Steven Marshall takes off to the US

Former South Australian Premier Steven Marshall will relocate to New York City after being appointed as president of the American Australian Association.

Marshall will begin his role on January 1, 2025, taking the reins from John Berry, who also served as Australia’s ambassador to the United States from 2012 until 2016.

Marshall was the 46^th Premier of South Australia, leading the state from 2018 to 2022.

He held the seat of Dunstan (formerly Norwood) as a member of the South Australian Liberal Party from 2010 until his resignation in February of this year.

He is currently a board member of Portalink and the Australian Ballet, a foundation governor of Coopers Brewery, governor of AmCham and chair of the Australian Advisory Council at MITRE.

Before this, Marshall had a background in family business and manufacturing, including as general manager of the textiles division at Michell Pty Ltd.

Association chair Craig Chapman said that “with his extensive public and private sector experience in Australia and the United States and with the full support of the Association’s Board, [Marshall] is the right person to lead the Association to new and impactful heights in its support of American Australian relations”.

Experienced lawyers to join Magistrates Court.

Lawyers Patrick Hill, Elizabeth Ferris and John Clover will join the Magistrate Court, announced Attorney-General Kyam Maher last Thursday.

The three lawyers will replace Kim Millard and David McLeod, who are set to retire, and Brett Dixon, who resigned earlier this year.

Hill is a barrister at the private bar and has worked in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for the past 13 years.

Before this, he was a defence lawyer at the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement and the Legal Services Commission.

Attorney-General Kyam Maher said Ferris, who is currently a senior solicitor at the Crown’s Solicitor’s Office, has an extensive background in criminal law with the DPP and as a defence lawyer in private practice.

Clover has 12 years of experience as a Legal Officer DPP, as well as a senior federal prosecutor and principal federal prosecutor.

Hill, Ferris and Clover will begin their terms on January 20, 2025.

Off to the zoo

Zoos SA director Dr Phil Ainsley will take over as chief executive following the retirement of Elaine Bensted, announced the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia board.

Phil Ainsley

Ainsley has 25 years of experience in the not-for-profit, government and private sectors, including as current director of Zoos SA, a position he has held since 2021.

He joined Zoos SA in 2013 as conservation programs manager for Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Safari Park, before taking up a curator role overseeing conservation, birds, reptiles and native species.

Throughout this period, he has been acting chief executive of Zoos SA on several occasions and played a key role in developing the Zoos SA Master Plan 2015-2035.

Ainsley currently also serves as chair of the Zoo and Aquarium Association Ethics Committee and is a long-standing member of the South Australian government’s animal welfare and ethics advisory group.

“Our shortlist included international and interstate talent, but ultimately the board agreed that Phil’s leadership skills, conservation credentials, knowledge of the zoo industry and our organisation and his exciting vision for its future, make Phil the best person to lead Zoos SA and to deliver our current key priorities,” said Zoos SA President Juliann Riedstra.

Executive Manager – Strategic Projects and Climate for the progressive, clean and green local government entity City of Mitcham. This role provides future-focused leadership to drive innovation and transformational commercial initiatives in response to emerging community demands and climate change. Head of Workforce Optimisation for fresh produce leader, Perfection Fresh. This newly created senior leadership role will lead operational and labour planning at the state-of-the-art Two Wells facility, driving lean methodology to optimise operational outcomes.

Mix 102.3 reveals new line-up

Adelady co-owner Hayley Pearson has joined the Mix102.3 line-up to co-host the 2025 breakfast show, Hayley & Max in the Morning.

Hayley Pearson

Pearson will take the reins from Ali Clarke, who left the show earlier this year following a breast cancer diagnosis.

Pearson will be presenting the show alongside co-host Max Burford, who is a sports presenter and producer at Network 10.

Pearson co-founded Adelady in 2016 and is also a co-host of Channel 9’s HelloSA.

She has previously also worked on breakfast radio at both Nova and SAFM.

Hayley & Max in the Morning will debut on January 20, 2025, and will be aired from 6am to 9am.

As reported last Thursday in InDaily, Mix102.3 was second in the latest radio ratings survey, with its breakfast show coming in fourth place.

Passing on the baton at ILA

Becc Bates will begin as CEO of Immersive Light and Art (ILA) this Wednesday, bringing nearly 20 years of experience in public sector roles in the arts.

Becc Bates

Bates joins ILA from Arts South Australia (formerly Arts SA), where she is director of strategy and investment.

