Regulator Leadership Cohort

Clare Savage was appointed Chair of the Australian Energy Regulator in September 2019 and is a member of the Energy Security Board.

Over the last 21 years Clare has acquired significant leadership experience in the Australian energy industry. She has a passion for the energy sector and a commitment to its development, particularly through this current transition.

Prior to joining the AER, Clare was Deputy Chair of the Energy Security Board. Prior to joining the ESB, Clare was an Executive Director at the Business Council of Australia.

From 2012 to 2015 Clare held senior executive positions within EnergyAustralia spanning corporate strategy; business development; policy & government affairs; and public affairs. Prior to this Clare held several roles at the Energy Supply Association of Australia including Chief Executive Officer. Clare commenced her career in the public service – initially in the UK and then at the Federal Department of the Treasury.

Clare has a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) and a Bachelor of Arts (Politics and History) from The University of Melbourne and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Current Chair and Agency Head of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) since 2017.

Prior to this appointment, Nerida served as interim CEO of the Digital Transformation Agency from 2016 to 2017 leading the establishment of the new Agency.

From 2011-2016, Nerida was a Deputy Secretary in the Department of Communications and the Arts providing policy advice across telecommunications, broadcasting, online content and the arts. This included responsibility for major projects, including successfully leading the Digital Television Switchover Program from 2011 to 2013.

Mr Parker has over 20 years-experience in economics, public administration and policy and regulatory matters.

Before joining CER, Mr Parker was Deputy Secretary at the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, the Department of Environment and Energy, and Treasury. He also worked at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.

Mr Parker has qualifications in economics and law. He has been a Member of the Order of Australia since 2012.

John Lonsdale PSM was appointed as Chair of APRA on 31 October 2022 after originally joining as Deputy Chair on 8 October 2018.

In his Deputy Chair role, John was responsible for oversight of Australia’s banking sector. His responsibilities also included oversight of APRA’s work on culture and remuneration, building APRA’s crisis resolution capability and strengthening APRA’s collaboration with peer regulators.

John worked for Australian Treasury for over 30 years prior to joining APRA. He was a member of Treasury’s Executive and, in his role as Deputy Secretary, Markets Group, he had responsibility for financial system, consumer and foreign investment policy. In 2014 he led the Secretariat to the Financial System Inquiry based in Sydney. John also worked across key areas in the Treasury including budget policy, tax policy, retirement incomes and the financial system.

Joe Longo commenced as ASIC Chair on 1 June 2021.

He has held senior leadership roles over four decades in corporate law, financial services, regulation and law enforcement, in Australia and some of the world’s most important financial markets.

He was the general counsel for Deutsche Bank in London and Hong Kong for 17 years, providing leadership across regulatory issues, governance, corporate law and non-financial risk.

Before that, Joe was the national director of enforcement at ASIC between 1996 and 2001, and responsible for the coordination and direction of all enforcement and litigation activities.

CEO Saxon Rice has extensive experience across the VET and employment services sectors as well as the public policy process. Ms Rice previously held a range of senior government, VET and management positions, and was Assistant Minister for Technical and Further Education in the former Queensland Government from 2012 to 2015, and Chair of the then Ministerial Industry Commission responsible for industry engagement.

Ms Rice is a former Director of Global Business Development for an Australian employment services company and was responsible for significant growth into new countries in the European and Asian markets. Ms Rice has also served in a range of Senate Committee Secretariats, including as Acting Secretary and Principal Research Officer to the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee. More recently, she was a Member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal from 2016 to 2018 and is a Member and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Ms Rice commenced as a Commissioner of ASQA on 16 April 2018, before being appointed as Chief Commissioner and CEO (initially Acting) on 7 October 2019. With effect from 1 January 2021, Ms Rice was appointed CEO for a period of five years.

Current Commissioner of Taxation at the Australian Taxation Office.

Experienced public servant with 10 plus years as deputy secretary (and over 20 years in the SES) across five portfolios: treasury, health, energy, education and Indigenous policy. Expert in policy, program delivery and data analytics.

Proven leader of people with an open, collaborative and authentic style and strong record of achievement in leading organisations to help shape and deliver on Government priorities.

