Corporate Ladder: your weekly guide to executive appointments
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.
Claire Fuller and Jo Carrick have taken up senior roles at the Leaders Institute of South Australia. Photo: supplied
Vinnies finds new leader
Long-time Volunteering SA&NT boss Evelyn O’Loughlin has been appointed CEO of The St Vincent de Paul Society SA
A former member of the Premier’s Council for Women, O’Loughlin joins Vinnies after a year with disability organisation Orana as Executive Manager of Community Services.
Prior to that, she led the state’s volunteering peak body from August 2008 to July 2021.
Her latest appointment marks the end of a lengthy search by Vinnies SA for a permanent replacement to Louise Miller-Frost, who left as CEO in September last year to run as Labor’s candidate for the federal seat of Boothby.
Vinnies SA Chief Financial Officer Michelle Kemp has been Acting CEO for the last year. Vinnies State President Brad Hocking thanked Kemp for stepping up to the role “at short notice”.
Hocking touted O’Loughlin’s experience with Volunteering SA&NT as an asset to Vinnies SA’s volunteer network.
‘Evelyn has broad experience across a range of sectors and is a proven networker and influencer,” he said in a statement.
“As Vinnies is a volunteer-led organisation comprising more than 2500 volunteers, Evelyn’s understanding of how to leverage the impact of a volunteer workforce will be instrumental to our ability to meet the growing demand for services in an environment that is seeing rising costs of living and ballooning rental prices.
“We are delighted to have her on board.”
O’Loughlin started with Vinnies SA on Monday, September 5.
Top philanthropy director tapped for UniSA role
The University of South Australia has appointed Newcastle-based philanthropy executive Dr Colin Taylor as Chief Advancement Officer, giving him responsibility for the university’s alumni and fundraising program.
Taylor is Asia Pacific Vice President and Senior Consultant at Global Philanthropic, a multinational consultancy that services fundraisers and philanthropists alike.
Prior to that, he spent more than a decade with the Australian National University in Canberra across a number of high-level philanthropy roles.
According to his LinkedIn, Taylor raised more than $170m in funds – including a then-record $106m donation in support of undergraduate scholarships – during his time as Director of Alumni Relations and Philanthropy at ANU.
UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor David Lloyd said Taylor’s new role as UniSA’s inaugural Chief Advancement Officer would bolster the intuition’s philanthropy and alumni relations program.
“This new position will strengthen and provide additional senior University-wide leadership, engagement and strategy development to help position philanthropy and alumni relations as a part of everyone’s business,” Lloyd said.
Originally a scientist, Taylor graduated from ANU in 1992 with first-class honours in Physics before obtaining a PhD from the University of Western Australia in 1997.
Taylor starts at UniSA in November.
Two leaders join Leaders Institute
The Leaders Institute of South Australia has appointed Claire Fuller as Program Manager of its flagship Governor’s Leadership Foundation.
Fuller’s appointment follows nearly two years with the Nature Foundation in program management roles.
She has spent much of her career in the public sector, including more than nine years with the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board as Community Engagement Manager.
She is also a graduate of the Governor’s Leadership Foundation Program, which she is now responsible for overseeing – replacing Genevieve Hodge in the role.
The Leaders Institute has also welcomed Jo Carrick, Senior Business Development Officer for Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) at the University of Adelaide, as its inaugural Relationship Manager.
Carrick’s appointment marks the end of nearly 15 years with the University of Adelaide, first as Program Manager, Professional Education and then later at PACE.
She is also Deputy Chair of not-for-profit community information provider Catalyst Foundation.
Her new role at the Leaders Institute gives her responsibility for stakeholder relationships and “designing the Institute’s tailored program offerings”.
New duo at Sport SA
Former senior Adelaide Crows employee and Canterbury Rugby Union CEO Nathan Godfrey has been appointed General Manager at Sport SA.
The peak body has also appointed SA Country Basketball’s Nicole Rodden as Operations Manager.
