John Mactaggart

John Mactaggart is a Brisbane-based investor, company director, and one of Australia's most established figures in angel investing. He comes from the Mactaggart family behind J.L. Mactaggart Industries, a long-running Brisbane hide-processing and animal-products business, and his career spans agriculture, agri-tech, food processing, industrial fasteners, building-equipment manufacturing, and software. He has been a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors since 1991.

Mactaggart is best known publicly for his role in TechnologyOne, Australia's largest enterprise software company. The company was founded by Adrian Di Marco in 1987 in a demountable office in the car park of the Mactaggart family's Hemmant hide-processing plant, with early backing from John and Dugald Mactaggart, who were prior clients of Di Marco. John Mactaggart was a founding shareholder and remains a major shareholder; he served on the TechnologyOne board (including as non-executive chairman) and stepped down as a director in February 2024. As a long-term holder he has periodically sold large parcels of stock — including roughly A$34.8 million in 2021 and A$31.3 million in 2023.

In 2006 Mactaggart co-founded Brisbane Angels (formally Brisbane Angels Nominees Pty Ltd), where he is Founder and Chairman. The group has grown into one of Australia's largest angel-investing networks, connecting private investors with early-stage technology startups, predominantly in South East Queensland. He also co-founded the Australian Association of Angel Investors Limited and served as the Australian representative to the World Business Angels Association, making him a leading advocate for the development of the angel-investing asset class in Australia.

• Invests through Brisbane Angels into early-stage / seed-round technology companies, with the group's deals commonly in the ~A$100K–A$1M range.
• Backs "smart people solving difficult problems" — the stated emphasis is on the founder and team as much as the product.
• Seeks companies with "exceptional opportunities for high returns," characterised by high growth, strong market position, and sustainable competitive advantages.
• Strong regional bias toward South East Queensland / Australian startups, reflecting Brisbane Angels' mission to develop the local startup ecosystem.
• Personal domain interests draw on decades of operating experience across agriculture/agri-tech, manufacturing, food processing, and software — sectors where he can add operator-level mentorship, not just capital.
• Acts as both investor and mentor, consistent with the angel-group model he helped pioneer in Australia.