Speaker Biographies
Hon David Pisoni MP, Minister for Innovation and Skills, Government of South Australia
David Pisoni was elected to the South Australian Parliament as the Member for Unley in 2006.
Appointed as a Minister in the Marshall Government in March 2018 he currently has responsibilities for the Innovation and Skills portfolio.
Prior to being sworn in as Minister, David was the Shadow Minister for Planning, Transport and Infrastructure.
He served as the Shadow Minister for Education between February 2008 to January 2016. During that time, David was instrumental in lifting the lid on systemic failures in child protection under the then Labor Government.
David was born and educated in South Australia. He attended Salisbury High School and completed a Furnishing trades apprenticeship at TAFE.
David became the Managing Director of his own manufacturing and retail company in Adelaide and Sydney and over 22 years was responsible for training 20 apprentices.
For more than 30 years, David has played an active role in his local community of Unley and has been a passionate advocate for many organisations, charities and businesses.
Michael Sharpe, National Director Industry, AMGC
Michael Sharpe is the National Director for Industry at the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre. AMGC is an initiative of the Australian Government. Its goal is to drive innovation, productivity and competitiveness across Australia.
AMGC is run by a team of industry experts. It is connected with a nationwide network of manufacturers, universities, and export hubs. Michael has vast industrial experience including nearly three decades at Sharpe Bros (Australia), one of the nation’s leading road companies. From 2004 -2014, he served as Managing Director of the family business. Michael has been involved with a range of industry including infrastructure, health & medical research and manufacturing.
Ian Wisenberg, Chief Executive Officer, Bridgewest Australia Biotech dba BioCina
Ian Wisenberg is the Chief Executive Officer of Bridgewest Australia Biotech Pty Ltd dba BioCina. BioCina is a portfolio company of the Bridgewest Group in San Diego USA, a closely held investment company with significant assets under management in hi-tech and wireless technology, biotech and pharmaceuticals, real estate, banking and capital markets. The company has made its first Australian acquisition with the purchase of Pfizer's biologics manufacturing facility, here in Adelaide. The Adelaide facility has the manufacturing capability, staff expertise, and supporting systems to execute cGMP grade manufacturing and testing of microbial-based products, including proteins, vaccines, and plasmids from development stage through to commercialisation. Ian has more than 30 years experience in international business with an emphasis on business development, corporate development, access to capital and finance. He has a solid track record in Business, Corporate and Capital Development initiatives aimed at establishing strategic financial partnerships with local, national and international institutions.
Dr Jacqui McRae, Manager, ARC Graphene Research Hub, The University of Adelaide
Jacqui joined the ARC Graphene Research Hub at the University of Adelaide as Business Manager in 2019. Her responsibilities include managing the Hub’s advanced materials research program across 6 universities and in collaboration with 5 industry partners. She achieved a PhD in Organic Chemistry in 2008 and joined the Australian Wine Research Institute as a Research Scientist in 2009, where she conducted industry-relevant projects on wine textures and clarity. Jacqui received the Australian Women in Wine - Researcher of the Year Award in 2018 for her industry-focused research and has also organised many successful science communication and community outreach events.
Christian Reynolds, Executive Chairman, BusTech Group
As the Chairman of the BusTech Group, Christian provides oversight to the design and engineering direction of the group with the added responsibility of focusing on solutions to enhance consumer experience by delivering integrated transit platforms enabled by technology. Prior to co-founding Fusion Mobility, Christian held operations and engineering roles with OEMs, Tier 1 supply base, engineering consultancies and new technology start-ups, where he oversaw the delivery of new products from concept to series production. Christian's career has included executive roles at market-leading brands such as MG Rover/BMW, Lotus, TWR, and ZF Group. Most relevantly Christian spent seven years with Tesla from its inception where he was part of the Tesla Roadster team before relocating to the US, productionising the current Fremont facility and launching the Model S. His experience in the electric vehicle industry is unrivalled in Australasia and he brings to BusTech a passion to lead the creation of the zero-emissions mass transit sector in Australia.
Professor John Spoehr, Pro-Vice Chancellor - Research Impact, Flinders University
Professor John Spoehr is Pro-Vice Chancellor - Research Impact at Flinders University. He is also Director of the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute. John leads a multi-disciplinary team focusing on industry and workplace transformation in the context of technological change and innovation.
John has written extensively on economic and industry development, employment, unemployment and the socio-economic impact of change. He co-founded the Stretton Centre, a regional innovation facility in Northern Adelaide, in partnership with the City of Playford, the Government of South Australia and the Australian Government. More recently he led the establishment of the Tonsley Manufacturing Innovation Hub - a node of the Innovative Manufacturing CRC.
As Pro-Vice Chancellor Research Impact he is actively involved in the development of industry, government and community research partnerships at a local, national and international level.
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