Our Executive Team

Adam is the Chief Executive of the Department for Industry, Innovation and Science.

Adam was appointed as Chief Executive to the Department for Innovation Skills in April 2020. Adam’s initial priority has been to support South Australia’s science, innovation, small business, skills and creative industries communities through the challenges of COVID-19, with a strong focus on economic recovery.

Adam works in partnership with industry and research organisations to increase productivity and employment through research and innovation, entrepreneurship, supporting globally competitive businesses, advanced technology capabilities and attracting, developing and retaining the skills required by industry.

Adam has held executive positions within the South Australian Government since 2009. Prior to recently becoming the acting Chief Executive, he was the Executive Director of the Innovation and Science division within DIS where he was 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.

Innovation & Science

Andrew is the Executive Director, Innovation and Science, responsible for developing and supporting the state’s innovation system in partnership with other parts of government, research organisations, industry and business. This includes responsibility for the Office of the South Australian Chief Entrepreneur and 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
• supporting entrepreneurs, start-ups and small business and attracting early stage and venture capital, and
• developing and supporting our creative industries.

Strategy, Policy & People

Nari is the Executive Director of the Strategy, Policy and People Group, playing a critical role in strengthening the South Australian economy by:

• coordinating, driving and delivering policy reforms that support economic growth and deliver a skilled workforce for the future
• leading state migration attraction in areas of industry need, to address skills gaps and encourage business investment
• ensuring the strategic communication of our agency’s services increase their uptake and inform people’s understanding of how these services will benefit them and the economy
• harnessing the power of economic data to provide insights that inform evidence-based policy development
• making connections between our agency’s services to improve outcomes for clients, and
• leading agency wide strategic planning and connecting this with our activities to drive targeted outcomes that achieve our objectives.

Performance & Business Operations

Phuong is the Executive Director, Performance and Business Operations and leads delivery of corporate services and solutions to position the Department to achieve its strategic objectives. The Group partners with clients and stakeholders to deliver on the following:

• People and Workplace: our People Plan recognises the best work is produced in an environment that welcomes new ideas and a diverse mix of people, investing in our people and providing opportunities, and creating a vibrant, connected one team culture
• Client Focus: designing and implementing client-centric solutions
• Business Systems: collaborating with other microeconomic agencies and driving business excellence in the frameworks, systems and policies that support efficient and effective operations
• Resource Management: leading an adaptive and sustainable approach to the management of our resources and assets including financial, physical and human resources.