Industry Advisory Board

BA ‘82, BA(Hons) ‘83, DipSocSc ‘83

Management Consultant & Strategic Adviser

Scott Ashby is an experienced Chief Executive Officer, having worked in both State and Local Government in South Australia for many years.

His most recent role was as CEO of the City of Onkaparinga, SA’s largest metropolitan council.

His previous roles in the South Australian Government have included Chief Executive of Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA), the Department for Water (DFW), Land and Biodiversity Conservation (DWLBC), and Deputy Chief Executive in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC).  

Scott’s senior executive experience included responsibility for policy and program areas addressing natural resource management, environment protection, water resource management, greenhouse and climate change, forestry, minerals and petroleum development, science R&D, economic and regional development, and intergovernmental relations.   

Scott also has extensive senior level experience in organisational governance, financial management, human resources, asset management, project management and delivery, stakeholder management, communications and media.

Scott is currently a management consultant and strategic adviser to Government agencies and the private sector.

BA ‘00

Director, Human Resources, Wellbeing and Safety, People & Performance, Department of Human Services

Nicole is a highly motivated and experienced human resources and wellbeing and safety leader and has predominately been working within the SA Government.

She has a broad skill set in business partnering, coaching, culture and change, employee engagement, employee relations, and wellbeing and safety. Nicole is a strategic thinker and well-rounded leader with qualifications focused in human resources, psychology, politics and management.

She is an active member in across government committees and avidly takes the opportunity to build networks to learn and grow her knowledge and apply this in her roles.

Finding and creating ways to improve employee workplace experience and ensuring employees are supported in an ever changing and often challenging environment is what gives her great satisfaction in her career. 

BA ‘00

CEO, SA Tourism Council (TiCSA)

Mr de Bruyn is the CEO of the Tourism Industry Council of South Australia (TiCSA) and a dedicated industry advocate with 20 years’ experience delivering strong outcomes across the leisure, travel and tourism industry within South Australia. 

His background is wide and varied, having worked in areas of relationship management, business planning, destination and experience development, marketing and distribution, government engagement and strategic management.

Previous Roles include: 

• Manager - Industry and Government Relations, SA Tourism Commission 

• Ministerial Liaison Officer for the Minister for Tourism 

• Manager - Experience Development, SA Tourism Commission

• Regional Tourism Manager

• Tourism Eyre Peninsula

BA’74, BA(Hons) ’75

CEO & Artistic Director, Adelaide Festival Centre

Member of Flinders University Council

Douglas is the CEO and Artistic Director of Adelaide Festival Centre. Since joining in 2006, he has initiated a major ‘program-led’ revival which has increased audiences and positioned the Centre as a hub for Asian-Australian cultural engagement.

He has international experience in media, tourism and the arts, including as Director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Deputy Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Director of Corporate Affairs of STAR TV and Head of Music and Arts for Radio Television Hong Kong. He was also founding Vice-Chairman of the Asian Arts Festival Association and a Board Member of the Asian Cultural Council (Rockefeller Foundation).

Douglas’ current Board positions include Chair of Association of Asia Pacific Performing Arts Centres, Member of the Flinders University Council, Adelaide UNESCO City of Music Board, Australia-Singapore Arts Group, Global Cultural Districts Network Board, and National Foundation for Australia-China Relations Advisory Board.

In 2016 Mr Gautier was awarded an Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to arts administration through leadership roles with a range of institutions, to tertiary education, and to the community.

Mr Gautier is a recipient of a Flinders Distinguished Alumni Award and was featured in the Flinders 50 Creatives exhibition in 2016.

BA ‘83

Principal Partner/Producer, Dancing Road Productions

Helen Leake AM, Producer. One of Australia’s most experienced producers with producing credits that include WOLF CREEK 2, which topped the Australian box office in its opening week, SWERVE featuring Jason Clarke, BLACK AND WHITE starring Robert Carlyle and Charles Dance, a film festival favourite as was the cult status film HEAVEN’S BURNING with Russell Crowe. Helen has a reputation for completing projects on time and on budget and her films have been invited to over thirty prestigious film festivals, including Venice, Toronto (twice), London (twice), Sydney (opening film), Melbourne (twice) and Pusan. Helen also contributes to industry organisations, including as CEO of the South Australian Film Corporation (2004-07), Chair of the Australian International Documentary Conference (2007 -2012), the Australian Film Commission Board (1998-04) and Board member of Ausfilm (2004-07). In 2020 Helen Leake was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2020 Australia Day Honours, for significant service to film and to professional organisations. Helen was appointed to the board of Screen Australia in June 2021.

Head of Collections, The History Trust of SA

Mandy Paul is Head of Collections at the History Trust of South Australia. Mandy brings to her work over three decades in the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) sector and as a professional historian.

Understanding and sharing complex and contested histories has been a thread running through her career, informing her work as a social history curator, museum director and collections manager, and as a consultant historian on native title claims in jurisdictions across Australia.

Mandy holds postgraduate qualifications in history and museum studies and has published widely on Australian social history, museology, and the intersection of history and law in native title.

She is currently a Visiting Research Fellow in the School of Humanities at the University of Adelaide and a Partner Investigator on two ARC Linkage projects: ‘Reconciling with the Frontier: Accounting for Colonial Conflict’ and  ‘LGBTQ Migrations: Life Story Narratives in the South Australian GLAM Sector’. 

BA (Hons) ‘91

Executive Director, Community & Family Services, Department of Human Services

Alex Reid is the Executive Director, Community and Family Services in the Department of Human Services.

Alex is responsible for building stronger communities and supporting vulnerable people and families in three key areas: 

• Safer Family Services provides a wide range of support services to children, young people and families, including case management and programs for children and families.

• The Office for Women works toward achieving gender equity and positive change for women in South Australia by collaborating across government and the community. 

• Communities and Justice is responsible for contributing to building safer South Australian communities by supporting children and young people to desist from offending, recognise the impact of their crime on victims and access opportunities to participate safely and productively in the community.

From March 2019 to March 2021 Alex was the Chief Executive Officer in the Office of the Training and Skills Commission. From December 2017 until February 2019 Alex was Interim Chief Executive, TAFE SA and was responsible for overseeing TAFE SA’s new quality system, while also ensuring the organisation delivered vocational education and training to thousands of students across South Australia.

Prior to this position, Alex was Deputy Chief Executive with the Department of State Development integrating the work of the Department across multiple industry sectors in support of the State’s economic development.

Earlier in her career Alex filled the roles of Group Executive Director, Arts and Cultural Affairs (including Arts and Cultural Heritage, Aboriginal Affairs and the State’s Capital City Committee) and Executive Director, Arts SA, in the Department of State Development and Department of the Premier and Cabinet. Prior to commencing work at Arts SA, Alex spent many years in regional and remote South Australia as an Arts Officer with Country Arts SA. 

Trained as an actor at the Flinders University Drama Centre, Alex has always valued the role of art and culture in community and its ability to advance creative economic development and social change.

BA ‘95

Director, Teaching & Learning Strategy, Asia, Microsoft

Mr Tierney is an Education industry sales leader with over 15 years’ experience in Asia-Pacific region, including 3 years working with Microsoft's Worldwide Education Team to deliver programs to over 100 countries.

His current role sees him responsible for the development and execution of education strategy (K-12, Post-secondary), teaching and learning for Asia.

His career includes 18 years as an education thought leader and change management specialist. Sean’s background also includes classroom teaching (primary and secondary), lecturing at university (school of business MBA level), adult education and training (online and face to face), school leadership, and senior manager for large department of education. 

Sean is also a Co-founder of BOUNCEinc Trampoline Parks.