Leadership and people

Adam is the Chief Executive of the Department of State Development, the South Australian Government’s economic development agency responsible for building the state’s research, innovation and industrial capability, increasing workforce and skills capability and capacity and driving investment and trade to ensure South Australia is well-positioned to capitalise on the state’s significant economic opportunities.

Adam brings over 20 years of experience in the South Australian public sector in industry, science and innovation policy and program delivery.

Adam was previously the Chief Executive, Department for Industry, Innovation and Science, responsible for supporting sustainable economic growth through research and innovation, technology development, industry and business growth, manufacturing capability and skilled and business migration.

Prior to becoming the Chief Executive, Adam was the Executive Director of the Innovation and Science division within the Department for Innovation and Skills, responsible for developing and supporting the state’s innovation system to drive economic growth.

Previously Adam held executive positions within the Department of State Development and Department of Trade and Economic Development, where he led industry development policy and strategy implementation, small business and investment management. In his previous roles Adam led the development of the South Australia’s manufacturing strategy, the purchase and planning of the Tonsley Innovation District, investments in strategic research infrastructure and capabilities and the transition of the state’s automotive supply chain.

Adam holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Adelaide.

Andrew is the Executive Director, Research and Innovation Group, responsible for developing and supporting the state’s innovation system in partnership with other parts of government, research organisations, industry and business, including responsibility for the Office of the South Australian Chief Scientist. The group is focused on supporting sustainable economic growth by increasing South Australia’s global standing in science and research, encouraging commercialisation of research through industry, research and government collaboration, and supporting entrepreneurs, start-ups and small business and attracting early stage and venture capital.

Previous roles in the South Australian Government have included the Chief Operating Officer, Office of the South Australian Chief Entrepreneur and prior to this role, Director of the Office of Science, Technology and Research within the Department.

Andrew has more than 17 years’ experience working in the life sciences (biotech and pharma) industry both in Australia and Europe.

Andrew has a PhD in molecular biology/biochemistry from Flinders University, and is an Observer on the Board of the SA Venture Capital Fund, an Advisory Board Member of the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Resources (ISER) at the University of Adelaide and is a Director of SABRENet Ltd. Previous roles included Board Director and Vice President of Childhood Cancer Association, Director Business and Corporate Development at Mayne Pharma Group and Senior Manager, Corporate Business Development and Acquisitions at Novozymes A/S, based in Denmark. He has also held senior roles at GroPep Ltd, Bionomics Ltd and CSIRO. Andrew is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).

Diana is responsible for leading the strategic enabler teams which support and enable the delivery of the Department’s strategic and operational objectives. This includes responsibility for corporate & business services functions, people, policy, communications and engagement, governance and migration. The group is also focussed on driving and supporting the Department to drive an enterprise approach which delivers customer service with our people and clients.

Diana has held senior legal, compliance and governance leadership roles in Government and prior to joining Government, worked in the private sector as a corporate and commercial lawyer. Diana holds a Bachelor of Mechatronics Engineering and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Adelaide.