Godfrey, a marathon runner and founder of the Kangaroo Island Running Festival, joins Sports SA after a string of management and executive roles with high-profile sporting clubs.
He worked for the Adelaide Football Club from 2012 to 2015 as Senior Projects Manager before moving to New Zealand after being appointed Head of Commercial with A-League club Wellington Phoenix.
Godfrey then took on the role of CEO of Canterbury Rugby Union, which is responsible for the administration of 47 rugby clubs within Canterbury, New Zealand, as well as the provincial team.
He also has experience in the public sector after taking on a role with the New South Wales Office of Sport as Director of Programs and Operations.
Rodden, meanwhile, is a former business owner who has spent the last two years as Membership and Executive Support Officer at SA Country Basketball.
That role came after nearly three years with South Adelaide Basketball Club as Administration and Marketing Manager.
Her new operations role at Sport SA gives her responsibility for events, administration, communications and key projects across the organisation.
Rodden and Godfrey’s positions are both newly created within Sport SA following a recent boost in government funding, according to CEO Leah Cassidy.
Corporate Position: the latest executive employment opportunities
Racing SA supports the state’s thoroughbred racing industry while managing a revenue stream budgeted to exceed $90m in the 2022/23 financial year. The organisation is searching for a new Chief Executive Officer following the resignation of Nick Redin. The new CEO will champion South Australian thoroughbred racing at every opportunity, in particular developing deep relationships with all sides of Government, wagering service providers and the Clubs. Applications are invited from professionals able to demonstrate a proven background in engaging and influencing people, together with the superior communication and negotiation skills required to build relationships and elicit cooperation from a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders Candidates with prior experience in a comparable CEO role outside of the industry will be highly regarded and candidates from similarly scaled C-suite roles possessing a strong understanding of the drivers of the thoroughbred racing industry at a Principal Racing Authority level are also encouraged to apply.
A Chief Executive Officer vacancy has opened up at Basketball SA. The successful candidate will be overseeing the ongoing operations and administration of the peak association body to ensure best utilisation of resources, as well as developing the Strategic Plan and overseeing all financial operations, including annual budgeting, asset management, capital expenditure and cash flow reporting. The new CEO will also oversee all stadium operations and work closely with the stadium teams to drive sustainability and promote a strong service delivery culture. The successful applicant will have strong commercial acumen and strategic planning capabilities, complemented by superior communication, negotiation and stakeholder management. A background in sports or venue administration may be well regarded but not essential.
The MS Society SA & NT is looking for a new Chief Executive Officer following Tim Ryan’s departure from the role. The Society is a not-for-profit dedicated to providing information, education, connection, care and support to people living with multiple sclerosis. The organisation’s next CEO will contribute to and execute the organisation’s vision, lead and motivate staff, ensure effective management and governance across all areas of the operation and seek out opportunities for growth. Applications are encouraged from appropriately qualified senior executives with the commercial and political acumen to lead and grow the organisation. Knowledge of the NDIS environment will be highly regarded but not essential. Most important is experience leading and growing a comparably complex service delivery business.
Welding Industries of Australia, a division of global manufacturing company ITW, delivers a range of premium quality global welding brands to the Australian market. An impending retirement means the General Manager Oceania Region position is now open for applications. Based in Adelaide and reporting to the Group President (Welding) in Germany, responsibilities include driving revenue growth and profitability and setting the long-range vision and strategic plan for the region, while also managing all financial, risk and compliance metrics for the region’s business operations. Applications are sought from accomplished executives with a demonstrable track record of sustainable segment growth as a sales and marketing leader. Proven capability in managing change, demonstrated results in operational excellence, sound financial competency and tertiary qualifications in a relevant field are considered essential.
Équipe equipped with new director
New Adelaide accounting firm Équipe Advisory has appointed internationally experienced media executive Jake Richardson as Associate Director.
Originally from Adelaide, Richardson is returning home after nearly three and a half years with Canadian broadcasting company Blue Ant Media.
