Meet the Seer Data Board of Directors

Deanne Weir
Chair

Deanne Weir is a former media lawyer and senior executive turned producer, investor, and company director.  An accomplished and globally respected business leader, strategist and communicator, Deanne has over 30 years of experience in the media, communications, and technology sectors. Deanne’s private investment group WeirAnderson.com invests in entrepreneurs and storytellers to help them change the world. After 14 years, Deanne retired in February 2024 as Chair of Ai-Media, an ASX listed technology company (ASX: AIM).  Deanne has been Chair of Seer Data & Analytics since July 2018.  

A board member and then Deputy Chair of Screen Australia until 2016, Deanne was instrumental in the development of its Gender Matters program. Deanne was Chair of the Sydney Film Festival until November 2023, and is a Trustee of the global NGO The Asia Foundation. 

Through WeirAnderson Films and Storyd Group Deanne invests in Australian female creatives making feature films for international audiences, with Deanne acting as Executive Producer on many projects.  Deanne leads The WeirAnderson Foundation, a private ancillary fund with a strong focus on gender equality, cultural institutions, and social justice. 

Deanne spent over 20 years as an executive in the media and communications sector across Australia and New Zealand, from her early days as a regulatory lawyer at Telstra, to pivotal senior executive roles at Austar and Foxtel, all of which were intensive preparation for her life as a company director and Chair. Her significant span of influence has included content creation and acquisition, business strategy and transformation, legal, regulatory and government affairs, mergers and acquisitions, exploration of new forms of digital media and development of new technology.  Deanne is a frequent public speaker, sought after board advisor and trusted mentor. 

Kristi Mansfield
Director, Co-founder, CEO

Kristi Mansfield is the CEO and Founder of Seer Data, leading the company since it was founded in 2016. She is recognised as a leading voice for community-led data access, sharing and storytelling and was awarded the Trans Tasman High Growth and Innovation Award in 2022 by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and former Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern.   

Prior to founding Seer Data, Kristi was Oracle’s go-to-market strategy leader for the company’s SaaS business in Asia Pacific and before this she was head of marketing for Nuance Communications. She is a published author was recognised as a 100 Women of Influence by the Australian Financial Review.  She is mother to three children. 

Career highlights   

• Highly experienced Data Leader and Data for Good Strategist. Has worked with more than 300 businesses, Government agencies and Not For Profits on the development of data strategy to improve decision making for outcomes and innovation for public benefit.  

• Thought leader and experienced speaker. Kristi is a regular commentator on data, analytics, innovation and Government to Community data sharing.  She has presented at more than 100 conferences throughout her career, including keynote presentations for the National Australia Bank, Oracle, Optus, Philanthropy Australia and the Sydney Writers Festival and Chairs an annual Data Analytics for Policy conference in Australia.  

• Significant experience in supporting community organisations and Not For Profits to understand the value of data. Experience working with more than 50 communities on community-led data analytics strategies, developing data-driven decision making and programming, and data literacy.   

Brian Donn
Director

Brian is a highly respected global technology leader with more than 25 years’ experience scaling SaaS and enterprise platforms across Australia, New Zealand, Asia-Pacific, and global markets. His career includes senior executive roles at Oracle, Verint, KANA, and Sword Group. Most recently, Brian was Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Asia Pacific & Japan at Dayforce (Ceridian), where he led teams of more than 3,000 and delivered sustained growth across the region.

Recognised for his ability to drive digital transformation and build high-performing teams, Brian brings deep expertise in enterprise SaaS strategy, revenue leadership, and customer experience innovation. His track record in taking technology businesses to scale makes him an invaluable addition to the Seer Data Board as the company enters its next phase of growth.

Brian’s leadership will support the company to deepen its footprint with governments, corporates, philanthropists, First Nations and community-led organisations. His extensive expertise growing international software companies will be pivotal as we launch our enterprise platform into global markets.

Alister Ferguson OAM
Director

Alister Ferguson OAM is the Founder and Executive Director of Maranguka, the largest data-driven, community-led project in Australia. Key to Alister’s community development is the belief in seeing communities truly empowered and taking responsibility for their own issues. Alister was awarded with the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2026, reflecting his leadership in driving community-led change and strengthening Aboriginal decision-making.

In 2018, Alistair was nominated for the Australia’s Local Hero Award which aims to acknowledge the extraordinary contributions individuals make in their local community. In 2015, in recognition of 20 years of work for his community in Bourke, and in particular for his leadership on the Maranguka Justice Reinvestment Project, Alistair received the Aboriginal Justice Award at the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW Justice Awards.  

Alistair was also the Chairperson of the Bourke Aboriginal Community Working Party for more than 10 years and was on the Executive Committee of Just Reinvest NSW.