Kate Mahady is a partner at IP firm FB Rice and leads their R&D consulting team in Melbourne.

 

Kate has over 25 years of innovation consulting experience, advising a broad range of companies with a focus on startup technologies. She has extensive experience helping companies to access funding and assisting with R&D and commercialisation strategies.

 

Her expertise is building networks and working with a variety of stakeholders including technical founders, researchers, government, public and private companies, financial groups and investors.

 

Kate is a registered tax agent and has over 20 years of experience with R&D consulting and government grants, initially with the 'Big 4' accounting firms and now through founding her second complementary business in an intellectual property firm.

 

Her technical background is in applied physics, with experience initially at Defence Science and Technology Organisation before moving to a telecommunications startup based in the Silicon Valley. This experience has provided her with a strong understanding of the challenges startup companies face in developing, scaling and commercialising their R&D. This is also augmented by obtaining certification of governance training through the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

 

Kate values her role as a mentor to STEM graduates across their journey. She is a strong advocate for advancing R&D in Australia and is regularly called on to provide thought leadership relating to this topic.