ILA said that in this role, Bates has led the development of policy and strategy to support the arts and creative industries in South Australia.

Before it was subsumed into the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Bates spent almost eleven and a half years Arts SA, where she helped establish the Music Development Office.

“A long-time leader in the arts and creative industries, Becc has driven nation-leading work in supporting the music industry in South Australia,” said ILA.

Bates takes the reins from Nic Mercer, who has taken up the role of CEO at battery company AmpAura Australia and will transition to ILA’s board.

ILA is a not-for-profit social enterprise founded in 2021 to support the immersive arts and is home to Aurora Restaurant, The Lab, The Light Room and The Lab Garden.

Experienced CEO starts at SA-H2H

Lauran Huefner has begun as CEO of SA-H2H Hydrogen Technology Cluster.

Lauran Huefner

Huefner will also continue to serve on the Shalau Consulting board, where he has been a director since April 2020.

Before joining SA-H2H, Huefner was a senior policy advisor at the South Australian Business Chamber from September to November 2024.

He has also been chief revenue officer of Digital Twinning Australia and general manager of Engineers Australia, among other roles.

“We are excited to announce that Lauran has already joined us, with experience at management level in commercial, university and not-for-profit sectors,” said SA-H2H.

“With solid insights in strategy program and policy development, market performance analysis, organisational restructure, fundraising and business development, Lauran is well-positioned to help drive the hydrogen supply chain in South Australia.”

New leader for Leaders Institute

The Leaders Institute of SA has announced Sarah Cutbush as its new CEO following the resignation of Cathie Brown.

Sarah Cutbush

Cutbush is currently chief marketing and communications officer at the University of South Australia, where she was previously deputy director of marketing and strategic communications.

She is the state president of Surf Life Saving South Australia, where she has been a non-executive director since May 2018.

She has also been a non-executive director of Surf Life Saving Australia since May 2023.

Before this, she was head of brand and marketing at BankSA and worked in various roles across the private sector in both Australia and the United Kingdom.

Cutbush will start as CEO on February 10, with the institute’s relationship manager Jo Carrick becoming acting CEO when Brown finishes on December 20.

City of Holdfast Bay veteran appointed as CEO

Pamela Jackson has been appointed CEO of the City of Holdfast Bay, having acted in the role since August 2024.

Pamela Jackson

Jackson took over from former CEO Roberto Bria, who had been in the role for over seven years.

The City of Holdfast Bay said Jackson brings “a wealth of experience gained during her nine years with the City of Holdfast”.

Jackson has held various positions at the City of Holdfast Bay over the past nine years, including as general manager of assets and delivery and general manager of strategy and corporate.

“Following a very high number of applicants for the CEO, Ms Jackson was the stand-out candidate, with exceptional leadership skills, business transformation, and stakeholder management skills,” said City of Holdfast Bay mayor Amanda Wilson.

City of Burnside replaces CEO

Julia Grant has been appointed as CEO of the City of Burnside and will start on January 28, 2025.

Julia Grant

Grant is currently director of strategy and engagement at the City of Onkaparinga, where she has been for over four years.

The City of Burnside mayor Anne Monceaux said Grant was chosen from around 60 applicants after a nationwide search.

“Ultimately Julia’s experience in driving high-performing teams, ensuring sustainable financial management, improving Council community engagement outcomes, and a strong record of policy development, really stood out,” said Monceaux.

Lowitja Institute gains health expert

The Lowitja Institute has announced the appointment of Craig Ritchie as chair of its board, where he has been a member since December 2018.

Craig Ritchie

The Lowitja Institute said Ritchie has extensive experience in the community health sector.

Ritchie is an independent advisor and researcher who was CEO of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies until August 2023.

He is also an honorary senior fellow at the University of Melbourne, an adjunct professor at the University of Technology Sydney and chair of Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Services.

He has also served as CEO of National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, manager of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Health Unit at ACT Health, director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Population Health at the Australian Department of Health, among other roles.

Ritchie belongs to the Dhunghutti people of Macleay Valley in northern New South Wales and also has connections to the Biripi and Gringai nations.

The Lowijta Institue, which is named after South Australian Indigenous rights advocate Lowitja O’Donoghue, said it is “Australia’s only national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled health research institute”.

Experienced chief investment officer joins Funds SA

Con Michalakis will start as chief investment officer of Funds SA, beginning the role in February 2025.

Con Mikalakis

Michalakis will take over from Matt Kempton, who is serving as acting CIO in the interim.

