Former top public servant Jane Halton has scored more advisory work from the government, after concluding her work on the COVID-19 Commission.
Ms Halton will be paid nearly $100,000 to advise the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet from May to the end of the year on vaccine rollouts in the Indo Pacific region.
She was one of 10 board members of the COVID-19 Commission Advisory Board disbanded this month by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who said the Commission had “answered the call of their country”.
Ms Halton was paid $118,000 for her role on the COVID-19 Commission and received an additional $82,000 for two and a half months of strategic advisory services to PM&C last year.
Since leaving the Public Service in 2016, Ms Halton has taken director roles at Crown Resorts, ANZ bank and Clayton Utz, and is chair at Vault Cloud.
Christopher Muir, a former Advisor to NSW Minister for Transport Andrew Constance and current boss of an Australian gambling company lobby group, has been announced as a new Commissioner for the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW.
Mr Muir, who has also worked at AUSTRAC and as a federal government advisor, joins Daniel O’Sullivan as a new commissioner while John Murphy has been reappointed to the IR Commission.
“Mr Muir brings with him a diversity of experience in various public and private sector roles, including decades specialising in industrial relations and employment law,” said NSW Special Minister of State, Don Harwin.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Frances Adamson will leave the department in June to become South Australia’s 36th governor. Ms Adamson has led DFAT for five years and was thanked for her service by Foreign affairs minister Marise Payne last week.
“Under her leadership, the department has undertaken the largest consular operation in DFAT’s history in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. During this critical time, Ms Adamson’s support to her staff, including those posted overseas, has enabled them to provide continuing assistance to Australians abroad,” Minister Payne said.
Paul Creech has been named as general manager, digital programs and engagement, digital health, at the Australian Digital Health Agency. Lisa Rauter has also been announced as chief operating officer, digital health.
The University of NSW has a new chief information and security officer, ending a near two year search. Derek Winter has joined UNSW, leaving the same role at the University of Sydney.
Australian AgTech company The Yield has announced new hires, including Patrick Maguire as chief financial officer. Mr Maguire has held several chief financial officer roles, most recently at Boston-based software firm QSR international.
Mr Maguire is expected to play a key role in the firm’s US expansion, as it seeks funding for its harvest forecast technology based on IoT sensors and data science. Mr Maguire will report to The Yield founder and managing director Ros Harvey.
“The Yield is at an exciting stage of growth which will be driven with the completion of a Series A capital raise this year. This will lay the foundation for next year’s planned Series B capital raise to support entry into the US market,” Ms Harvey said.
The Yield also added Gary Pate and Iain Fong in data roles, and Amanda Bovill in a customer role.
Economist and government advisor Tim Harcourt has joined the University of Technology Sydney as an industry professor and chief economist with the UTS Institute of Public Policy and Governance.
Professor Harcourt has been an Adviser to two State Premiers and three Federal Cabinet Ministers, and an Expert Panel Member to the Fair Work Commission on minimum wages and superannuation.
He will work on international trade, labour markets, climate innovation and the economics of sport at the UTS institute.
Citrix has announced Martin Creighan as managing director of Australia and New Zealand. Mr Creighan joins the workplace software firm after more than 16 years at telco AT&T.
Lenovo has appointed new local leaders across several APAC divisions. Prashanth Mani now leads Lenovo’s Mobile Business Group in APAC while Takeshi Okuma has taken the role of chief executive of Fujitsu Client Computing Limited, a joint between Lenovo, Fujitsu Limited, and the Development Bank of Japan.
Geoffrey Whelan and Miranda Lello have been appointed general manager, electricity markets branch at the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources.
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