David Admans (MEI) has over forty years of diverse work experience in a range of industry sectors, executive management roles and as a member of Boards spanning regional authorities, government agencies and firms large and small. His career, focused on innovation, has spanned the public, community and private sectors and included specialist roles in several consulting firms and technology-based businesses. This experience has included the commercialisation of public sector service delivery functions as well as private sector activity.
Since 2001 his professional focus has been on building the innovative capacity of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) primarily in an economic development context which recognises the importance of developing whole of supply chain collaboration to drive productivity improvement and innovation. Most recently, this work has been undertaken as CEO of the Central Victoria Area Consultative Committee (2004-08) and subsequently initial Director of the Australian Government’s Enterprise Connect, Innovative Regions Centre – IRC (2008-June 2012). The IRC is one of six specialist national innovation centres established by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Higher Education under the Enterprise Connect program.
Initially, this role involved developing the “innovative regions” concept for the Department and then implementing the model. This involved working with Commonwealth, State and Local Government agencies, businesses and community stakeholders across Australia. At the time of David’s leaving the role in June 2012, the model had been proven and the IRC had gained recognition as a world class economic development unit and a key element in the Australian Government’s capacity to support structural adjustment in Australian industries and regions.
During his career, David Admans been involved in the following roles and tasks:
- new venture creation and financing – as a manager in a venture capital firm (Senetas) and as an entrepreneur establishing his own small businesses;
- strategic business planning associated with significant business transformation and organisational change;
- business development and customer service;
- management consultancy and corporate advisory work;
- policy development and implementation within Government agencies;
- contract management of outsourced of service contracts, including assessing tenders for government agencies, contract project management and specification of services for tender;
- preparing tender submission documents and proposals as a General Manager with service providers;
- leading and coaching in-house bid teams and as a General Manager in a major private provider of services to government;
- a broad spectrum of project and contract management activities in roles in both the private and public sectors; and
- Contract General Manager/Director in Local Government and Commonwealth agencies where he led specific innovation and change management projects.
Since 1985, David’s work has primarily involved leading projects associated with the implementation of significant organisational and/or community change with a business improvement and innovation focus.