Robyn Denholm to deliver inaugural InnovationAus Awards keynote


James Riley
Editorial Director

Electric car and renewable energy giant Tesla’s global chair Robyn Denholm will deliver the keynote address at the inaugural InnovationAus 2021 Awards for Excellence, at a black-tie discotheque-themed gala in Sydney on December 1.

Ms Denholm is chair of the powerful Technology Council of Australia and a partner at local VC success Blackbird. She is one of the Australia’s highest profile global business executives whose career includes 20 years in Silicon Valley.

In recent years, Ms Denholm has acted as a kind of unofficial emissary from the global economy, and Australia’s ambassador to it, highly influential in public debate about Australian opportunity.

“Robyn Denholm is among the most respected voices in Australia on business and technology, and on the Big Picture forces that are shaping our national economy,” said InnovationAus publisher Corrie McLeod.

Robyn Denholm
Tech Council of Australia chair Robyn Denholm

“Having spent a career in the most senior global roles at some of Silicon Valley’s most venerated success stories – and now as chair at Tesla – Robyn has a unique vantage point to identify the opportunities for Australia in everything from critical mineral supply chains and manufacturing to research translation and entrepreneurial culture,” Ms McLeod said.

“Just as the technology ‘sector’ is a horizontal industry driving productivity, growth and opportunity across all the verticals across the economy, the InnovationAus Awards for Excellence covers the broadest range of technology excellence.

“We are delighted that Robyn Denholm has agreed to deliver this important keynote at this remarkable time.”

Ms McLeod also announced that Indigenous Australian astrophysicist and science communicator Kirsten Banks would join the InnovationAus Awards as Master of Ceremonies. Ms Banks is a popular and prolific science communicator on the social platform TikTok and has appeared as a commentator on science issues on radio and television.

In July of this year, Snowy Hydro Limited announced that it would name one of two tunnelling machines being used in the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project as the “Kirsten Banks” after she had been nominated by a local primary school student as one Australia’s most influential women in science. The other machine is named for Florence Violet McKenzie (1890-1982).

Ms Denholm and Ms Banks will join the InnovationAus Awards for Excellence’ two Patrons – Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley and former CSIRO chair and business leader David Thodey as participants in the program honouring Australia’s best tech and science entrepreneurs.

Also with speaking roles at the awards are:

NSW Minister for Customer Service and Minister for Digital Victor Dominello;

Federal Labor shadow Industry minister Ed Husic;

Verizon Business Group Vice-President Rob Le Busque;

:Different co-founder and Tech Council board member Mina Radhakrishnan

The federal Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reductions Angus Taylor will provide a virtual address.

The InnovationAus 2021 Awards for Excellence will be held in Sydney on the evening of December 1. You can book your seat here.

Do you know more? Contact James Riley via Email.

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