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13 August 2026

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Who curates Firstlinks?

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Firstlinks is a community sharing both the knowledge and the battle scars of experience from an informed and impartial point of view, without pushing products or promoting services.

Firstlinks (originally Cuffelinks) was founded in 2012 by Graham Hand and Chris Cuffe, with Leisa Bell joining as assistant editor in 2013. The business was acquired by Morningstar Australasia in 2019. James Gruber joined the team in 2022 to allow Graham to focus more on writing. Tragically, at the end of 2024, Graham passed away, 13 months after receiving a terminal brain tumor diagnosis. Following James' departure in 2026, we welcomed Simolle Mody to the editor's chair.

Firstlinks is Graham's legacy to Australian investors, for which we will be forever grateful.

Simonelle Mody, Writer and Editor

After joining Morningstar in 2024, Simonelle stepped into the editor role at Firstlinks in June 2026. Hailing from the Golden State of WA, she moved to Sydney in 2023 and now splits her time between curating thoughtful investor conversations and discovering the quirks of inner-city living. Her interests lie in portfolio construction, market trends and investor behaviour. She aims to bring a cross-generational perspective to every edition she shapes.

Leisa Bell, Assistant Editor

Leisa has spent most of her career in the banking and finance industry, from specialising as a credit analyst to financial publishing. For 15 years, she worked across multiple levels of banking (retail, business, treasury, corporate and investment banking), both domestic and international. After a career break to raise children, she spent five years managing a small finance consultancy before joining a fledging Cuffelinks in 2013, assisting with editing, publishing and business administration.

 

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