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Innovation Australia Board Welcomes Three New Members
Thursday, 13 October 2011. Dr Nicholas Gruen, Mr Richard Shaddick and Mr Innes Willox have joined the board of Innovation Australia, the independent statutory body that provides expert advice and assists the Government with its innovation programs.
Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr said the new appointees would strengthen the board, helping to increase innovation activity in Australian industry and improve its commercial success.
Senator Carr and Innovation Australia chairman David Miles AM said the appointments added to the board’s already considerable depth of professional business and technical expertise across a broad section of industries, technologies and capital markets.
“Australia’s ability to commercialise its research and development, innovate and ensure global competitiveness is in good hands with this board,” Senator Carr said.
Dr Gruen, an economist, entrepreneur and commentator, is deeply involved in public policy issues, particularly industry and innovation. He has established several businesses and has experience in other start-up ventures. Dr Gruen is CEO of Lateral Economics, a public policy consultancy. He is chairman of the Australian Centre for Social Innovation.
In April 2011, Dr Gruen authored The BERD in the Hand: Supporting Business Development in Research and Development. He was also on the expert panel behind the 2008 report - Venturous Australia, Building Strength in Innovation - commissioned by the Review of the National Innovation System.
Mr Shaddick has an extensive taxation background and was a member of the Australian Taxation Office’s Public Rulings Panel until 2010. He has specialised in international taxation, dealing with outbound and inbound investment to Australia. As a qualified chartered accountant he has been a longstanding speaker and author for the Taxation Institute of Australia. Between 1998 and 2009 Mr Shaddick was a lecturer at the University of Melbourne Law School and is a former director of a number of companies including Greenwoods and Freehills.
Mr Shaddick will chair the R&D Incentives Committee which has been renamed from the Tax Concession Committee to reflect its new role in administering the new R&D Tax Incentive.
The R&D Incentives Committee is the delegated decision-making committee for the R&D Tax Concession and R&D Tax Incentive programs.
Mr Willox is Director (International and Government Relations) of the Australian Industry Group, with national responsibility for government relations, trade and defence policy. He is a member of the Defence Industry Innovation Board and the Defence Industry Skilling Taskforce. He was previously Consul-General of Australia in Los Angeles, Senior Manager of Public Affairs with Singapore Airlines and worked in print media.
Biographies of all board members can be found at the Innovation Australia page at www.ausindustry.gov.au.