Michalakis is currently deputy chief investment officer of portfolio construction Hostplus Superannuation, which merged with Statewide Superannuation in 2022, where he had been chief investment officer for nearly 14 years.

Before this, he was also director of marketing and client service at Pzena Investment Management and head of institution business at Merill Lynch Investment Managers.

“Con is a highly experienced CIO, with a proven track record in delivering strong, consistent investment returns over many years,” said Funds SA CEO John Piteo.

“He is greatly respected for his leadership, commercial acumen and building deep stakeholder relationships within the investment management and superannuation communities.”

Funds SA said is the investment corporation owned by the Government of South Australia’s public sector superannuation funds and approved public authorities across a range of different sectors, and manages more than $46 billion in funds.

Leadership change at Star Pharmacy Group

Star Pharmacy Group has announced the appointment of Catherine Kelly as general manager of sales and marketing and Scott Carpenter to the new role of general manager of operations in pharmacy and retail.

Catherine Kelly

Kelly has 20 years of experience in marketing roles across Australia, including at Harris Scarfe Australia, Bunnik Tours and Sportmed.

Kelly has been with Star Pharmacy Group for the past two and a half years and was previously general manager of marketing.

In her new role, Kelly will oversee buying and marketing functions at Star Pharmacy Group.

Carpenter has 15 years of experience in executive operations roles in the banking industry.

Scott Carpenter

He also represented England and Australia at the Olympics in water polo.

Star Pharmacy Group was founded by South Australian pharmacists Peter Gardiakos and Stan Kontos in 2003 and currently has 65 locations across Australia, including 36 in South Australia.

A bottle of red, a bottle of white

Shirley Fraser has joined the Wine Communicators of Australia board, bringing over 25 years of experience in the wine industry.

Shirley Fraser

Fraser is currently general manager of customer engagement at Wine Australia and a board member of Australian Women in Wine.

Throughout her career, Fraser has held various senior roles in the wine industry, including as executive officer at the Wine Industry Suppliers Inc.

“[Fraser] brings wealth of experience and it is so vital to have our leading wine industry statutory body continuing to have a voice at the WCA,” said WCA executive chair Agnus Barnes.

Building the future at Property Council SA

Renewal SA’s Jack Homes has been appointed as chair of the South Australian Future Leaders Committee at the Property Council SA.

Jack Holmes

Holmes will take the reins from outgoing chair Rachel Dyus, who is a senior asset manager at Charter Hall.

Holmes is development manager of partnerships and new projects at Renewal SA, where he joined in March 2017 at age 21 as project officer of city projects.

Holmes is currently also co-convener of the Planning Institute of Australia’s Emerging Planners Committee and previously served as deputy chair of the Future Directions Committee at the Property Council SA.

“I really value the opportunity to work with, build relationships with, and learn from the experience of peers across the industry, as well as providing a platform to engage on important topics and challenges, be it housing affordability or AI, that will have an impact on the future of our industries and our state,” said Holmes.

Renewal SA said the Future Leaders Committee “is for aspiring and emerging leaders in the property industry, with a key focus on developing industry networks and providing a professional development platform which extends across all sectors of the property and built environment industries”.

Jumping on board at Hutt St Centre

Jenny Karavolos, Annette Fidge and Kate Gray have been appointed as directors on the Hutt St Centre board.

Jenny Karavolos

Karavolos has over 25 years of leadership experience the areas of disability, defence, transport and energy, including as past CEO of Autism SA.

She is currently CEO of Disability Advocacy and Complaints SA, as well as co-chair of the Australian Autism Alliance and chair-elect of Augmented Ability CRC.

Hutt St Centre said Fidge is a senior executive with a 25-year career in business transformation and organisational performance improvement.

Annette Fidge

She currently runs her own consulting business, Annette Fidge Business Consulting and was previously a partner at EY (Ernst & Young).

“With expertise in governance, strategy, and program management, Annette has worked across private and non-profit sectors to deliver impactful change,” said Hutt St Centre.

Gray is the owner and managing director of office furniture retailer Back Centre and previously served as chair of the Diversity and Inclusion for the Property Council of Australia.

Kate Gray

Hutt St Centre said she has “extensive experience in the commercial property, retail, and marketing industries”.

“Kate’s strong analytical and business acumen, combined with her passion for supporting vulnerable communities, will enhance Hutt St Centre’s efforts to end homelessness,” Hutt Street Centre said.