On the Couch with Jackie Bray 

On Thursday 25 September 2025, IPAA SA was delighted to welcome Jackie Bray, Chief Executive of the Department for Child Protection, for a compelling and thought-provoking conversation as part of our On the Couch series. With a career spanning education, emergency services, and human services reform, Jackie brought a deeply practical and values-driven lens to public sector leadership.

This edition of our On the Couch series opened with Jackie delivering a short keynote address. She shared thoughtful reflections on leadership, community impact, and the responsibilities of guiding one of South Australia’s most complex and critical portfolios.

From frontline engagement to system-wide reform, Jackie’s career has been shaped by navigating complexity, supporting vulnerable South Australians, and building trust in institutions that serve the public good. Following her address, the session moved into a live interview format, followed by an engaging audience Q&A facilitated by the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment, Erma Ranieri. Participants were invited to put forward their questions and perspectives, which shaped a candid and insightful discussion.

Attendees gained a deeper understanding of Jackie’s leadership journey and the personal values that guide her, along with her reflections on leading through complexity, scrutiny, and system change. She spoke about the importance of building trust and collaboration across government and community, shared lessons from working in both crisis response and long-term reform, and reflected on how leadership must adapt when the stakes are high and the issues are deeply human.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this insightful and inspiring conversation.

Learn about our speakers

Jackie Bray

Chief Executive
Department for Child Protection

Jackie Bray is the Chief Executive of the Department for Child Protection.

Prior to this, Jackie was the inaugural Head of the Office for the Early Years, which was established as a single point of strategic leadership for universal early years, services across government, NGOs, and the broader Early Childhood sector.

Jackie has worked in the public and private sector across several senior executive positions both in the United Kingdom and South Australia including UK Health Services, Department for Families and Communities and as the Deputy Chief Executive in the Department for Correctional Services. It was while working in the UK Health Service that Jackie found her passion for major service delivery reform around changes that affect the community services.

Jackie is a professional and strategically minded executive, with an extensive knowledge and experience of creating partnerships, policy development and strategic reform within the South Australian public service.

Jackie is passionate about developing a transparent and accountable department, one with strong and effective leaders and a highly capable workforce equipped to meet their challenges and succeed within a positive organisational culture.

Erma Ranieri PSM FIPAA

IPAA SA President, Commissioner for Public Sector Employment
South Australian Public Sector

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.

Event brought to you by

IPAA SA
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