South Australia’s Chief Entrepreneur Jim Whalley will continue in his unpaid role for another eight months as Chair of the state’s Entrepreneurship Advisory Board, as a number of existing members’ terms are also extended and a new member is appointed.
The Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni said it was vital that there was continuity in the leadership of the Advisory Board as entrepreneurs and startups contend with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m very pleased Mr Whalley has agreed to continue to lead the Entrepreneurship Advisory Board as Chief Entrepreneur until January 2021,” Minister Pisoni said.
“This gives the entrepreneurial ecosystem stability, in what has been a very difficult past few months.
“I sincerely thank outgoing members whose terms have concluded: Mohan Koo, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Dtex Systems, who has made a significant contribution to the local startup ecosystem and the Cyber Collaboration Centre, and Steven Butler, Director Stilmark Telecommunications. They have demonstrated incredible dedication, leadership and insight over the past 18 months.”
George Freney Partner and Co-Founder 11point2, Anton Andreacchio, Managing Director Jumpgate Virtual Reality, Flavia Tata Nardini, Chief Executive Officer Fleet Space Technologies, Jenny Paradiso, Co-Founder and Director Suntrix Solar will continue on the Entrepreneurship Advisory Board.
Also joining the board will be Moira Were, a social entrepreneur and founder of Chooks SA.
“Over the past 18 months, the Marshall Government has strived to make the state a leading centre for future industries and entrepreneurship,” Minister Pisoni said.
“Achievements include launching the Future Industries Exchange for Entrepreneurship (FIXE) Action Plan, establishing the Research, Commercialisation and Startup Fund (RCSF), opening the Stone & Chalk Startup Hub at Lot Fourteen, establishing the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre (A3C) at Lot Fourteen and extending the GigCity network to Whyalla and Mount Gambier.
“The Office of the Chief Entrepreneur has provided significant leadership to South Australian entrepreneurs, startups and scaleups, including supporting the SouthStart annual conference and the delivery of $7.4 million to support 16 startups through Stream 2 of the RCSF.”
Chief Entrepreneur Jim Whalley said his immediate priority is facilitating a mentoring program for entrepreneurs and startups, linking them with business leaders to help them navigate through the COVID-19 downturn, and then drive the economic recovery of the state.
