Business SA chief executive officer Andrew Kay said Detmold Cox’s appointment will be formally announced at Business SA’s International Women’s Day event today and is symbolic of the chamber’s history in South Australia.

She is replacing retiring Business SA chair Nikki Govan.

Family owned and operated Detmold Group is SA based, with the business employing 3,000 people and producing more than 22,000 different food and retail packaging products.

“If you look at our honour board of past chairs, the names at the helm of the chamber represent a who’s who of iconic local businesses that have built this state,” Kay said.

“To have the Detmold name associated with Business SA continues a long and proud tradition dating back to 1839.”

Detmold operates in 15 countries and has manufacturing facilities in seven, with Detmold Cox the group executive general manager, business enablement and Detmold medical chief executive officer.

Addressing the announcement on International Women’s Day, Detmold Cox, a mother of three daughters, said she is proud to be a strong role model in their lives.

“I want my daughters to appreciate you can have a career, you can contribute to your community and the things you are passionate about while being a great mum,” she said.

“I am fortunate to have been offered many opportunities which I have always relished, both within our organisation and for volunteer board positions,” she said.

“I love working with my father and two sisters and am proud to be instrumental in driving the ongoing success and sustainability of our 75-year-old company.

“I hope I can demonstrate through my role at Detmold Group, and by leading South Australia’s peak industry body, that your gender doesn’t define your leadership capabilities and the decision to have a family doesn’t negatively impact a career trajectory.

“It just takes positivity and hard work.”

The new Business SA Board of Directors line-up sees KPMG SA chair Justin Jamieson taking on the role of deputy chair.

Board members are KWP! chief executive David O’Loughlin, chief executive officer Access4u Cathy Miller, Growth Partner Ventures director Joel Abraham, and Global Intertrade chief executive Manuel Ortigosa.

Abraham is the chair of the judging panel for InDaily‘s 40 Under 40 Awards and O’Loughlin has been a judge since the annual awards began six years ago.

Nikki Govan was Business SA chair for more than nine years, owns the Star of Greece restaurant in Willunga and remains chair of the City of Adelaide’s Economic Development Agency.

Detmold Cox joined the Chamber of Commerce and Industries leadership in November 2019 and was elevated to the chair position by the board governance committee during its February 2023 meeting.

“Business SA, like most organisations, has faced its share of challenges in the past few years,” Detmold Cox said.

“The continuity that comes with selecting the chair from the existing board is important for the understanding of our organisation’s recent history and our strategic direction.

“We need to be a strong and relevant organisation to be able to support the many thousands of businesses in our state who rely on their Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Detmold Cox joined Detmold Group aged 17.

“At the time, I wasn’t sure if a career in business was for me, but I studied business and marketing at university while working in various positions in the company, and I essentially never left,” she said.

“Nic and I purchased Cibo Norwood during the height of the COVID pandemic. It’s a smaller business but with its own set of unique challenges.

“Owning a franchise and working in a large organisation has provided me with broad insight into the issues facing the business community in our state”.

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