Corporate Ladder: your weekly guide to executive appointments in South Australia
South Australia’s premier executive appointments column tracking the movements of those driving the state’s public and private sectors. Plus the latest executive recruitment opportunities.
Former sports minister to head Australian Olympic Committee
Former federal sports minister Mark Arbib has been appointed as the CEO of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC).
Mark Arbib
Arbib’s will take over following the departure of Matt Carroll on May 16, who had been CEO since May 2017.
The AOC said Arbib has more than 30 years of leadership experience in sports administration, commercial strategy and governance.
Arbib has been a member of the AOC’s executive committee since 2016 and also chair AOC’s Brisbane 2032 Legacy and Impact committee.
He is a former Australian senator who held various ministerial portfolios during his time in parliament, including sports minister under the Gillard Labor government from 2010-12.
He is a past president of Australian Athletics and previously led a governance review into the Australian Rugby Union.
“Mark’s senior experience across Australia’s sporting landscape runs deep and wide, but alongside those credentials, he’s also serving in his tenth year on the AOC Executive, and brings a demonstrated passion for the Olympic Movement, our sports and athletes,” said Ian Chesterman, who is AOC’s president.
“Mark is highly skilled in the workings of the sport system having served as President of Athletics Australia for six years. Together with his experience in government, business, fundraising and philanthropy, I look forward to him bringing his compelling skillset to the operations of the AOC.”
Commissioner for Aboriginal youth gets to work
Dale Agius
Dale Agius has begun his role as South Australia’s commissioner for Aboriginal children and young people.
Agius, who has been appointed for a three-year term, takes over from inaugural commissioner April Lawrie.
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The government said that the commissioner “is an independent statutory body created to promote the rights, development and wellbeing of Aboriginal children and young people in South Australia”.
Agius previously held positions in the public service, including as director of Aboriginal practice and partnership in the Department of Human Services and director of Aboriginal practice in the Department of Child Protection.
Education, Training and Skills Minister Blair Boyer congratulated Agius on his new role, noting his experience in leadership, cultural advocacy and community engagement.
“Mr Agius has extensive experience in state-wide engagement with Aboriginal communities, advocating for inclusive representation and policy reforms, and I look forward to working with him over the next three years,” he said.
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Chief Executive Officer for the Community Business Bureau, a national social enterprise providing advisory services to enhance the capacity and sustainability of not-for-profit organisations across Australia. Chief Executive Officer for dynamic not-for-profit organisation Royal Life Saving South Australia, which equips everyday people with lifesaving skills. Drive the organisation’s mission, financial sustainability, strong stakeholder engagement and growth. Non-Executive Director with finance, investment and governance experience for the Australian Medical Association South Australia, the peak medico-political body in Australia providing a corporate identity and a coherent voice for the nation’s medical practitioners. |
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Leadership change on Funds SA board
Dr Guy Debelle will be the next chair of Funds SA, where he has been a board member since July 2024.
Dr Guy Debelle
Funds SA said Debelle has extensive experience in financial and economic policy.
Debelle previously spent six years as the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, where he was employed for some 25 years.
He is currently an honorary professor in the School of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Adelaide, as well as a board director of Tivan.
He holds several other board and advisory roles in the private, listed and public sectors in Australia and overseas.
Debelle will begin his role on April 24 and takes over from outgoing chair Paul Laband.
Additionally, Anna Shave has joined the Funds SA board as a non-executive director.
Anna Shave
Funds SA said she brings extensive expertise in the investment and financial services sectors, with a focus on innovation and transformation.
Shave is currently managing director of RCF innovation and director of investor relations for the Asia-Pacific region at Resource Capital Funds.
She is also on the board of Good Sammy Enterprises, where she is chair of its investment committee.
In addition, she is acting chair of MEVCO Mining Electric Vehicle Company.
Senior appointments at KPMG’s Adelaide office
International accounting firm KPMG has announced two senior appointments in its Adelaide office, with the addition of Harry Cooper as technology advisory partner, while Paul Barker has been promoted to technology implementation principal director.
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Harry Cooper
KPMG said Cooper has 18 years of experience in technology strategy and transformation.
Cooper joins KPMG from Scyne Advisory, where he spent just over a year as director of data and digital.
Before this, he spent nearly four years at PwC Australia, as director of tech advisory in Melbourne and then Adelaide.
He also previously spent ten years as senior manager of technology at Accenture in the United Kingdom.
Barker has been at KPMG since 2021 in the role of transformation director.
Paul Barker
KPMG said he has 25 years of experience in senior executive positions in the public and private sectors and has a “strong track record” of business and technology transformation.
“Harry and Paul are both terrific leaders, further adding to the depth and capability of our Tech Consulting practice in Adelaide,” said KPMG’s South Australian chair, Justin Jamieson.
“We are very confident about the continued strength of the South Australian economy; Harry and Paul’s appointments are testament to this.”
New partner joins William Buck
Maria Ravese has joined William Buck as a partner within its tax services division, specialising in global mobility and employment tax.
Maria Ravese
Ravese joins William Buck from global mobility company Vialto, where she has been a partner for the past three years.
Before this, she spent more than 25 years at PWC, focusing on providing tax advice to organisations and their employees in relation to international deployments.
She was also previously a board member of the Adelaide Film Festival and a committee member of the South Australian Chamber of Mines & Energy.
“We are thrilled to welcome a professional of Maria’s calibre to our growing tax services team,” said William Buck SA managing partner Adrian Chugg.
“She brings a wealth of knowledge and unique skills to William Buck, complementing the breadth of taxation expertise on offer to our clients.
“Maria’s appointment formalises William Buck’s global mobility and employment taxation offering, creating a real point of difference for us among mid-tier accounting and advisory firms in the South Australian market.”
From the Royal Navy to Babcock Australasia
South Australian Gary Potts has rejoined Babcock Australasia as program director of regional maintenance provider West.
Gary Potts
In this role, Potts will lead the company’s surface ship sustainment efforts at Henderson in Western Australia.
Potts was a lieutenant commander in the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom for 24 years, where he served as an engineering officer on submarines.
He joins Babcock from the Australian Rail Track Corporation in Adelaide, where he was program director of rail systems.
Before this, he was major programs director of Babcock from May 2021 to August 2022.
He also collectively spent around 15 years at BAE Systems in various roles, including most recently as the Hunter class frigate program head of combat systems.
“Gary’s experience, connections, and historic knowledge of Babcock’s business operations make him the perfect fit to assume the role of Program Director for RMP-West,” said Babcock Australasia’s managing director, Marine Simon Spratt.
