We are explorers, listeners & builders

Jonathan Englert

Founder

He is a noted communications strategist specialising in disruptive technology, cybersecurity and the sharing economy. He has pioneered a new communications model that harnesses data science and the qualitative strengths of the immersive journalistic method to drive outsized and lasting gains for a range of organisational needs.

He has advised companies of all sizes, expanding their profiles, building market share and goodwill and has been recognized for his investor relation work.

As a journalist, he has written for The New York Times and many other publications on issues ranging from public affairs to technology to adventure sports. Jonathan is also regularly commissioned to produce books, speeches and media commentary for well-known public, political and business figures.

The Chicago Tribune called his full-length nonfiction book The Collar (Houghton Mifflin 2006) "an impressive portrait." He is the recipient of the Nona Balakian Award for Literary Criticism, the Sackett Graduate Award for law and journalism, a grant from The Louisville Institute (a Lily Foundation partner) and a Maxwell Award for Best Novel.

In 2012, his work was nominated to the final voting round of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism's 100 Great Stories.

He holds a B.A from Bard College and an M.S. with Honors from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.

He has recently completed a PhD at the University of Sydney which seeks to better define the nature of technological (and other) invention - entitled: Inventing Australia: An exploration and subversion of long-form non-fiction as an approach to enhancing the epistemological value of journalistic practice.

Yema Akbar

Director, Client Strategy & Portfolio Management

He has over 10 years’ experience in developing institutional sales and marketing, venture capital & emerging company growth, and creating e-commerce start-ups. Most recently, Yema has driven brand growth while leading editorial strategy for a range of companies across deep tech, renewable energy, enterprise software, funds management, and business advisory.

Yema started his career at Colonial First State before joining the founding team at Crescent Wealth, a pioneer in ethical investing. During his tenure over four years, the company grew to manage over $300 million in assets. Yema then joined boutique private equity firm First Quay Capital in Melbourne, focusing on fintech and hospitality sectors.

Since joining Andiron in 2018, Yema has been advising and executing on strategic marketing activities including brand development, public relations, end-to-end editorial management, high impact events, and lead gen activities.

Yema co-founded e-commerce company MR.KOYA, an irreverent men’s fashion brand. The company gained national and viral attention following the Australian Prime Minister’s notable holiday departure during the devastating bushfire summer of 2019/20, by creating the Mahalo ScoMo shirt. The Hawaiian button-down shirt is now archived in the National Library of Australia in Canberra, having raised $35,891 over four days for the Rural Fire Service of NSW.

Yema has a double degree in Applied Finance & Economics at Macquarie University.

For a very average football player, he's quite good.

Alexandra Khan

MarComms Strategy Lead

Alexandra has over 15 years of experience working in finance and SaaS product management and marketing roles, largely within energy and renewables companies.

Passionate about helping experts amplify their voice, share their knowledge and build their brand, Alexandra leads B2B marketing campaigns focused on brand building for both in-market prospects (ready to buy within next 6 months) as well as out-of-market prospects (potential customer but not ready to buy). As a strong believer that brand is a key driver of long-term customer growth, Alexandra develops campaigns which focus on high-value webinars, website content and marketing automation strategies that fuel long-term goals that complement more short-term focused lead generation efforts.

Having started her career as a Chartered Accountant, Alexandra has a deep appreciation for metrics & a measurable ROI and enjoys creating campaign dashboards and using CRMs such as Hubspot which enables in-depth campaign reports and enjoys delivering training to clients to ensure they are able to understand and interrogate their performance data as well as ensure that sales and marketing teams are aligned and sharing resources.

Alexandra completed a Bachelor of Accounting at UTS and Chartered Accountancy, lives in Melbourne with her family and enjoys hiking and masala chai.

Matthew Sainsbury

Senior Writer

Matthew Sainsbury combines over 20 years’ experience in editorial and journalism with a drive for innovation, making him an ideal fit for Andiron.

With a diverse career spanning technology, financial services, consumer entertainment, and B2B sectors, Matthew has spearheaded magazine and website revamps, launched new publications, and crafted impactful social media strategies.

Matthew spent four years at IDG Communications, serving various editorial roles, including Features Editor at ARN magazine.

He also serves as the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Digitally Downloaded, Australia's premier outlet for Asian games and entertainment. With a readership exceeding 500,000 unique readers per month and an expanding presence on YouTube and Facebook, Digitally Downloaded was shortlisted for best games coverage at the Lizzies IT Journalism Awards from 2013 to 2018.

Matthew's features have been published in major Australian news mastheads as well as multiple technology outlets. His knack for storytelling and thorough understanding of market dynamics align seamlessly with the needs of a firm focused on crafting compelling narratives in a disruptive environment.

Matthew has a Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies and a Master's of Commerce and Marketing, both from UNSW.

Philip Oechsle

Digital Operations & Visuals Lead

Philip Oechsle is a versatile visual marketer with a keen eye for visual and production elements across a range of content formats. He initially honed his skills at Electroboard, Australia's leading full-service audiovisual and multimedia company. Phil has a knack for weaving together various media elements—ranging from design and visuals to web assets within a focused digital marketing strategy.

In 2016 Phil founded Oxman group, specialising in creating impactful video content as well as a lighting business pushing the envelope in energy-efficient and high-performance lighting, aligning with sustainable goals without compromising on style or function.

With a history deeply rooted in video and marketing design, Phil's ability to integrate operational and visual aspects makes him an invaluable team member for any project that calls for a blend of visual media and strategy.

Phil holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Art - Media from Macquarie University.