Gig Guide: Payments System Board gains new members


Brandon How
Reporter

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s Payments System Board has two new appointments, while Australian Consumer and Competition Commission chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb has been reappointed to the board for a third term.

Dr Michelle Deaker, the managing director of OneVentures, is one of the new appointments. Dr Deaker has more than 20 years’ experience in the tech sector and has spent almost 17 years at OneVentures.

Also appointed is University of New South Wales (UNSW) Professor Ross Buckley, who specialises in fintech, central bank digital currencies and the Consumer Data Right, and was previously UNSW’s King and Wood Mallesons Professor of International Finance Law. Mr Buckley also has experience advising the Asian Development Bank, as well as government departments in Australia and Asia.

There are currently seven members on the board, although outgoing RBA governor Phillip Lowe‘s term expires on September 17 and former vice-president and head of Visa Checkout Greg Storey‘s term ends on July 31.

Dr Michelle Deaker and Professor Ross Buckley. Image: OneVentures, UNSW

Western Australian Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science, and Innovation (JTSI) director general Rebecca Brown has been reappointed in her role for a further five years. She has been in the JTSI role since September 2018 and served 15 months as acting director general of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet of Western Australia during the pandemic.

South Australia’s Hydrogen Office has a new chief operating officer in Nicola McFarlane, who moves from her role as JTSI’s director of hydrogen and new energies after almost a year and a half. She formerly worked as an engineer for accreditation and classification society DNV.

Advanced Navigation’s new lead AI engineer is Julien Flack who moves from AI healthcare company Artya, where he was chief technology officer for four years. He is also an Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia’s Centre for Medical Research.

As reported by InnovationAus.com on Monday, Kathryn Campbell, who was the former Department of Human Services secretary during the implementation of Robodebt, has resigned from her AUKUS advisory role, which would’ve paid her nearly $900,000 per year.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has appointed three new members to its board, including Google Australia’s public policy and government relations lead Samantha Yorke. The other appointees are former Copyright Agency chief executive Adam Suckling and Rio Tinto’s current head of privacy Carolyn Lidgerwood.

The Western Australian Public Sector Commissioner Sharyn O’Neill is the first Western Australian appointed as the chair of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. She replaces retiring Australian Public Service Commissioner Peter Woolcott.

Former Liberal Minister for Human Services Michael Keenan, who was in the role while Robodebt was active, and former Minister for Digital Transformation, has been appointed to the board of ASX-listed Singapore-based BioTech company Osteopore.

Fortescue Future Industries has lost another executive in chief financial officer Felicity Gooding. She will leave in September after entering the role in November 2022 following the departure of former Reserve Bank of Australia deputy general Guy Debelle.

Former New South Wales Liberal Minister for Digital Government and for Customer Service, Victor Dominello, will lead a working group at industry body the Technology Council of Australia on digital identity and credentials. He was appointed to the Tech Council board in May to replace former federal assistant innovation minster Wyatt Roy.

Fomer Tech Council deputy chief executive Tom McMahon has joined economic consultancy Mandala as a director.

Several appointments have been made at the Department of Industry, Science, and Resources (DISR), including Anthony McGregor as head of division for the technology investment taskforce. He was previously acting in the role.

The new DISR general manager for ICT Operations in the chief information officer division is Stewart McGill, while the new general manager for communications is Louise Wallensky.

The new chief information officer for the Director of Public Prosecutions is Paul Roolker, while the Office of the eSafety Commissioner’s has appointed Toby Dagg as a general manager for the regulatory operations group.

The new chief operating officer of mining firm Alcoa is Kelly Thomas, who was previously chief strategy and innovation officer. Outgoing chief operating officer Renato Bacchi has been promoted to executive vice president.

The Productivity Commission has appointed two assistant commissioners for inquiry and research. They are Miriam Veisman-Apter and Jared Dent.

Do you know more? Contact James Riley via Email.

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