Professor Tony Lawler is the Deputy Secretary of the Health Products Regulation Group which works to safeguard and enhance the health of all Australians through effective, timely and risk-proportionate regulation of therapeutic goods, and the control of drug imports, exports and production.

Prior to joining the Department in June 2023, Tony was the Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Secretary of Clinical Quality, Regulation and Accreditation with the Tasmanian Department of Health. This role included providing leadership to health professionals, system-wide clinical governance oversight, and the regulation of private health services.

Pip Spence commenced as the CEO and DAS on 17 May 2021.

Before joining CASA, Pip was the Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Secretary for the Arts at the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts. Before that she was the Deputy Secretary for Transport. In this role,

Pip was responsible for aviation and airport policy and program matters. Pip has held senior leadership roles across the Australian Public Service. This includes: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet the then Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

In that role Pip was closely involved in establishing the National Broadband Network and the associated reform of telecommunications regulations.

Dr Sandra Cuthbert was appointed Chief Executive Officer of FSANZ on 31 March 2022 to 31 March 2027.

Sandra has extensive leadership, policy, corporate governance and stakeholder engagement experience across the public and private sectors. She has held senior roles with the Australian Government departments of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Finance and Agriculture and Water Resources, as well as Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).

Sandra brings a practical understanding of the complex environment that FSANZ operates within, drawing on her experience managing the agency's stakeholder engagement, corporate and food safety functions between 2018 and 2021. She has a reputation for delivering outcomes on complex and time critical projects, most recently as the Assistant Secretary, Commonwealth-State Relations at PM&C.

Sandra has post graduate qualifications in science and law and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Anna Booth was appointed to the position of Fair Work Ombudsman for a 5-year term from 1 September 2023.

Under the Fair Work Act 2009, Anna is responsible for promoting harmonious, productive, cooperative and compliant workplace relations.

Anna has extensive and diverse experience in industrial relations spanning more than 45 years, working with unions, private and public sectors. Anna was most recently Director of CoSolve Pty Ltd. She returned to CoSolve in 2020 after serving as a Deputy President of the Fair Work Commission for eight years. Before her appointment to the Fair Work Commission, Anna combined her CoSolve directorship with non-executive directorships of ME Bank and IFM and was the non-executive chair of Slater & Gordon Ltd.

Anna spent much of her early career in the union movement. She was the National Secretary of the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia and a Vice President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

Mr Thomas has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority since 2019.

With experience in the public and private sectors, in Australia and overseas, he has worked in a number of senior roles across the environment, agriculture and finance portfolios.

Mr Thomas is an experienced leader, strategist and communicator with a passion for tackling complex policy challenges and working in the public interest.

Mr Thomas is a member of, and contributor to, several professional associations. He lives in Townsville and holds a Master of Business Administration, Master of International Affairs, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Arts (Honours)

Rachel Parry leads the group responsible for Nature Positive Approvals, environmental permitting and compliance, establishing the future EPA, international environment policy, oceans and Great Barrier Reef policy, and world, national and Indigenous cultural heritage.

She returned to the APS in June 2023 after being seconded to NSW Treasury as the Deputy Secretary responsible for energy, climate change and sustainability within the Office of Energy and Climate Change.

Since 2010, Rachel has held various SES positions across policy, program and corporate areas within the Australian Government including driving energy reforms, protecting the Great Barrier Reef and leading communication and ministerial services.

Professor Beaton-Wells is an internationally distinguished academic leader, committed to the role of education and research for a sustainable future and with a track record in leading major organisational change through innovation and high performing, collaborative and inclusive culture.

Caron is currently Dean and CEO at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. She is also an honorary Professorial Fellow of the University of Melbourne and a lay member of the Australian Competition Tribunal.

As Director General since 2018, Michael has led IP Australia on a customer-focused, digital-first strategy. As well as seeing unprecedented growth in IP rights during the pandemic, IP Australia has been a test bed of public sector innovation and digital transformation.

Prior to his appointment, Michael spent three years as Chief Operating Officer at the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science. He also spent time as acting Chief Operating Officer at CSIRO.

