Stellar speaker line-up confirmed for InnovationAus Awards


James Riley
Editorial Director

New South Wales’ rock star Digital minister Victor Dominello will join Australia’s chief scientist Dr Cathy Foley and Xero chair David Thodey as speaker-presenters at the 2022 InnovationAus Awards for Excellence, a glittering night of celebration of home-grown entrepreneurs and innovators.

As patrons of the InnovationAus Awards for a second year, Dr Foley and Mr Thodey will host a special VIP pre-awards function to meet and mingle with all 2022 finalists across 11 categories. Both patrons will also present awards to winners on the night.

Mr Dominello, who has been perhaps the most influential politician that Australia has produced in relation to the digital delivery of government services, has joined to program as a speaker in what will be his swansong event. Mr Dominello will leave politics at the 2023 NSW state election.

The 2022 InnovationAus Awards for Excellence black-tie gala dinner will be held on November 17 at the stunning Cutaway venue at Barangaroo in Sydney.

NSW Customer Service minister Victor Dominello, Australia’s chief scientist Dr Cathy Foley, and Xero chair David Thodey

Some 600 guests made up of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, CEOs, government officials, deep tech researchers, startup chieftains and all the rest of this broad ecosystem will rub shoulders and celebrate an amazing year of smart people doing smart things.

It has been a very big year for each of these speaker-presenters.

Even putting aside his status as a business leader, Mr Thodey has been a go-to adviser to governments. Most recently federal Government Services minister Bill Shorten in September appointed Mr Thodey lead a panel of experts in an expansive review of the myGov digital delivery platform.

In 2019, Mr Thodey had led an Independent Review of the Australian Public Service on behalf of the previous Coalition government.

As Australia’s chief scientist, Dr Foley has led high-level consultations with the nascent quantum computing sector and will author a National Quantum Strategy by the end of the year to guide government thinking on building a local industry – and to guide investments from the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund.

Victor Dominello, meanwhile, has been the primary driver of NSW digital delivery of government services and the political patron of Australia’s most success digital government. Mr Dominello is a hero to many in the public sector, an untiring advocate for the modernisation of public services.

The InnovationAus Awards for Excellence are a night of celebration, and a chance to meet and network with the best minds in the Australian innovation ecosystems.

The point is to shine a light on these emerging stars and to rub shoulders with peers from across industry sectors.

This is a great night of inspiration. You can reserve your seat at the InnovationAus Awards for Excellence – or book a table – by clicking here.

The InnovationAus 2022 Awards for Excellence are supported by: Investment NSW, AusIndustry, Australian Computer Society, Technology Council of Australia, Verizon, Mimecast, Microsoft Australia, Digital Health CRC (DHCRC), Agile Digital, METS Ignited, Innovation Manufacturing CRC (IMCRC) CSIRO, and Q-CTRL.

Do you know more? Contact James Riley via Email.

3 Comments
  1. Digital Koolaid 1 year ago

    Thanks James, and thank you also for allowing comments. Less courageous people would censor DK. The awards are a great effort and deserve respect. I respect them and your work. It’s the unqualified people talking “about” stuff they don’t actually do / never did that needs a mention. For instance, Mr Husic is a qualified journalist. Great, the world needs journalists, but he’s not an “entrepreneur, researcher, developer or VC”. Maybe he fits into your category “other ecosystem miscreants”? (joke) Thanks for the invitation. Here’s to smart, optimistic and driven individuals – with relevant qualifications and real-world experience. Regards.

  2. Digital Koolaid 1 year ago

    Stellar speaker line-up? Come on guys. Victor is a lawyer, Cathy is a physicist and David is an anthropologist. Cathy is an massive expert on indium nitride (InN), which is a tiny bandgap semiconductor material with potential application in solar cells and high speed electronics. Spot the “innovation” any place? Me neither. Hardly a “stellar” line-up. Could we get people who have subject mater knowledge instead? Maybe people who have actually innovated? And could we stop publishing hagiographies of people who haven’t? That would be great.

    • James Riley 1 year ago

      Hey DK, give me a break old chap! There will be 500+ entrepreneurs, researchers, developers, VCs and various other ecosystem miscreants in the room at these awards. I would suggest you come and join us, and unmask your anonymity. Anyone who can’t recognise the achievements in their areas of expertise of Victor Dominello, Dr Cathy Foley and David Thodey could really benefit from a night rubbing shoulders with a room full of smart, optimistic and driven individuals.

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