His most recent role with the Toronto-based TV channel was Senior Vice President of Finance & Operations. He is credited with creating a “strategic realignment plan” that has contributed to recorded profits for the media group.
A Chartered Accountant, Richardson’s move to Équipe Advisory represents his first job in Adelaide since he was Assistant Manager at Wayville accounting firm Tilbrook Rasheed.
His time out of Adelaide saw him takes on high-level roles at BBC Studios Western Europe, luxury department store Harrods and Blue Ant Media’s Sydney-based subsidiary Northern Pictures.
Équipe Advisory, founded only last year, says Richardson’s new role is business advisory focused and will bolster the firm’s service capacity for clients.
More changes at Windmill
Windmill Theatre Company’s long-time Artistic Director Rosemary Myers is leaving the role to take up a newly created position overseeing the company’s film and television projects.
Myers has led the Adelaide theatre company for the past 14 years, during which she has directed shows including Pinocchio, Rumpelstiltskin, and the teen trilogy Fugitive, School Dance and Girl Asleep.
She also directed Windmill’s first feature film, the 2015 screen adaptation of Girl Asleep, and in 2017 was awarded the Australia Council Theatre Award.
In her new role as Artistic Director of Windmill Pictures, Myers will be in charge of the company’s screen projects, which include Beep and Mort, a television series for pre-schoolers set to premiere on ABC Kids later this year.
Outgoing Windmill chair Bruce Speirs (who ends his tenure in October) said Myers’ vision and ambition had transformed the company “and seen it perform on some of the biggest and most prestigious stages in the world”.
“The company has also successfully transitioned to making film and television under Rose’s initiative, and it’s an exciting development to consolidate this expansion of our operations through the creation of this new role for Rose within the company’s screen arm, and to recruit a new artistic leader for the theatre company,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Patch Theatre has announced that SA theatre-maker Sasha Zahra – currently Associate Director at Windmill Theatre – has been appointed to the new position of Creative Producer within its senior management team.
Zahra has almost 20 years’ experience working in the arts, and Patch Artistic Director Geoff Cobham says her “collaborative spirit and commitment to creative leadership” are well suited to the children’s theatre company.
She will play a key role in planning and producing Patch’s in-theatre performances, in-school program, and interactive installations, as well as developing presentation partnerships for touring programs and helping create the company’s next four-year strategic plan.
Fund manager’s new board role
Adelaide financial services executive Stella Thredgold has been appointed to the board of regional accommodation provider G’day Group.
Thredgold has been CEO of Lutheran Super since March 2021 and a Consultant at fund managers Capital Prudential since October 2020.
Her career in banking has spanned more than 30 years, including nearly 10 years as an executive at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank – most recently as Chief Transformation Officer.
G’day Group touted her experience in providing advice to ASX-listed companies, particularly on digital transformation, cultural change, operational efficiency and complex procurement transactions.
“Stella is a trailblazing leader with a really strong financial background and great understanding of people and culture,” G’day Group CEO Grant Wilckens said.
“We’re also thrilled that she becomes our first director to be based here in South Australia on a full-time basis.”
The Adelaide-headquartered tourism company, which has more than 300 holiday parks across Australia, has also announced the appointment of Melbourne-based Tabcorp Chief Strategy Officer Ben Simons. He will hold the equivalent role at G’Day Group.
Funeral director on the move
Adelaide funeral consultant Mark Williams has joined Centennial Park Cemetery as Manager of Memorial Sales and Customer Service.
Williams’ move to the Pasadena-based cemetery follows three years as Senior Funeral Director at Berry Funeral Directors in Norwood and a stint as a Location Manager with national funeral services company Simplicity Funerals.
His first involvement with the industry was running his family’s funeral business, Williams Funeral Services, in Port Lincoln before he made the move to Adelaide in 2015.
Centennial Park is one of Adelaide’s largest cemeteries with its more than 30 gardens covering around 40 hectares in Pasadena. It is the final resting place of more than 150,000 people.