Michael’s career across industry, innovation and science policy has included responsibility for implementing innovation programs including the $3B R&D tax incentive; developing med-tech, pharma-bio, small business and industry policy; attracting foreign investment into Australian high-tech industries; leading trade and multilateral negotiations in food, agriculture and energy.

Gina Cass-Gottlieb commenced her 5-year appointment as Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on 21 March 2022.

Before she joined the ACCC Gina was a senior and founding partner of Gilbert and Tobin’s competition and regulation team. Gina has over 25 years' experience advising on a large number of merger, competition and regulatory matters in Australia and New Zealand. She is widely recognised as one of Australia’s leading competition and regulatory experts.

Gina was appointed by the Commonwealth Treasurer to the Reserve Bank of Australia’s Payments System Board in 2013. She was re-appointed in 2018 and again in 2023 for a further 5 year term.

Liz Hefren-Webb was appointed as the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner, commencing 20 January 2025.

Liz has almost 30 years’ experience in social policy and programs, many of which are underpinned by regulatory frameworks. She is known for her strong strategic and stakeholder engagement capabilities.

Liz was previously Deputy Secretary, Social Policy, in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and prior to that Deputy Secretary, Families and Communities, in the Department of Social Services. Her leadership in areas such as the National Redress Scheme and the COVID-19 pandemic response has involved complex and sensitive consumer and stakeholder engagement.

Tim Beresford joined AFSA in May 2022 and is based in Sydney.

Tim is AFSA’s Chief Executive and holds the statutory appointment of Inspector-General in Bankruptcy. He is also the immediate past Chair of the Benevolent Society (TBS), Australia’s oldest non-Indigenous not for profit.

Previously, Tim has held the roles of Acting Chief Executive of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Macquarie University and First Assistant Secretary of the Social Policy Division in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Tim has significant leadership experience in the higher education, government, notfor-profit, financial services, and professional services sectors. Tims areas of expertise include strategy, governance, public policy, change management and organisational design. Tim holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours), Bachelor of Laws, a Masters of Philosophy (International Relations) and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Scott Hansen was appointed Chief Executive Officer in July 2024. Scott is an experienced executive in the primary industries sector, bringing over 30 years of leadership across various industry and government roles.

Scott served as Director General of the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries from 2014 to 2024, and previously held positions as General Manager, Regional Manager, and Managing Director at Meat and Livestock Australia from 2004 to 2014. Scott has a Rural Science degree from the University of New England in Armidale and holds postgraduate qualifications in commerce from the University of Southern Queensland. Scott is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and completed the Advanced Management Programme at Oxford University

Elizabeth Tydd commenced as the Australian Information Commissioner and head of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) on 16 August 2024.

Elizabeth was the Freedom of Information Commissioner at the OAIC. Prior to this Elizabeth served as the Information Commissioner and CEO of the NSW Information and Privacy Commission from 2013. Elizabeth was the Executive Director, Office of Liquor Gaming and Racing, Department of Communities from 2009 to 2013.

Between 1997 and 2009, Elizabeth held a number of senior roles at the New South Wales Department of Fair Trading including Assistant Commissioner, Compliance and Legal Group and Deputy Chairperson, Consumer Trade and Tenancy Tribunal.

Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws from the University of Technology, Sydney together with a Certificate in Policy Leadership, Harvard University.

Hamish Hansford is the Deputy Secretary of the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Group in the Department of Home Affairs. Hamish joined the department in January 2016.

In this role Hamish leads on cyber security, protective security, data security and critical infrastructure policy, and manages the Australian regulatory authority for 11 critical infrastructure sectors including transport security and telecommunication security. Hamish is also responsible for AusCheck, a national background checking service.

Prior to his current position, Hamish was the Inaugural Head of the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre.

Hamish began his career in the public service at the National Museum in 2002. Hamish has extensive leadership experience in national security, border protection, technology, cyber security, indigenous affairs and criminal justice issues in the Australian Public Service.

Hamish has an Executive Master of Public Administration from the Australia and New Zealand School of Government, a Bachelor of Arts from the Australian National University (ANU) and a Bachelor of Asian Studies from ANU and Gadjah Mada University.