Oliver Curtis’ new role and venture with his wife, Sydney PR queen Roxy Jacenko

Eighteen months after leaving prison, convicted insider trader Oliver Curtis has re-entered the business world after finding a new venture with his PR queen wife Roxy Jacenko.

Exclusive: Eighteen months after leaving prison, convicted insider trader Oliver Curtis has re-entered the business world.

The 33-year-old has founded a new venture helping Australian companies raise their profile in the tough Chinese market, with his PR queen wife, Roxy Jacenko.

The new business, 18 Communications, is a Sydney-based public relations and marketing consultancy service that helps brands reach local Chinese residents and tourists in Australia who are active on Chinese social media channels including WeChat, Weibo and Redbook.

Curtis has struggled since being released from Cooma correctional centre where he served a year-long sentence for conspiring to commit insider trading.

Jacenko, 38, said it was “heartbreaking” to watch.

“There are times that are challenging and have been challenging, but look, what happened in the past is passed, the experiences that came from my time inside probably gave me some experience obviously that not many people can get,” he said.

“So at the end of the day I think really not at looking back it’s about looking forward.”

Jackeno added that while he was “apprehensive”, she convinced Curtis to work with her for the first time in a position which does not breach the restrictions placed on him.

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Roxy Jacenko and husband Oliver Curtis are working together for the first time. Picture: Tim Hunter.

“Oli came on as the COO (Chief Operating Officer), reality is, he came out of jail and had a challenging time getting back into the finance market — to be honest, it was heartbreaking for me to watch as he is incredibly talented in the space and had achieved some incredible milestones in his career for someone so young to not be able to close the past chapter and move forward with his career is terrible,” she said.

“As such I nagged him, until he agreed to join me to grow my businesses. It’s taken some adjusting for both of us but there is no doubt we are a deadly duo with his back-end and strategic ability mixed with my creative comms ability and I am excited to see the business evolve even further.”

Curtis, a former investment banker, has been learning Mandarin, and Jacenko has also hired two full-time Chinese-born women to work for her who’ve immigrated to Australia.

Oliver Curtis leaves Cooma correctional centre on June 23, 2017. Picture: AAP

Jackeno said she is now working with her “best friend”, and couldn’t do it without him.

“As anyone knows working in a family business can be very hard, working with your wife even harder, but for me there’s only so much I could do in this business,” she said.

“Oli could see I was struggling to run such a number of companies on my own as well as have the two children.

“It’s hard, marriage is hard, working together and driving everyday to work together is even harder, but at the same time it’s been very advantageous. We’re getting used to it.”

Roxy Jacenko on her wedding day with Oliver Curtis at Quay restaurant in Sydney. Picture: Supplied

Curtis’ passion for China, which he describes as “the holy grail”, comes from growing up with his father Nick Curtis, who worked for the Chinese Government in 1995.

“I’m very comfortable in Chinese culture and the Chinese environment and have a core understanding of business and how it works in China. I used to have an office in Beijing, I used to spend a week or month up there,” he said.

Curtis’ new business idea is aimed at helping clients build a stronger presence within the local Chinese community in Australia, before spending significant money on mainland China PR and marketing campaigns.

Roxy Jacenko and husband Oliver Curtis are hoping to grow their business. Picture: Tim Hunter.

“In China, brands, particularly foreign brands, don’t work unless the mainland Chinese purchasers can pick up the phone or get on WeChat and ask questions to their wider community of friends like ‘Have you heard of this brand?’ — that’s how the brands take off over there,” he said.

“Too many people are being suckered into going and spending thousands of dollars on (Key Opinion Leader) KOL programs through agencies for wanting an instant hit. Our whole mantra here is really to be able to offer clients our core product offering which is traditional PR and communication services in Australia, but offer the China angle attached to that — but importantly, do it here in Australia.”

An Australian Securities and Investment Commission spokeswoman confirmed to News Corp that Curtis is disqualified from managing corporations in Australia until June 2022.

“If the person becomes disqualified from managing corporations, they cease to be a director, alternate director or a secretary of a company,” she said.

She said managing a company while disqualified is an offence under the corporations legislation, which includes making or participating in making decisions that affect the whole or a substantial part of the business of a company.

Curtis said: “I can work for a business and be employed in a business and do all that. I haven’t been banned to work it’s just simply being a director,” he said.

“It doesn’t mean I can’t hold a role or anything associated with business.”

“I just can’t be the director of a business. I can’t be the director of finance.”

Jacenko added: “I’m good at counting the money anyway.”