Driving Innovation and Growth: The Diversity Dividend

Jay Weatherill AO is the Director of Development at Minderoo Foundation and has run the Thrive by Five campaign since 2020.

Jay Weatherill was South Australia's 45th Premier. He was Premier of South Australia from 2011 until 2018. In 2021 was awarded an Office of the Order of Australia for his distinguished service to the people and parliament of South Australia and to early childhood and tertiary education.

Jay was born and educated in Adelaide's western suburbs, completing his secondary education at Henley High School.

He has held a range of portfolios including Environment and Conservation, Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister Assisting the Premier in Cabinet Business and Public Sector Management, Families and Communities, Housing, Ageing, Disability, Urban Development and Planning, Administrative Services, Local Government and Gambling. He is a member of the South Australian Executive Council.

Jay and his wife Melissa have two young daughters, Lucinda and Alice.

Hon Susan Close MP, Deputy Premier

Susan Close is the Deputy Premier of South Australia and the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water; Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science; and Minister for Workforce and Population Strategy.
Susan has been the Member for Port Adelaide since 2012.

Before entering parliament, Susan was an executive in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and played a key role in the establishment of the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary as a community advocate. She previously worked at the University of Adelaide managing student services and holds a PhD from Flinders University.

Appointed on 1 July 2014, Commissioner for Public Sector Employment Erma Ranieri works passionately towards creating a world-leading public sector that serves South Australians well, does what it says it will do, and to which every public servant is proud to belong.

With the role of the public sector being to serve and support South Australia to thrive, Erma leads sector-wide reform to modernise the public sector and continue to build on its value and service to the South Australian community.

Erma has worked for more than 30 years to help organisations optimise productivity and employee wellbeing. She was named a 2014 Telstra Business Woman of the Year as SA Winner of the Telstra Community and Government Award for her role in leading transformational change throughout the public sector.

With a key focus on flexibility, diversity and leadership development to ensure the public sector is positioned as an Employer of Choice, Erma continues to challenge cultural and structural barriers to drive innovative, collaborative and connected services for the community.

Rodin is an internationally recognised and award winning industry and cluster development specialist. Results of his work have been widely reported in the Australian and Danish financial press. Rodin is unique in his ability to turn regional and cluster strategies into investment outcomes and collaborations that lead to new global joint ventures between companies.

The success of Rodin’s Danish cluster project on developing an advanced manufacturing and engineering cluster was grounded in activating business partnerships that enabled companies to win new contracts. Success stories like this led the Danish Regional Authorities to commission him to write the book Engineering the Future outlining his regional cluster approach. The Region went on to fund his cluster collaboration model 50 million DDK or around AUS$10 million.

He was appointed as an international cluster expert by the OECD in Paris to contribute to a study on Measuring the Potential of Local Green Growth and by Vinnova, the Swedish Department of Innovation to undertake a review and map Sweden’s steel cluster.

Rodin’s current projects include leading the international cluster training program for Danish Cluster Excellence project. In Australia, over the past decade he has developed engineering and mining clusters in Queensland and South Australia.

In November 2013, he was named as one of the World’s Top 100 Sustainability Leaders (along Richard Branson and Nicholas Stern).

He is co-authoring a book on the “New Economy” due for release in September 2015.

Narelle is one of Australia’s most highly regarded interviewers and facilitators. She is also a corporate adviser and company director, who works with organisations to help them thrive in the digital world.

Narelle is a member of the Tasmanian Development Board, a director of the Documentary Australia Foundation and the St James Ethics Centre. Her special focus is on how leaders can make small, practical changes to help their organisations innovate and adapt in the global markets.

She was founding co-chair of Fairfax Media’s Australian Financial Review - Westpac Women of Influence Awards and former editor of the Financial Review’s award winning BOSS Magazine.

Narelle has recently advised the Business Council of Australia aspects of its long term Economic Action Plan and chaired the CEO Institute 2015 Summit. She facilitated the NSW launch of the Australian Property Council’s Male Champions of Change. And co-facilitated the Future of Work forum at the 2015 Vivid festival.

During more than two decades in business journalism, Narelle has worked as political correspondent for BRW, with ABC’s national current affairs programs AM and PM, Radio National and SBS Television. She studied journalism at Canberra University and later completed a Masters of Management (Financial Management) at MGSM.

narellehooper@gmail.com
Twitter @narellehooper

Anne Gale is South Australia’s Commissioner for Equal Opportunity. She has statutory powers to assess and conciliate complaints of discrimination and to inform the community about their rights and responsibilities under Equal Opportunity laws. Ms Gale’s 5 year appointment began on 17 September 2012.

Ms Gale was previously Deputy Commissioner for Consumer Affairs in Consumer and Business Services. Before being appointed Deputy Commissioner for Consumer Affairs in 2009, Ms Gale was Deputy Chief Executive of the Department for Families and Communities, with responsibility for Disability, Ageing and Domiciliary Care.

Ms Gale has also served in a range of other roles in other agencies over nearly two decades, including the Office for Ageing, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Human Services and the South Australian Housing Trust.

During her career Ms Gale has developed strategic plans and policy, and programs and services that promote people’s rights and assist people to live independently and develop self reliance and resilience. Examples include the South Australian Ageing Plan Improving with Age and implementation of the state Homelessness strategy. She has participated in many Commonwealth State negotiations and forums in Consumer Affairs, Ageing, Disability and Housing.

Ms Gale is a member of the South Australian Ministerial Advisory Board on Ageing and has been a member of the National Occupational Licensing Authority Board and a member of a number of community service and sport associations.