Distinguished Australian scientist and engineer Professor Mary O’Kane AC has commenced as Independent Director and Chair of the Board of strategic event bidding organisation Business Events Sydney (BESydney).
Professor O’Kane said, “I am very pleased to be joining the BESydney Board as Chair at a very exciting time in the company’s 55-year history.”
“Beyond being a strong economic driver for the local visitor economy, business events, and particularly global conferences are a vital part of a city, and a country’s innovation ecosystem. They are a soft power asset for building regional and global connectivity and are increasingly being utilised by governments globally as a platform for community and broader social impact.”
Welcoming Professor O’Kane to the Board, BESydney CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith said, “We are very pleased Mary accepted the opportunity to lead our Board and to work with the Executive to drive further growth from the strong position we built with our former Chair, The Hon Bruce Baird AM.”
“This is the second time Professor O’Kane has sat on the BESydney Board, previously serving a nine-year term as an Independent Director during her time as the inaugural NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer (2008-2018).”
With a professional and academic career spanning working as a computer engineer undertaking pioneering research in artificial intelligence to University of Adelaide Vice-Chancellor and serving as member or chair on many government and private sector boards and committees, Professor O’Kane brings an extraordinary breadth and depth of experience in the innovation, research, higher education, energy, ICT, public policy and development spheres to the BESydney Board.
Professor O’Kane is currently Chair of the NSW Independent Planning Commission and continues to advise universities and governments in Australia and around the globe, having been a reviewer for European innovation agencies including the FFG, the Austrian Research Promotion Agency and VINNOVA, the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems.
She joins the Board after completing her most recent of several reviews for the Australian Government, the Australian Universities Accord, which was tasked with making recommendations to deliver a higher education system that meets the current and future needs of the nation.
Professor O’Kane’s three-year term on the BESydney Board commenced 1 February 2024.
More on the BESydney Board here https://www.besydney.com.au/
For more information on BESydney go to besydney.com.au.
