Our
team
The Hon Craig Laundy
Kirsten Daggar-Nickson
Joseph Tannous
Nick Melas
The Hon Craig Laundy
Co-Chairman
Member of the Advisory Board
Craig brings a wealth of experience in politics and business to his role as Co-Chairman. He was elected as a Federal Liberal MP in 2013 after winning the long held marginal ALP seat of Reid in Sydney’s inner west - and he increased the winning margin at the 2016 election. Craig was Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs in the Turnbull Government, Chair of the House Economics Committee and a member of the select committee for Public Accounts and Audit. He was Minister for Small and Family Business, Industrial Relations and Deregulation and Assistant Minister for Industry Innovation and Science in the Turnbull Government. Craig has been a key driver of growth in the family business, Laundy Hotel Group, initially between 1992 and 2012 before re-joining in 2018 after his stint in Federal politics.
Kirsten Daggar-Nickson
Director
Member Of The Advisory Board
Kirsten brings significant expertise in law, corporate affairs and communications to her clients, having held several senior leadership roles in these areas. Her experience includes work at Ernst & Young, Ashurst and several multinational companies in FMCG, energy and utilities in addition to time within NSW Government. Kirsten has spearheaded extensive and complex campaigns within highly regulated spaces, presented to state and parliamentary inquiries, led complex litigation and disputes and acted as a company spokesperson in times of intense scrutiny, to name a few experiences. She has also held several Company Secretarial and Directorships including within the NSW Government and NSW education system. Kirsten is a qualified principal lawyer with an unrestricted practicing certificate admitted in Australia to the High Court and in New Zealand to the Bar, a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is above all else regarded as tenacious and results-oriented.
Joseph Tannous
Founder
Executive Director
First elected to public office in 1999. Joseph was the then youngest Mayor in New South Wales. His more than two decades of service at senior levels of the Liberal Party include serving on the NSW State Executive and successfully managing targeted seats campaigns at State and Federal elections. Joseph has managed several successful campaigns resulting in the election of candidates to parliament. Through his long and successful contributions to the political processes across all levels of government, Joseph has developed proactive working relationships with leaders at all levels of the political spectrum. This combination of experience, personal rapport, and an instinct for what could and should be done to improve public policy has made Joseph a highly regarded advocate and a trusted political advisor. In 2011, Joseph founded Cornerstone Group a national bipartisan firm. For more than a decade, he has worked with and advised a range of major private sector corporations. Today, Cornerstone is one of the leading national firms delivering client focused outcomes across the political spectrum. Joseph brings insight to the complex nature of government and has developed trusted working relationships with leaders in government. He knows how to unpack the complexities of Government leading to successful outcomes through his experience in advocacy, strong partnership and public policy making.
Nick Melas
Director
Nick is a trusted and respected senior government affairs professional with over a decade of experience in the field.  Prior to joining Cornerstone, he was Managing Director of government relations advisory firm, Profile Consulting. Nick worked as an adviser in the offices of the the Federal Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, and the Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations. In 2001, Nick co-founded Specialist Opinions, which provides specialist medical assessments to the insurance industry, Commonwealth and state government departments and the legal fraternity. He is also the Australian representative and current Chair of The Advocacy Group,  a U.S-based government, lobbyist, and public affairs network.
Keren Davies
Dargan Pearson
Taylee Lewis
Simon Wainberg
Keren Davies
Senior Associate
Keren is a highly regarded government affairs professional recognised for her broad knowledge and expertise across law, communications, government policy, corporate affairs and international diplomacy. As a former adviser and advocate with the Australian Mission to the United Nations New York, and senior lawyer and corporate affairs adviser to Telstra, Keren has a strong track record in advocacy and deep understanding of government and commercial imperatives, including those specific to the tech sector. Through her advisory positions with the NSW Government Chief Digital team and Justice Department, Keren has further honed expertise across policy development, implementation and articulation, playing a pivotal role in major reforms and projects. Keren has degrees in Law and Arts (majoring in Economics) from Sydney University and a certificate in International Affairs from New York University.
Dargan Pearson
Senior Associate
Dargan has significant experience across a wide range of highly complex policy areas, both in public affairs and in the Federal Parliament - providing strategic advice and analysis. Dargan worked for a senior member of the Federal Coalition Government for almost a decade – in portfolios including environment, health, aged care, sport, regional development and education. In these offices he managed the parliamentary aspects, requiring a deep understanding of House and Senate processes including committees, Senate estimates and the legislative process. From 2019 to 2022, Dargan was closely involved in developing the environment portfolio budget, honing his knowledge of Cabinet and budgetary processes. Dargan also led the work on the second phase of the National Environmental Science Program - the Australian Government’s premier environmental science program - from design through to implementation. Dargan also has worked at the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry providing policy advice on education, migration and tourism matters and has also spent some time in the health sector in the UK.
Taylee Lewis
Head of Corporate Affairs
Europe
Taylee is a corporate affairs specialist with experience across Fortune 500 companies, multinationals and securities exchanges and current President of the Australia Italy Business Association. She was a senior consultant for a leading Washington-based public affairs firm and has worked on a number of high profile cases relating to cross-border shareholder disputes, patent infringements and mergers and acquisitions. Taylee was previously a finance journalist for leading investment publications. She is based between Sydney and Milan, providing support to Cornerstone’s European-based clients and is also a specialist in assisting Italian firms enter and expand operations within the Australian market.
Simon Wainberg
Director
Commercial and Procurement Advisory

Simon is a senior commercial advisor who brings over two decades of experience working with public and private sector clients to address complex procurement, funding and project delivery challenges.

He is a well-respected project leader and a trusted advisor, who has a strong track record of unlocking and progressing the delivery of challenging infrastructure, property development and urban-renewal projects both here in Australia and in London.  His experience covers projects in the transport, health, property development and advanced manufacturing sectors including biotechnology, food and aerospace manufacturing. Simon is passionate about government and the private sector working together to unlock long-term value creation opportunities and the development of emerging industries through policy development, strategic investment, business partnerships and well-crafted commercial transactions.
Mia Linden
Mia Linden
Associate
Mia is a dynamic and diligent government relations professional, with experience in a top ASX200 company and within the diplomatic sphere. Prior to joining Cornerstone, Mia worked as part of the Government Relations and Industry Affairs team at QBE Insurance and held positions within a diplomatic mission based in Canberra. Mia holds a degree in International Security Studies from the Australian National University, majoring in Arabic and Global Security. She has a strong interest in business and political strategy, effective communication and policy for good. Mia brings a driven and passionate energy to her work, approaching new undertakings with a discerning and intuitive eye.

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