Meet the Team
Executive Team
David Potaznik
Founder & Managing Director
David is the founder and principal of Cavendish and has been advising Australian and international companies for approximately 20 years. David founded Cavendish in 2016 with the objective of providing a high quality corporate advisory offering to the mid-market.
Prior to establishing Cavendish, David held a number of roles advising on mergers, acquisitions and divestitures and capital raisings. Between 2011 and 2016 David was a Managing Director at Flagstaff Partners. From 2013 David focused on the infrastructure sector, including advising on the long term leases of the Ports of Darwin and Melbourne. In 2009 David returned to Australia with Barclays Capital, helping establish up a local mergers and acquisitions advisory business for BarCap. Between 2000 and 2009 David was based in London, primarily with ABN AMRO, where he advised on mergers and acquisitions across a wide range of sectors. David was a key member of the team that left RBS in 2008 to set up the mergers and acquisitions advisory business at Barclays Capital in London.
David’s experience spans a large number of private and listed businesses. He has advised on transactions in a wide range of industries but has particular knowledge and expertise in the logistics, infrastructure, property, gaming and telecom / media sectors.
David Lewis
Managing Director
David Lewis is a seasoned M&A advisor at Cavendish, bringing over 25 years of transaction experience to private and public clients. He began his career in investment banking at UBS and Goldman Sachs, advising major industrial clients on acquisitions, divestments, and capital raisings.
After his time in banking, David joined Amcor in Australia and Switzerland, where he held senior strategy roles and gained a deep, firsthand understanding of the operational challenges faced by large, multinational businesses. He subsequently served on the Executive Team at Orora, leading corporate strategy, overseeing high-profile M&A deals, and driving global expansion within a dynamic, multi-billion-dollar enterprise.
Today, David’s broad industry exposure spans Industrials, packaging, hospitality, and education, having led buy-side and sell-side transactions throughout his career. In addition to advising businesses in these sectors, he is also an active investor in small enterprises—leveraging his hands-on experience to help entrepreneurs navigate growth opportunities, strategic pivots, and successful exits.
Brian O'Reilly
Director
Brian's career of over 20 years spans a range of investment banking and investment roles.
Brian started his career with Barclays Capital in London where he originated and executed complex acquisition financing transactions for private equity sponsors. Brian worked on more than $30 billion worth of transactions during this period.
Upon his return to Australia, Brian has focused on principal investment across the real estate, venture capital and listed equities asset classes.
Since joining Cavendish, Brian has been involved in financial modelling and analysis, transaction structuring, valuations and due diligence. Brian has completed transactions in a wide range of industries but has particular knowledge and expertise in the logistics and property sectors.
Senior Advisers
Lachlan Benson
Lachlan has extensive experience within the international ports, maritime and logistics industries. He is currently the Managing Director of Blue Arcadia Pty Ltd, providing specialised ports management, operational, privatisation and stakeholder advisory consultancy services to a number of leading firms nationally and internationally.
In addition to his role leading Blue Arcadia, between June 2018 and February 2019 Lachlan was appointed interim CEO of the Australian Logistics Council, the lead advocacy organisation working on behalf of Australia’s logistics industry to promote supply chain efficiency and safety.
Lachlan holds a number of Non-Executive Director roles for private companies and industry bodies in the logistics sector including iMove Australia, the leading national freight mobility cooperative research centre. Lachlan was also a non-executive Director of leading port intermodal transport operator Maritime Container Services and the Australian Grain Handlers containerised grain packing joint venture with GrainCorp until both were acquired by Qube Holdings.
During his time as Executive GM at Sydney Ports, Lachlan was part of the Port Botany privatisation leadership team and directed delivery of the successful Port Botany Landside Improvement Strategy. His career has also involved state leadership of NSW and Queensland for then leading national grain exporter AWB Limited and he held the role of Senior Policy Officer for Ports & Freight at NSW Ministry of Transport.
Rod Keller
Rod is a Chartered Professional Engineer with some 50 years’ experience - spanning senior executive and non-executive roles - in the resource, energy and utility sectors in Australia, UK and the USA.
Rod has served on the board of a number of listed and private companies including OSD Ltd, DMS Limited (Chairman), Norfolk Energy (Chairman), Redbank Energy Ltd, Alinta Energy Group Ltd, Dyno Nobel, Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group, CRC for Welded Structures (Chair), GasNet Australia (Chair), National Electricity Code Administrator (NECA), GPU International Pty Ltd, VENCorp GPU PowerNet Pty Ltd, GPU Gasnet Pty Ltd, Victorian Power Exchange, and Solaris Energy.
Prior to 2002, Rod held senior roles within a number of engineering and resources businesses over more than 30 years. His final executive role was with GPU where Rod was Managing Director and CEO of GPU PowerNet and GPU GasNet.
Over his career Rod has been involved in a large number of mergers, acquisitions, divestments and capital raisings including the IPOs of GasNet Australia Ltd, Dyno Nobel Ltd and Norfolk Ltd, the acquisitions of Airwave (UK) Ltd, Arqiva (UK) Ltd., NGW (UK) Ltd., and GTP Inc. by Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group, leading GPU Inc.’s involvement in the privatisation process of both the Victorian electricity and gas industries including the purchase and sale of Solaris power (approximately $1.0bn), acquisition and sale of PowerNet (c. $2.5bn) and the acquisition of GasNet (c. $1.0bn), and the subsequent takeovers of GasNet, Dyno Nobel and Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group.
Robbert de Weijer
Robbert has held diverse senior roles within the oil and gas sector both in Australia and internationally across a career spanning 30 years. Since he arrived in Australia in 2009 his roles include EGM PNG BU at Oil Search, CEO of Armour Energy, Chief Operating Officer at Arrow Energy, CEO of Dart Energy (Australia). Prior to arriving in Australia Robbert worked for Shell International including numerous senior leadership roles across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, culminating in leading the business that operated Shell’s North Sea assets including 53 offshore gas platforms and two major gas terminals in The Netherlands and England, 1500 Shell and contractor staff, and capital and operating budgets in excess of US$1.6bn p.a.
Robbert currently also serves as an Executive Director for Graphene Manufacturing Group (GMG), an innovative start up using cutting edge technology.
Bruce Grey
Bruce has over 40 years experience in executive and non-executive roles across a wide range of industries, with a particular focus on manufacturing and engineering.
In August 2017 Bruce received the 2017 Jack Finlay Award for services to Australian Industry presented by Institution of Engineering and Technology. This award was a recognition of Bruce's reputation as one of Australia's leading experts in the development, commercialisation and protection of intellectual property.
From 1985 until 2008 Bruce was a Director of two Australian public companies and for 10 years until 2009, was Chairman of a German JV between Bishop and Mercedes-Benz Lenkungen GmbH. Bishop's share of the JV was ultimately acquired by Thyssen Krupp. Prior to this Bruce was Group General Manager of ASX-listed Clyde Industries for more than a decade.
After leaving Bishop, Bruce has held a number of non-executive roles at listed and private companies including Non-Executive Director of CAP XX Limited, Chairman of Advanced Braking Technology Limited, and Chairman of Majestic Selections. He was also the Managing Director of the Advanced Manufacturing CRC Limited between 2009 and 2014.