Andrew Stevens will continue to lead the development of Australia’s massive data portability scheme after being reappointed by the federal government as the Data Standards Chair until 2023.
The former IBM Australia boss has held the role since the creation of the Data Standards Body within CSIRO’s Data61 in 2018. Mr Stevens and the standards body have led the development of technical and consumer standards for the Consumer Data Right, which is first being applied to Open Banking and allows consumers to share their data in a machine readable way.
“Mr Stevens’ reappointment will provide important continuity and expert advice to support the accelerated rollout of the CDR across the economy,” said Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy Jane Hume.
“The CDR has now entered a period of multi-sector expansion with consumers already benefitting from sharing of banking data, the energy sector soon to follow and processes already underway to assess and designate telecommunications as the third sector.”
Mr Stevens, who is also the current chair of the the Industry, Innovation and Science Australia Board, has been reappointed until February 2023.
The Technology Council of Australia officially launched on Wednesday with plenty of big names. Led by Tesla chair Robyn Denholm, the board includes billionaire founders and former state and federal ministers.
Tech darling founders Scott Farquhar, Anthony Eisen and Cliff Obrecht, sit alongside former federal minister Wyatt Roy and state minister Kate Jones.
While stacked with multinationals, the council has a distinct Australian flavour, and aims to provide a coordinated and clear voice to government on policy matters that impact the local sector.
Australia’s privacy tsar Angelene Falk was reappointed to her roles as Australian Information and Privacy Commissioner for another three years. Falk will lead the watchdog as it gears up for major reforms to privacy law and pursues several investigations for suspected breaches.
The voice of the local defence industry unexpectedly departed a few weeks ago, leaving vacant the role established by the Department of Defence 18 months ago to give smaller Australian contractors a better chance at large submarine and frigate programs.
Martin Halloran “suddenly” resigned as the head of Australian industry capability, according to the AFR, to join foreign-owned military contractor Babcock Australasia. It comes as Defence officials confirmed another delay to the troubled naval shipbuilding program.
Services Australia has appointed Brenton Halliday, Stuart Turnbull, and Laura Gannon to the role of general manager. Ms Gannon began her career at Centrelink and has risen through Services Australia with a brief secondment to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in 2018.
The Australian Taxation Office has appointed Steve Dardaneliotis assistant commissioner, external delivery services and strategy.
Banking sector veteran Mike Diakomichalis has been appointed executive director of customer experience at the South Australian Department of Premier and Cabinet. He joins from Bank SA and spent more than 21 years at Westpac before then.
In Victoria, Lynda McAlary-Smith has been appointed as the state’s next small business commissioner. She joins from the Victorian Building Authority and has served in senoor roles at The Fair Work Ombudsman.
Investment NSW, the state agency charged with coordinating business’s dealing with government and research and development, has lost Dr Vinita Deodhar, who is off to the private sector.
Dr Deodhar, 13-year New South Wales public servant, has taken the role of chief product officer at Open Orbit, a tech start-up at the innovation hub Stone and Chalk.
The innovation hub’s inaugural chief executive Alex Scandurra stood down from the top job this week, just months after the organisation merged with federal government growth centre AustCyber. Mr Scandurra, who led Stone and Chalk since 2015 did not say where he was headed but that he looked forward to “pursuing opportunities” as “an advisor, investor and leader in the Australian emerging technology sector”.
Fintech Australia chief executive Rebecca Schot-Guppy will leave the industry group in three months. Ms Schot-Guppy, who has been with FinTech Australia for three years is leaving to join Australia’s biggest insurer IAG. The industry group is now on the hunt for a new leader.
The Australian Centre for Field Robotics has announced Professor Ian Manchester, an expert in robot control systems and robust machine learning, as its new director.
Professor Manchester’s first major initiative will be to lead the newly announced ARC Research Hub in Intelligent Robotic Systems for Real-Time Asset Management which has received $5 million from the federal government.
Australia Post’s head of consumer and community at the postal service Nicole Sheffield is leaving the enterprise for a newly created data and digital role at Wesfarmers, reporting directly to managing director Rob Scott.
Yvette Lejins has been appointed regional Chief Information Security Officer of cyber firm Proofpoint. Ms Lejins joins from the Qantas Group, where she was Head of the Cyber Business Project, which grouped Jetstar Group, Qantas Loyalty and Qantas Digital.
Fellow security firm FireEye has named Mark Ellis as country manager in New Zealand, as part of the business’ push into the market
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