Former senior public servant Drew Clarke has been appointed a member of the CSIRO Board for a five-year term.
Mr Clarke has expertise in innovation and across various industry sectors, including AusIndustry, the government’s business delivery agency. He will be a strong addition to the Board.
He has significant leadership skills from more than 20 years in senior executive roles, including as a departmental secretary from 2010 with the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism, and from 2013 with the Department of Communications.
Mr David Thodey AO, Chairman, CSIRO, said: “On behalf of the CSIRO Board, it is a great pleasure to welcome Drew to the Board. His depth of knowledge and experience as a senior leader in the public sector, as well as his extensive board experience, will enrich CSIRO’s board.
“As CSIRO continues its Strategy 2020 journey, I am confident Drew’s contributions will be central to positioning us for ongoing success.”
Mr Clarke is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.
As an experienced board Chair and member, Mr Clarke was the Chair of ANZLIC-the Spatial Information Council, the Chair of the COAG Energy Council Standing Committee of Officials, the Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information and a member of the International Energy Agency Governing Board.
In 2009 Mr Clarke was awarded a Public Service Medal for outstanding public service in driving significant reform of the energy market.
He was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia in the 2016 Australia Day Honours for distinguished service to public administration.
Mr Clarke was the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff from September 2015 to April 2017. He has high-level insight into the dynamics of policy-making and implementation.
Mr Clarke will bring a valuable mix of skills to the CSIRO Board with his background in applied science and business administration, broad knowledge of Commonwealth responsibilities, wide range of experiences in business strategy, and risk and change management.
His broad experience in policy and strategy across the information and digital communications industries, the resources and energy sectors, coupled with his expertise in corporate governance and innovation will complement those of existing CSIRO Board members.
I congratulate Mr Clarke on his appointment and I look forward to his contributions to the CSIRO Board in support of CSIRO’s endeavours to deliver excellence in science and innovation to the benefit of all Australians.