneurs in both a governance and advisory capacity.

Paul is also a qualified solicitor, a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and a Registered Tax Agent. Paul was previously Chief Executive Officer of JR Richards & Sons, a waste management business until April 2022 and is currently a Non-executive Director. Paul was previously a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia, Baker McKenzie and Deloitte Australia.

Paul holds a Masters of Law & Legal Practice and a Master of Laws from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Bachelor of Commerce (Acc) from the University of Western Sydney.